Walking 10K miles… - Walk Ten Thousand Miles

Its best-known line reads Ngelmu iku kelakone kanthi laku, “Knowledge… you get it through laku.” The word laku has many shades of meaning, a few ... Skiptoprimarycontent …throughthelandscapeandthroughthemind “Walktenthousandmiles,readtenthousandbooks.”ThisiswhatChinesescholar-walkerGuYanwu(1613-1682)oncesaidsumminguphisapproachtoliving.Asascholarhecraftedanunlikelyamalgamoutofgeographyandphilology.Itissaidthathewalkedthelengthandbreadthof17th centuryChinaindulginghisobsessionwithlandscape.AtthesametimeheporedoveroldbooksanddevisedaninfluentialclassificationofrhymesinancientChinesepoetry. GuYanwu,philologistandlongdistancewalker.Kittedoutinhiswalkinggear?(Wikipediaimage) Guseemstohaveunderstoodthatwalkingandreadinghavealotincommon.Footstepsimprintthemselvesonthelandscapelikewordsprintedacrossapage.Everylongdistancewalkisasuccessionofstepsthataddsuptoavisionofthelandscape.Everyactofreadingisasuccessionofwordsthataddsuptoanimaginedinnerlandscape.Nodoubtthesagealsounderstoodthatwalkingandreadingarebothmeditativestates.Theeyesilentlytraverseslandscapesandmindscapes.Eachcornerturnedisapageturned. The SeratWedatama,aJavanese-languagetextprobablyauthoredbyPrinceMangkunegaraIV(1811– 1880)inthemid19th century,saysitbetterthanGuYanwudid.Itsbest-knownlinereads Ngelmuikukelakonekanthilaku,“Knowledge…yougetitthrough laku.”Theword laku hasmanyshadesofmeaning,afewofthemreverberatinginthisline.Insomecontexts laku canmean“meditativeasceticexercise”,whatamysticdoestogetintuitiveknowledge.Butitalsomeans“one’sstyleofwalkingorgait,towalk,togoforward”.SoMangkunegara’sfamouslinemightbetranslated,abitfreelyIadmit,“Knowledge…yougetitthroughmeditativewalking.” InJavaneseliterature,oneofthebest-knownexamplesofmeditativetravelappearsinthe DewaRuci story.ThegreatheroBimaisinstructedbyhisguruDurnatomakea laku journeyinsearchofthewateroflife.ThejourneytakeshimintothedepthsoftheoceanwherehemeetsDewaRuci,atinyreplicaofhimself.DewaRuciinvitesBima–whohasamassivebody–tosqueezeinsidehimthroughhisear.ThescepticalBimamanagestodothis,andinsidehismini-selfhefindsavastocean.Thezen-likeparadoxesofthestoryarewell-knowntoJavanesetoday.Withinthediminutiveconfinesofeveryhumanindividualliestheboundlessnessofagreatocean,andthatgreatoceanisitselfwrappedinaboundlessocean.Wetraversetheseaswithin,andthelandscapeswithout,inalife-long laku journey. GeorgeQuinn,elderlywalker,admirerofGuYanwu,andbewilderedstudentofJavanesesociety.Heisstandinginfrontofthattempleofreading,theNationalLibraryofAustraliainCanberra. Longdistancewalking,withitschallengesandpleasures,leadsus–asBimawasled–intothescaled-downworldoffoot-before-footwherewewillfindvasterlandscapes.So…inthespiritofGuYanwu,Ihoistabackpackontomyback,presssomebuttonsonmyGPSdevice,takesomedeepgulpsofwater,andsetonefootinfrontoftheother.Iwon’tbeabletowalktenthousandmiles(butthen,neitherdidGu…hewascarriedawaybyabitofliteraryexaggeration,andhesimplymeant“alongway”),butifIcanwalkjusttenmilesfromtimetotimeI’llcountmyselfalegitimatediscipleofthegreatwalker-philologist.Andmaybe,ifI’mlucky,insidethattenmilesI’lldiscovervastlandscapeswithinevenvasterlandscapes.Ontheotherhand,Imightsimplyfeelabitbetter,andthatwillberewardenough. Sharethis:TwitterFacebookLikethis:LikeLoading... 1thoughton“Walking10Kmiles…” ThisiswonderfulGeorge.IlovetheDewaRucistory. Reply↓ LeaveaReplyCancelreply Enteryourcommenthere... Fillinyourdetailsbeloworclickanicontologin: Email(required)(Addressnevermadepublic) Name(required) Website YouarecommentingusingyourWordPress.comaccount. ( Log Out /  Change ) YouarecommentingusingyourTwitteraccount. ( Log Out /  Change ) YouarecommentingusingyourFacebookaccount. ( Log Out /  Change ) Cancel Connectingto%s Notifymeofnewcommentsviaemail.Notifymeofnewpostsviaemail. Δ Privacy&Cookies:Thissiteusescookies.Bycontinuingtousethiswebsite,youagreetotheiruse. Tofindoutmore,includinghowtocontrolcookies,seehere: CookiePolicy Follow Following WalkTenThousandMiles Join394otherfollowers Signmeup AlreadyhaveaWordPress.comaccount?Loginnow. WalkTenThousandMiles Customize Follow Following Signup Login Copyshortlink Reportthiscontent ViewpostinReader Managesubscriptions Collapsethisbar   LoadingComments...   WriteaComment... Email(Required) Name(Required) Website %dbloggerslikethis: