Of Mountain Climbing and Practice

"Some people say that mountain climbers are really wasting their time. They have nothing better to do so they climb mountains, tire themselves out, and come back with nothing to show for it.

Yet a person who climbs a tall mountain sees the world in a very different way from someone who never leaves his own front door.

Genuine mountain climbers do not struggle up great precipices for the glory of it. They know that glory is only a label given by others.

A true climber climbs for the experience of climbing. And this is an experience no one can have without setting a foot on the mountain path.

If there is any purpose in Chan, we may say it is to discover the nature of the self.

Those who make this effort discover something sublime. They do not strive for glory and praise from others. Rather, they do the work for themselves."

- Master Sheng Yen, excerpt from the book "Dharma Drum : The Life and Heart of Chan Practice"

This was a passage I found rather inspiring when reading the book.

Putting aside the practice of Chan, I gather this can be applied to every other facet of life, where the focus is to be placed on the experiencing the process itself, instead of the end goals.

The process in itself, is the end goal, and the result, is the mere icing on the cake.

Obviously the "mountain" in itself needs to be a worthy one to undertake, and the intent on why to climb needs to be examine and congruent with oneself, but that is another topic to explore another time.

Expenses - March 2019

Total - S$2,569.51

Alright, short round up this time. Total for March 2019 was S$2,569.51, and this was a bit of an aberration, as I spent the first 13 days in North Asia, and cashed out most of my vacation expenses in the prior month.

The largest category was attributed my upcoming North American adventure in June. Started to book out essentials such as accommodation and transport in March, and this involves paying some part of it upfront via credit card, and the remainder over the next few months, so I reckon this will be the largest contributor to expenses in time to come.

The second largest category was of course, eating out. Not much to say about this actually, but this seems to be in line with what I would have spent if I were in Singapore the entire time.

The third largest category was gift. I had two birthdays in the family to celebrate over this month, and we spent some cash at some restaurants to have a good time.

It is times like these I'll remember going forward, when each of my siblings branch out to form their new families. Already, with one of my siblings moving out on a partial basis, I'm starting to feel that the process of developing our own lives will intensify over the next few years, so it's probably better to cherish these rare occasions when there's still that closeness available.

Things after all, are impermanent and will always change.

In any case, am about 36% below my budgeted allowance. So all's good. But I'm certain the next couple of months might see some heavy outflows as I embark on my journey to North America.