One big part of Yamabushi training that can take a little bit of time to get your head around is that as much as possible, we don’t like to give any explanation or details or even background to the trainings before they begin.

The logic is that doing so would give you expectations that will have an effect on how you experience something. Any effect as such is a burden that can stop the experience from being an effective experience.

Sometimes I like to go into an experience with the mindset that I am to experience the experience for the sake of the experience. This means I’m purposely trying not to think how I will explain the experience when I get home, or how I can record the experience for something in the future.

This is something I’ve been struggling with a little with the 100 Mountains of Yamagata project, but I tell myself that the first part is to record for others, and the second part is my experience. However, paradoxical maybe, I think this also helps when I’m climbing a mountain not for the purposes of recording it. It means I am better able to enjoy the experience for the experience. And this further motivates me to get the mountains project out of the way 🙂