The weather has not been very good these past few days. It has been rainy and cloudy. The planned itinerary has been temporarily changed. The off-road vehicle has been speeding all the way, from Gannan to western Sichuan and then to Yunnan. The scenery along the way is indeed beautiful, but without the sunshine, it seems a bit bleak. This vast alpine grassland is full of positive tension.
This trip was in a hurry and I didn’t pack much equipment. I had dinner with a client the other night. After the trip, I rushed to Baiyun Airport to pick up my friend, and then drove more than 1,600 miles to Chengdu non-stop.
Autumn colors are approaching, and National Highway 318 is more beautiful than in other seasons. In my eyes, 318 is already more noisy than a few years ago. Infrastructure construction and attraction names, observation decks, and parking areas can be seen everywhere. I don’t know whether these changes are good or bad. I am just a passerby. After seeing this scenery, I will leave, and I will chase another scenery.
I keep looking for the most beautiful scenery in these wilderness, stopping at every station and thinking about every journey. I walked a long way, saw a lot of simple or not-so-simple little people, and self-righteously rated those faces and looks. I thought I was slowly growing up, but I was not as indifferent as the herdsmen who went from pasture A to pasture B every month, nor as steady and calm as the ignorant yak.
If after reading a lot of books, distinguishing a lot of right from wrong, and listening to a lot of teachings on benevolence, righteousness, and morality, you finally return to your original nature and then turn around to look for the most ordinary direction, then why are you galloping towards the snowy mountains, forests, grasslands, and deserts? That is obviously the most extraordinary road.
The plateau under the autumn colors, with its numerous mountains and endless sky in the distance, is fascinating. There is no path destined to be ordinary. The times are like a torrent, assimilating every person in every city and then rolling forward, leaving no room for thinking at all.
The day before yesterday, I camped next to a small river beside National Highway 213. The moon on August 15th was very round, and the silver light poured into the river. There were stars in the grass. I especially like camping, looking at the vast starry sky and thinking about something quietly. In this environment, it is easy for people to feel their own insignificance, surrounded by huge darkness, and fully integrated into nature.
The biggest flaw in people is their fearlessness and unwillingness to take a step back. The "Diamond Sutra" says: "All the Dharma can be achieved through forbearance." I understand, but I don’t understand.
As I grow older, I gradually discover that there are many huge and silent dark matter hidden around me, so I slowly calm down and give in. The world is big, but there are very few safe places. Looking at these distant mountains, grasslands and rivers, I wish I could set up camp here, pick up stones from the mountains like the Tibetans, build my own house and yard, look for a piece of land that belongs to me, and cultivate it. I no longer think about knowledge and culture. The world is already in a state of chaos.
Civilization and times are constantly evolving, who can truly keep up with them? You think that the system is a safe harbor, but you don’t know that you are being weakened infinitely, leaving you with only one mouth to live by; you think that you control a business territory and win time and opportunities, but you can be beaten to pieces in a storm. Sadly, this storm comes from nowhere, and you have done nothing wrong.
It is said that the theory of "selflessness" in Buddhism has been scientifically proven. I think it's very reasonable. Even these snow-capped mountains, rocks and rivers have never existed in a real sense, let alone a person's short life span of several decades? And can you remember twenty years ago now? So everything is impermanent and selfless, right? The world of impermanence is the world of permanence. If you know your own nature, you will know everything if you have a clear mind and see your nature. All the evil deeds done in the past were caused by greed, anger and ignorance without beginning.
On the return flight, I read a book given by Namjagbarwa, a travel diary written by a folk singer, writer, and the best backpacker. I admire the author's understanding of travel and his attitude towards the vicissitudes of the world. During the journey, we always meet many people, with various purposes and ideas, who have experienced different things and precipitation, but without exception, these are often the fate of passing by.
I even think that a lama who lives in a shabby room is far less able to distinguish right from wrong than a traveler who sleeps in the open air and travels through hundreds of thousands of mountains. There are no immortals living in famous mountains. The true Buddha only talks about daily life. The real Buddha is often the most inconspicuous character in the world! Isn’t it true that those who insist on putting on their cassocks and meditating standing up are not persistent? Aren't those who quote scriptures just following what others say?