View obstacles as . . .

The mountain is high and difficult to climb,

but not impossibly so.

Attaining buddhahood takes uncountable lifetimes.

Too overwhelming?

Maybe this will help: imagine the perfect enlightenment of buddhahood as the top of a mountain, one so high that it’s hidden by the clouds above us. But we have been assured that there is indeed a peak and that we will reach it if we keep climbing. And so we take a few more steps. Suddenly we slip on some loose stones and find ourselves even lower than we were.

Resuming our climb, we come to an outcropping of rock and cannot figure how to get around it. No matter what we try, nothing works. Becoming frustrated and careless, we start slipping back on those darn stones again. I can give up. This mountain is just too tough. Maybe go back down the mountain. Life was much easier down below. Or perhaps just stay here for a while.

As we ponder our situation, we glance around and notice that, actually, we are a bit higher than we were a while ago. We realize that the air is a little less polluted, the sky a little bluer. We can breathe more easily and see farther.

Peering back down the mountain, we see other climbers struggling to reach the point we’re at. We call down to them with some encouraging words. And as we do this, we hear those who are above us on the mountain. They’re doing the same for us—calling down words of encouragement and helpful hints for how to proceed.

We realize that we’re not the only one on the mountain! Helping others, we feel good. Being helped, we feel more confident about what lies ahead.

By looking around, seeing beyond our own struggles, and noticing others, we feel better about our progress so far. We still can’t see the top, and it’s clear that we have a long way to go.

But things have gotten better.

We have indeed made some progress. Taking the time to realize this and breathing deeply, we smile. Feeling renewed, we turn back to the mountain and resume our climb, with more energy and confidence than we had before.

Chant the buddha-name. No problem if . . .