Inspiration: Journey to the heart of the world

"The nature of Mind is emptiness and Luminosity
Inseparably conjoined...
Spontaneously merging with the original state
I am indifferent to experiences of good and bad.
With mind free and effortless, I rest in happiness and joy.

Where subject and object are realized as a single sphere
Happiness and sorrow mingle as one...
Whatever circumstances I encounter,
I am free in the blissful realm of self-awakening Wisdom."
-Buddhist Sage Milarepa

I've been mesmerized the whole week by a book "The Heart of the World: A Journey to the Last Secret Place", Ian Baker's account of his amazing journey through Beyul Pemako in Tibet, describing the many difficulties and the personal insights he gained as he made this mesmerizing pilgrimage to uncover a hidden paradise over the course of five years. I'm just halfway through the book but already feeling truly inspired.

I've always been entranced by the concept of paradise, a place where all needs can be magically satisfied and happiness and enjoyments are equal to a god-realm, as Pemako, the "Bermuda Triangle of Tibet" was depicted in ancient texts outlined in the book. As opposed to the high-stressed, fast paced economy of today, of which most of us are inevitably stuck in, such a place seems dubiously existential, although everyone is invariably in a quest to find success in their life and seek their own Shangri-la.

The idea of a pilgrimage does not merely mean to visit a sacred place, but to facilitate an inner transformation at places that challenges conventional ways of seeing. In this sense, the more destabilizing the surroundings the better. As described in the book, Ian's trip was as much a spiritual journey, as much as it was also a physical trip through uncharted territory, as he battled against blood-sucking leeches, extreme temperatures, insurmountable physical obstacles, bureaucratic red-tape, before culminating in the discovery of a magnificent 108-foot high waterfall in the very heart of the Tsangpo gorges.

"To reach this secret place,
your meditation and insight should be confident;
free of any fear or doubt...
In order to pass through the tunnel of obstacles,
one's behavior and actions must be impeccable..
otherwise hidden places will never be revealed."
-Rinchen Riwoche Jedrung Jhampa Yungney
(Clear light: a Guide to the hidden land of Pemako)

Although most of us will never ever make such an equivalent arduous physical journey in real life, I'm sure that we will still encounter many set-backs, obstacles, and failures as we search for success with our personal goals. We should take such challenges in stride and never stop trying to build our own utopia, as paradise is truly found within ourselves. Have you found your own Shangri-la yet?

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