My foot slips on a narrow ledge; in that split second, as needles of fear pierce heart and temples, eternity intersects with present time. Thought and action are not different, and stone, air, ice, sun, fear, and self are one. What is exhilarating is to extend this acute awareness into ordinary moments, in the moment-by-moment experiencing of the lammergeier and the wolf, which, finding themselves at the center of things, have no need for any secret of true being. In this very breath that we take now lies the secret that all great teachers try to tell usthe present moment. The purpose of mediation practice is not enlightenment it is to pay attention even at unextraordinary times, to be of the present, nothing-but-the-present, to bear this mindfulness of now into each event of ordinary life.
breath enlightenment fear holiness meditation mindfulness mountain-climbing mountains nature soul spirit summit wonder

About This Quote

About Peter Matthiessen, The Snow Leopard

Peter Matthiessen, The Snow Leopard.

Themes

  • Fear — Understanding and overcoming the anxieties that hold us back
  • Nature — Appreciation for the natural world and our place within it
  • Soul — The inner self, consciousness, and spiritual essence

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