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Reflections on Circumambulating Wutai Mountain

2024-05-03
Reflections on Circumambulating Wutai Mountain

Taking advantage of the fewer crowds before the May Day holiday, I embarked on a backpacking trip along the Wutai Mountain Grand Circuit.

When I set out, the wind was strong and the snow was heavy. The weather was good for the next few days, and it started snowing again when I returned to the starting point.

Along the way, I passed by several temples, and there were many people worshipping.

This led me to think about the relationship between gods and Buddhas, temples, and ordinary people.

Humans once lived in nature, facing its power directly and seeking their own livelihood.

In the face of uncontrollable natural phenomena, people prayed to heaven and earth for good luck.

Nowadays, most people live in modern buildings, rarely facing the risks of nature, so they have shifted their goals from nature to human relationships.

Because the human heart is also full of uncontrollable variables, and desire also drives people to pursue more.

In fact, instead of praying for supernatural beings to give you good luck, it is better to take responsibility for your own every action.

I fell in love with hiking because in hiking, only the preparation in advance is controllable, and the rest depends on risk assessment and immediate decision-making in the face of various unexpected situations.

The best outdoor equipment is often not enough in the face of the uncontrollable power of nature.

The best guide can only help you find a safer route, but cannot protect you completely.

Only you can be responsible for your own safety, and if you are not, the consequences are often death, not just injury.

How to make decisions based on your own situation, how to implement decisions, how to deal with new risks after making decisions, this is the fun of hiking, and it is also the fun of life.

Humans have been able to survive and develop to this day because a large number of pioneers have walked out their own safe routes, which later generations can learn from and imitate, greatly reducing the risk.

It’s just that people nowadays hardly face the risk of life and death, and their sense of responsibility has also become weaker and weaker.

Hiking puts people directly back into nature, forcing you to face life and death and constantly make decisions about your own life and death.

Every step you take, you need to assess the safety of your foothold, and every few steps you need to confirm the direction of travel.

When you respect nature and take full responsibility for yourself, not only will your body produce a large amount of dopamine and endorphins, but nature will also generously use its breathtaking scenery to broaden the width of your life.

Instead of worshipping gods and Buddhas, it is better to take responsibility for yourself and face the vicissitudes of life with a stronger heart.

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