Why do we do anything? If the basic needs such as food, water, clothing, shelter, healthcare, and sanitation are met, what is the additional motivation to work? People often cite "fulfillment", or worse, "happiness" as a motivation to work (whatever that means!). Now consider an extreme scenario like climbing Mt. Everest, also dearly called Chomolungma, by the common folk in Nepal and Tibet. Why would you want to climb it?
I will give an outline of the the logistics involved in climbing Mt. Everest. An expedition would often take at least 2-3 weeks and easily a month. One needs to diligently plan the times of ascend, set up several base camps, and stock up sufficient food, water, and oxygen. It takes several days to get acclimatized to the high altitude. It is essential to carry sufficient clothing and climbing gear. A climber can face storms, avalanches, and injuries, that can be instantly lethal, frost bite that might cause disfiguring or amputation, or worse, suffer a slow and painful death. There is also a possibility of misjudging a situation that ends up proving lethal not for oneself, but for ones teammates. With all these reasons, why would you still climb Mt. Everest?
Well, there are always adrenaline junkies that want to accomplish a feat like climbing Mt. Everest. Some people just want to do it. There is no reason for it, they just do. What is the story such adrenaline junkies tell themselves? How do they think of the various stages and challenges in the journey? How do they confront their own death and handle the death of their fellow travelers?
The book "Touching My Father's Soul: A Sherpa's Journey to the Top of Everest", written by Jamling Tenzing Norgay, son of Tenzing Norgay, who, along with Edmund Hillary holds the record of the first man to reach the summit of Mt. Everest and return alive (in the recorded history), answers some of these questions. Jamling chronicles his adventures during the expedition in 1996 to reach the summit of Mt. Everest for shooting an IMAX documentary. His notes are interlaced with instances in his father's life, that might be related to his current situation, or give him inspiration and perspective.
Why do you want to climb the mountain? asks Geshe Rimpoche, family lama of Jamling. Jamling answers that he wants to walk in his father's foot steps hoping to be close to his father and see world from his perspective. Jamling believes that this expedition is like a pilgrimage to meet his father's soul. Geshe initially gives an unfavorable divination and tells Jamling that there will be challenges and recommends him to be patient. With a bit of worry, Jamling also meets Chatral Rimpoche, his wife's family lama, who also given an unfavorable divination, but encourages Jamling to continue. With these worries, Jamling stars his journey and needless to say, after a few hiccups, he successfully finishes the expedition.
In this book, Jamling gives two perspectives, of the Sherpas and the "visitors" (also called mikaru), that cannot be more different from each other. The perspective of Sherpas can be summed up in one phrase, said by Tenzing Norgay, "Chomolungma must be approached with respect and with love, the way a child climbs into the lap of a mother". The perspective of the visitors can be summed up as soldier engaged in a battle, or for the egoistic lot, "men conquering mountains". These two perspectives are reflected in their behaviors and perspectives through out the journey.
An area where this different shines through is in the expectation of the result of the expedition. The Sherpas tend to think that the success of their expedition would depend on the blessings of Miyolasangma, the Goddess (not a typo) guarding Chomolungma. If, and only if, Miyalosangma gives them permission, shall they be successful. Sherpas are comfortable believing in the divine revelations of Rimpoches and are hesitant about the expedition when the revelations are negative. The visitors, on the other hand, often assume that their expedition will be successful and the leader of the expedition must do whatever s/he can do to make it successful. They are also keen on boasting their victories in battle with their friends and family (obviously, not all of them). Jamling notes that visitors who have least experience climbing mountains seem to be the most boastful.
A naive, and obviously incorrect, reading would be that Sherpas are superstitious and visitors are imperialistic. Sherpas have a long and complicated relationship with Everest and the Himalayas in general. While she provides them with a source of livelihood, she is also ruthless in taking the lives of their fellow men. The number of Sherpas who lost their lives on Everest is five times that of the visitors. Their faith of Buddhism converts the complex relationship between Sherpas and Everest into a ritual that can be embodied and expressed in the rituals of Sherpas. Coming to the visitors, on average, a visitor spends $50-60 K (USD) to be a part of the expedition. The society around them, broadly operates on the principle that, the more money you pay, the better the quality of service. 50K is not a small amount, it is the median house hold income in the US. From this perspective, the visitors are, day I say, justified, to think that their expedition is going to be successful. After paying 50K, it better be! I would not judge the attitude of visitors as "imperialistic" or "narrow minded". Jamling, who grew up in a Sherpa household and has spent some time studying and living in the US is in an ideal position to bring out the contrasts in beliefs in a very careful and sensitive manner. Who is correct? Its up for you to decide.
This book expands on these two perspectives in various situations encountered through the expedition. The biggest contrast I find is how Sherpas and visitors confront and deal with death. The language is simple, but not simplistic. The pictures in the book are breathtaking. The interleaving of episodes of IMAX expedition along with the expeditions of Tenzing Norgay is very well done. Jamling also talks about how important is Buddhism in the life of Sherpas and contrasts it with the life of West. This book is heart-touching. I would recommend it without any reservations.
