Apa Sherpa — One-of-a-Kind Man from Nepal

Apa Sherpa, 21 times summited Mt. Everest

Apa Sherpa, 21 times summited Mt. Everest

The other day I had the incredible great good fortune to meet Apa Sherpa. He was the guest of one of our friends here in St. Augustine, FL where we live. Ordinarily you would only hear about this remarkable individual if you were in Mt. Everest-climbing mode. But I, afraid of heights (my biggest phobia, that’s the truth!) met him at a casual potluck dinner in the flattest place of all — right next to the sea, here in my own lovely hometown.

Apa is the most humble, good-humored and enthusiastic person, one who shines his passion for what he’s done his entire life — facilitating others to achieve their goal of climbing the world’s highest mountain, the formidable Mount Everest. Apa has climbed it a world-record 21 times to the summit. Like all his fellow sherpas, all practicing Buddhists from Nepal, Apa carried a photo of the Dalai Lama to leave atop the summit, in esteemed honor of his spiritual leader, the exiled Tibetan lama.

You can find out all about my fine new friend on his site ApaSherpa.com and see/read about his many adventures. Most remarkable about him though, is that he has made the tough decision to give up summit-trekking, because his wife asked him to. Last year too many sherpas (all members of his native ethnic group share the same last name, Sherpa) were killed making the summit. His wife said, “Enough’s enough,” and Apa had to hang up his climbing spurs.

Apa wanted to be a doctor when he was a kid, but when his dad died at an early age young-teenage Apa had to go to work to support his family, and at the time the only source of livelihood for sherpas was — being “a sherpa,” a term that has become synonymous with someone who carries the load for someone else. Apa has made the summit more times than anyone EVER, alive or dead, and has helped with many rescues of stranded climbers, even the sad job of retrieving already dead bodies of others, oftentimes his climbing buddies who tragically didn’t make it. This a highly dangerous line of work, my friends. Hardly any little kid grows up wanting to be a sherpa.

Apa’s life has been devoted to service. His smile betrays only the joy, the passion, and the complete satisfaction of his life. We should all be so lucky to exhibit such peace as he exudes, and maybe we will, but most of us only feel that after we’ve achieved our goals.

Apa has a new goal, now that his climbing days are over. He’s raising money for his fellow sherpas for education and other life essentials. Perhaps you could donate a few dollars to Apa’s Fund, which you’ll find on his website (again, ApaSherpa.com) that he funnels directly to help his fellow sherpas back in Nepal, to help them have more choices about their livelihood than he had when he was young. Today Apa works in Salt Lake City for an American manufacturer whom Apa met when he was climbing Mt. Everest some years back. This American got to help Apa fulfill another of his goals — to live in a place, America, where his children could one day go to college. A documentary is being filmed about Apa and I’m sure you’ll hear more about him in the near future.

When I told Apa about my one big fear in life, heights, he just laughed and said, “Come on! Try it! You’ll like it!” as if offering me a new flavor ice cream cone.

“What??!! Apa, are you talking about climbing Mt. Everest, the highest mountain in the entire world, the most dangerous thing a person could ever do, besides fly a plane upside down at 200 mph, or walking out on the wings while doing so (even harder)?”

“Sure,” Apa grinned his infectious smile, “Try it! Come on! You’ll love it!”

I had to laugh. The idea of me climbing anything higher than the highest hill in Florida (about thirty feet) is ludicrous!

Dreams do come true if we work for them, though, I know that! But I think I’ll stick to getting my already-written books in print first, and then maybe think about an Everest summit in between. We can’t do everything, now can we? I feel like my life has been mostly about climbing my INNER Mt. Everest. I don’t feel I’ve missed out on any excitement, either by not climbing the real deal. Which, by the way, in case you never thought about it, is as high as what jet airliners generally cruise at for long distances: 36,000 feet!

in the Light,

Lordflea (aka teZa Lord)

time to come together & unite as ONE

hello friend,

politics, religion, nations–why can’t we just stop the separation among ourselves. i don’t know about you but i’m so tired of all the bickering, whining, blame and anger over not just these things, and want to interject some positive focus, by introducing new currency for ALL countries who celebrate life on planet Here and Now. 

that’s something to think about, ain’t it? so let’s go for it!

i know i know you’re asking who asked me, lordflea, to design this new currency? you may think the U.N., or he, our new leader-elect:

guided by his counselors, the Great Man ...

guided by his counselors, the Great Man ...

but no, i must admit i have not yet received “the commission.” but when i do, i’ve got the design all figured out, which i’m giving a sneak preview to you, here. just a few little details to work out, like the color of the ink (soy based of course), the dimension (how ’bout the sacred geometry rectangle ratio?), the paper quality (look to Crane Paper for the magic formula that the USA uses…high cotton content).

whatever we use to exchange our energy with, be it money, friendship, sports, entertainment, politics or religion…keep it focused on the highest good. please. as we think, so we become.

