The hills are alive, are we?

“The hills are alive with the sound of music
With songs they have sung for a thousand years
The hills fill my heart with the sound of music”

The ever so familiar lines from sound of music that I grew up with (rather hopped on my parents beds for hours :P) …

A good friend of mine recently asked me, why am I so embodied with thoughts of mountains, hills and plains.

I close my eyes and see a breathtaking view. Picturesque mountains of lush greenery that stretches for miles away. It’s breathtaking serenity.The smell of air that contains a tint of fresh green grass, and pine trees . The horizon so distinctively defined with the master artist only using a palette of greens and blues. There’s nothing obstructing the heavens and earth uniting as one. Then I listen into the faint melody that echoes from a distance. It is that of a nightingale. What a glorious performance I think to my self. It seems like an grandeur invitation beckoning me into the depths of wilderness..Beyond this threshold is a timeless era altogether.

One must be undergoing these same exact emotions when embarking on an escapade, a journey into finding new pastures. Beyond the hills lie vast empty spaces and yet I feel completely at bliss at this thought.the emptiness does not frighten me.. the spirit feels so alive and in harmony with nature. This must be the reason why the old world thrived so much spiritually and philosophically. The atmosphere instinctively reminds me of many Red Indian tales.

Many of us see dreams standing at the edge of a cliff,arms stretched wide open and the wind whispering to your soul beckoning you to simply let go and make the dive. The hills resonate of freedom, from our own self anguishing thoughts and the evils of modern societal beings and the system altogether. Have we become so ignorant of the intricate and delicate mechanisms that coexisted between man and nature for thousands of years?

“I go to the hills when my heart is lonely
I know I will hear what I've heard before
My heart will be blessed with the sound of music
And I'll sing once more.”

I yearn to be in the hills when I am lonely and again when I am seeking solitude…Now that is indeed a paradox and perhaps my ongoing dilemma. I often recall the particular verse from the dhammapada;

“Aththahi aththano natho,
Ko-hi natho parosiya….”

Translation- You are your own sanctity; you cannot expect such from someone else.

So my interpretation of the hills reflects to the state of being at peace with one’s present existence and Completely attuned with oneself. This shall be my 'pursuit in Life'.......