Notes from Mae Hong Son, Thailand

In the wee hours of morning before sun's first light, I gathered my camera gear and put on my clothes, yet I was far from the only person stirring. I walked out the door of my guesthouse into the refreshingly cool morning air and began my walk up the mountainside. As I walked along the streets just beginning to fill with dawn's first light, I realized that I did not walk alone; for both in front of me leading the way and following behind walked men of the orange cloth. The monks who led my way were out gathering alms of food from the villagers, food which would make up there only meal of the day. As our company progressed up the hill, I split away from the group turning even further up the mountainside. I passed under golden arches guarded by dragons and the spirits of the woods in their shrines. Up a moss covered path I strode until I reached the long nearly endless stair up through the forest into the heart of the mountain. Up and up I climbed, flanked by twin Naga upon stairs so steep and crumbling that I had to grab hold of the scales of the great serpents to keep from failure. Finally, I reached the heart of the mountainside, the great shrine of the Buddha. I came upon the revered image, alone in the quiet of the early morning, and there sat myself down in mirror image of the that great meditater. There in that position I stayed, for several minutes until I finally got lost in the peace that comes when the mind quits searching for something to hold onto and surrenders to the silence. It was in that moment - I use "moment" yet I do not know how long it actually was, time is not a dimension of that space between thoughts - I say, it was in that moment that the sun's first rays reached over the peaks of the easten mountains, falling first upon the Buddha's brow, then slowly continuing to bathe him in golden light. A light, when reflected off of the gold leaf adorng the Buddha, made for a pretty awe inspiring sight. While I am not a Buddhist, nor do I classify myself as a member of some noes age order; there is one thing that I know for sure... In that moment, I got what my old Prof. Phillips was talking about, and what an exeprience it was.