The mountain path

‘Truth is a pathless land’
Jiddu Krishnamurti

Spiritual growth is like climbing a mountain. At the top is God is all His Glory. Reaching the top is Enlightenment, being one with Him. At some point in your life the longing for something more comes to the forefront. Perhaps you have more time now. Perhaps you have suffered enough. Perhaps life has jolted you out of your otherwise hum-drum mundane existence. You thirst for more, for something ‘spiritual’.

You set out on your journey. You have packed light. The weather is warm and you sweep the tropical grasses aside as you confidently stride through with walking stick in hand. The sun beats down on you. The exhilaration of the journey of awakening there together with the energy it brings you. You are meeting friends on the way. As they join you you share your stories and expectations of adventure ahead and laugh together. Everything is good.

But then you meet a traveller who says that you are traversing the wrong path. Your path is too shallow and merely skirts around the foot of the mountain. The true path lies on the North side. You think about the traveller and what he has said. It seems to make sense. You can see how the path is quite shallow and well-trodden. And the path on the North side looks much more difficult, but quicker. Your friends prefer their easier path and continue.

As you join the traveller on the North side, the climb becomes steep and hard work. The once enjoyable sun now beats down on you relentlessly, seemingly pulling you back with every step. Form your higher vantage point you can see how the first easier path does indeed circle around the mountain foothills. You pity those friends who have taken the wrong path and did not listen to the logic of the traveller. At least you were clever enough to take the right way.

There are many paths along the spiritual mountain, infinite paths, all reflections of The Path. From the foot of the mountain some paths seem better than others. Some paths seems the ‘right way’, others are the ‘wrong way’. Maybe one person thinks their way is the Only Way.

At the top of the mountain the Enlightened One can see how all paths reach the top and can even instruct travellers on how to avoid obstacles.

Even when nearing the top, one can see how all the paths coalesce into The Path and can help others below on the way up.

Apparently.

For really the mountain is but a construct of the mind - it is the idea that Enlightenment and God are “out there”, a destination to be reached. In reality there is only this. Your desire for more is due to a belief, and that desire/belief has projected a goal which you now pursue. See this at once! See the falseness of this at once!