Christmas, compassion and camping

The last few weeks for myself, leading up to this festive season, has been pretty interesting: an infection in a tooth spread into my jaw, and the thought stopping pain became a challenge. But all the way through I just thought of two things: that it'd improve and that some people live with severe pain for years in their lives! It all gets quite humbling in fact especially when I ponder that not long ago folk died of this sort of thing.

I found an effective way to deal with the pain was to keep busy so I've again been mindlessly scanning my old library of colour slides. This was essentially revisiting the past so it became a game to think of some of the nice places I've been privileged to camp at around the Christmas period.

A Christmas mountainerring bivy - Cook River in South Westland...


Getting to this amazing camping spot was not easy and I was so exhausted at one stage I discovered this was a nice way to relax...


While the rocks provided shelter for our puny 4 person tent, the rain was so bad it pooled almost into the tent [that's an early version of yours truly btw]...


So we did some excavations...


We were camping high for an attempt on the long, but technically easy west ridge of La Perouse - the route made famous by the incredible rescue and carry of Ruth Adams in 1948. [see Bob McKerrow's blog for history of La Perouse]. But opposite our campsite this was the astounding view of the Balfour Face of Mt Tasman...


When the weather cleared we then had just enough food left for one attempt on La Perouse, but for various reasons we ran out of puff. I don't recall exactly why apart from myself having a sore back - something that had developed in similar circumstances once before and debilitated me on a much easier climb. I think the others who left me picnicking, for a hour or three on a nice airy rock were also worried at the degree of our remoteness and how our resources were wearing thin.

So knowing the mountains will still be there we retreated mindful of hungry tums. That's La Perouse hidden in romantic clouds...

I mentioned it was a four person tent, but from memory we were five young souls, and so Michael closest in friendship to myself, elected to sleep alone up the hill further in a dry spot under a rock.

When "departure" morning dawned and it was obvious it was "now or never" to leave, someone went up to his dry little spot and advised him we thought it wise to head home. But he did not want to come! It fell on myself to convince him otherwise - on climbing up the hill I found him in a severe state of depression, and lacking finesse, eventually and lovingly literally emptied him out of his sleeping bag. Of course going out in the most demanding terrain on offer in New Zealand, we had many thoughts as to how easy it'd be for him to fall into the river, or down the side of the gorge. However we now know exercise is antidote for depression [up to a point]!

On our return to our homes we made sure he sought help, but very sadly within an autumn and a winter he'd passed on after a days' powder skiing. This was maybe my first encounter with, 1] depression, 2] compassion; for the ensuing experiences, which of course included his family, tested all of us with many a journey of our feelings and emotions. For myself though this was just the first insight into compassion and I found it not easy to grasp on the first encounter

That journey for me has never ended though, and it's been an "inner" one for a long time and included many teachers, and I'd not have it any other way! Especially over the last several years I've seen perspective altering examples of it. So the understanding of the importance to all of us grows on me!

I ponder often that there maybe a progression for some like myself: we [hopefully] grow up with love, then realise that it's got a flavour of "unconditional", especially from our parents [hopefully again!]. And that maybe the understanding of what is needed to help us all on our journeys is an understanding of compassion built on these solid foundations.

So while I've been tied down a bit resisting feeling sorry for myself [having to chew chocolate on one side only!], Christmas once more found me in a dry safe place with good company and food...

But I cannot escape an experience of my youth that revisits every Christmas day: Occasionally my father used to take me to midnight Mass, and on one such occasion I recall sitting behind a family I knew to be recent refugees from Hungray. Quietly and with dignity they sobbed and cried their way through the ceremony, and today the experience still haunts me every Christmas Day! The memory makes me tearful, still what is the point of this - crying will not help us develop compassion!

My son had his birthday a few days before Christmas, and that was one thing, but his present to me on Christmas day was one I found to be rather profound - one I'll treasure and never forget [it's message too], especially from a 17 yr. old...


The Dalai Lama grew up in big and wild mountains also, and maybe we need to value in different ways the fact that our country New Zealand is chock-a-block comprised of big mountains, very remote wilderness, and wonderful people, and that using these resources we can make the next year looming better in all regards...


Wishing you, by this shot symbolising warmth, a happy end to 2009 too!

In the zone

In the last few weeks I've perceived I'm entering a phase concerning decisions to be pondered, and I know lightness will help - sometimes known as being "in the zone". So as writing often helps me [self affirmation!] I thought I'd go over some of the factors - the theories and what I know that works:

There is more than one zone involved here. OK I've changed and so has the universe, but other factors still rule such as gravity and altitude, and neither seem a burden when you're there "in the zone" [Franz Josef Glacier in South Westland]...


Although I've done it often in good conditions, when I'm challenged in the mountains I find I don't talk much as I "go there". Why? Because intuitively I know that focusing on breathing and that alone, will put me in a state of very high awareness, and matching the breath with my movements.

There are other techniques too, and here I draw as well on ideas written by others:

Take your mind to one of the most beautiful places, or times you've experienced, on the "in" breath, by imagining your own personal energy field goes there and further.

On the "out" breathe bring all your energy centers into consciousness and feel them opening.

Be an observer knowing that whatever is happening has a purpose in life

Imagine yourself surrounded by a halo of pure light

Monitor yourself to see if love is a background emotion

Look for beauty everywhere - with vibrant colours glowing

Feel lightness and energy

Recall how it was when you experienced this in the past

If you "loose it" make stopping and regaining it a priority

The goal is to feel alive as in "existence", and jump straight away on any negativity or anxieties as they occur. For myself waking between 2 and 5 am can be a challenging time, but rewarding time also should I succeed, to work on what has to become a lifetime's habit!

I've often found the writings of the DalaI Lama very useful as he's written much about meditation and it's importance. More recently I've subscribed to the RSS feed on his web site, and note, in the throes of an amazing visit to Europe he's just made a very valid point about our moral responsibilities towards China:

World Must Bring China Into Democratic Fold: Dalai Lama

Warsaw, Poland, 11 December 2008 (AFP) - Tibet's spiritual leader the Dalai Lama called on the world community to bring China into the democratic mainstream, in a speech to Polish deputies Thursday.

"The free world has moral responsibility to bring China into the mainstream of world democracy. That is very essential, very important," the Dalai Lama told members of the parliamentary foreign affairs committee.... more>>

And to finish on a lighter note: Dougal my son turns 16 in a few days. We all say "where has the time gone - it all happens so fast?", and I'm no exception!

I'm reminded that kids live "in the zone", so we must learn from them! Here is Dougal on the right attending to the barbecuing of a snow chicken with our friend Riley who also has his birthday at this time. They're age 12 in this photo, and yes, that barbe is on and hot - it was a cold night, so "cooking " took awhile...