I will give an outline of the the logistics involved in climbing Mt. Everest. An expedition would often take at least 2-3 weeks and easily a month. One needs to diligently plan the times of ascend, set up several base camps, and stock up sufficient food, water, and oxygen. It takes several days to get acclimatized to the high altitude. It is essential to carry sufficient clothing and climbing gear. A climber can face storms, avalanches, and injuries, that can be instantly lethal, frost bite that might cause disfiguring or amputation, or worse, suffer a slow and painful death. There is also a possibility of misjudging a situation that ends up proving lethal not for oneself, but for ones teammates. With all these reasons, why would you still climb Mt. Everest?
Well, there are always adrenaline junkies that want to accomplish a feat like climbing Mt. Everest. Some people just want to do it. There is no reason for it, they just do. What is the story such adrenaline junkies tell themselves? How do they think of the various stages and challenges in the journey? How do they confront their own death and handle the death of their fellow travelers?
The book "Touching My Father's Soul: A Sherpa's Journey to the Top of Everest", written by Jamling Tenzing Norgay, son of Tenzing Norgay, who, along with Edmund Hillary holds the record of the first man to reach the summit of Mt. Everest and return alive (in the recorded history), answers some of these questions. Jamling chronicles his adventures during the expedition in 1996 to reach the summit of Mt. Everest for shooting an IMAX documentary. His notes are interlaced with instances in his father's life, that might be related to his current situation, or give him inspiration and perspective.
Why do you want to climb the mountain? asks Geshe Rimpoche, family lama of Jamling. Jamling answers that he wants to walk in his father's foot steps hoping to be close to his father and see world from his perspective. Jamling believes that this expedition is like a pilgrimage to meet his father's soul. Geshe initially gives an unfavorable divination and tells Jamling that there will be challenges and recommends him to be patient. With a bit of worry, Jamling also meets Chatral Rimpoche, his wife's family lama, who also given an unfavorable divination, but encourages Jamling to continue. With these worries, Jamling stars his journey and needless to say, after a few hiccups, he successfully finishes the expedition.
In this book, Jamling gives two perspectives, of the Sherpas and the "visitors" (also called mikaru), that cannot be more different from each other. The perspective of Sherpas can be summed up in one phrase, said by Tenzing Norgay, "Chomolungma must be approached with respect and with love, the way a child climbs into the lap of a mother". The perspective of the visitors can be summed up as soldier engaged in a battle, or for the egoistic lot, "men conquering mountains". These two perspectives are reflected in their behaviors and perspectives through out the journey.
An area where this different shines through is in the expectation of the result of the expedition. The Sherpas tend to think that the success of their expedition would depend on the blessings of Miyolasangma, the Goddess (not a typo) guarding Chomolungma. If, and only if, Miyalosangma gives them permission, shall they be successful. Sherpas are comfortable believing in the divine revelations of Rimpoches and are hesitant about the expedition when the revelations are negative. The visitors, on the other hand, often assume that their expedition will be successful and the leader of the expedition must do whatever s/he can do to make it successful. They are also keen on boasting their victories in battle with their friends and family (obviously, not all of them). Jamling notes that visitors who have least experience climbing mountains seem to be the most boastful.
A naive, and obviously incorrect, reading would be that Sherpas are superstitious and visitors are imperialistic. Sherpas have a long and complicated relationship with Everest and the Himalayas in general. While she provides them with a source of livelihood, she is also ruthless in taking the lives of their fellow men. The number of Sherpas who lost their lives on Everest is five times that of the visitors. Their faith of Buddhism converts the complex relationship between Sherpas and Everest into a ritual that can be embodied and expressed in the rituals of Sherpas. Coming to the visitors, on average, a visitor spends $50-60 K (USD) to be a part of the expedition. The society around them, broadly operates on the principle that, the more money you pay, the better the quality of service. 50K is not a small amount, it is the median house hold income in the US. From this perspective, the visitors are, day I say, justified, to think that their expedition is going to be successful. After paying 50K, it better be! I would not judge the attitude of visitors as "imperialistic" or "narrow minded". Jamling, who grew up in a Sherpa household and has spent some time studying and living in the US is in an ideal position to bring out the contrasts in beliefs in a very careful and sensitive manner. Who is correct? Its up for you to decide.
This book expands on these two perspectives in various situations encountered through the expedition. The biggest contrast I find is how Sherpas and visitors confront and deal with death. The language is simple, but not simplistic. The pictures in the book are breathtaking. The interleaving of episodes of IMAX expedition along with the expeditions of Tenzing Norgay is very well done. Jamling also talks about how important is Buddhism in the life of Sherpas and contrasts it with the life of West. This book is heart-touching. I would recommend it without any reservations.
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