focus on the solution, not the problem

focus on the solution, not the problem

 

enjoy the day! lordflea singin’ for you–we as ONE

we’re more similar than dissimilar

hi world,

do you recognize yet how much more similar all we humans are than dissimilar?

we are One

we are One

these days i’m thinking about the warm inside feeling i get when i think about behind human, particularly at this auspicious time in human history.  things are in such flux, aren’t they?  the world is quickly changing.  people are becoming awakened in record numbers than any other time, and ancient prophecies of “the time of reckoning” is quickly approaching (2012, I believe has been mentioned by many sources, as being pivotal to earthly existence).  things will never be the same again after 9.11, i knew that the day it occured.  that heart-stopping black tuesday.  i was not there, but it felt like i was.  i had visions of the event in my meditations that have greatly influenced my thinking, and the purpose of my life.

and now, less than 40 days before the november election, everyone here in America is all heated up with the passions of choices and preferences!  yes yes yes, now is the time to be heated!  yes yes yes.  get out there and do whatever you can to ensure your choice gets elected … speak, shout, argue, implore, poll, canvas–do whatever it takes. 

but–and this is the difference between spiritualized peole and non-spiritualized–when the tally has been counted and the new president has been elected, please commit to supporting whomever is elected.  whichever party ends up in power (it is a party thing, not an personality contest, right?), it is the Spiritually Correct (SC instead of PC, ha ha!), the humanly right thing to do, to support an elected official that has been chosen by the democratic process we honor in the U.S.A. 

after 9.11 a lot of people started to bad mouth our current president, George W. Bush.  to tell you the truth, i wasn’t any happier than the next guy about what was going on, but i nonetheless felt it was my spiritual duty to support him.  why?  because things are never what they appear to be.  i feel very strongly that i, as a private citizen (even though pretty well informed, compared to some) can never know what the insiders, the diplomats, the elected representatives of the citizenry knows.  how could a private person possibly think they can know what the politicians, the military, the professionals in charge of information-gathering and decision making know.  it’s simply not possible.

we don’t know how to perform brain surgery, most of us, but we do allow a surgeon to do his job without interfering in his methods.  similarly, i have determined it’s the spiritually correct thing to do to support our leaders, once they’ve been democratically elected, which mr. Bush, for better or for worse, was.  the time for dissention is over, in my SC committed existence, once the election is over.  and with bush, the time to bitch was over late in Nov. ’00, then then again in ’04.

so…be it wrong or right…i have learned to make a decision based on my spiritual “correctness” gauge (what would my teacher do…in any particular case? i ask myself) and have since the beginning of his term, decided to give Bush the benefit of the doubt, and not voice dissent, even though in my heart i was no more certain of his methodology than the next guy (hey! does that brain surgeon have to use that scapel, need to take that tissue sample? right then? over there?).  deciding to support our legally-elected leader doesn’t mean my confusion was cleared away by my decision to do the spiritually correct thing.  no, it simply means that i remain silent when others gather to discuss and usually end by dissing the current administration, for daring to do what they did.  i’m quite sick of the ugly dissention and hope this upcoming election will end it.  it probably won’t.  it seems human nature is for people to bitch.  that’s why political ads, just as toothpaste ads, love to put down their competitors.  it’s base, ugly, non-spiritualized human nature, and unfortunately, that kind of half-asleep-ness is still the majority of the population throughout the world.

YET…the consciousness of all is awakening.  the time for awareness–the real CHANGE–is happening. 

is it wrong or right to support an unpopular leader of a nation that elected him, when so many others seem to delight in dumping on g.w.?  even though many feel he stole the election from gore?  who am i, to be so presumptuous, to think i know more than the tens-of-thousands of people involved in the presidential decision, to think what he’s done is wrong?  how insanely presumptuous that thought is, to me.

but for the answer to my inner questions, i have to go within. 

going within in times of turmoil

going within in times of turmoil

when in doubt, i always find my true answers within.  not by listening to the conflicting opinions of intellectuals, fast-talking political pundits, or even the opinion of my friends, associates and the vastly popular, majority opinion.  i go within to discover what my heart-mind says is true–for me–and i listen to no one when i go within.  i listen to the Source of All.

going within, resting in the heart-mind

going within, resting in the heart-mind

this is the process i call “awareness, acceptance, action.”  i use this three-part process for each and every tiny or large step i’ve taken, in my journey to undo my childhood hang-ups, neurosis, mental tendencies and obstructions, or any other challenges that have blocked my ability to live a happy peaceful productive life.  whether it’s political, personal, or universal concepts i need to figure out, i do so with “awareness, acceptance, action” and have thus learned to function at an amazingly high happy level of inner peace…most of the time.

like the Dalai Lama said in a book i read by him recently, “i’m not perfect.  i just keep trying.  i recongize my mistakes, and try to do better the next time.”

the above painted screen is my way of trying to render in imagery, and humbly duplicate the extremely calmly experience of becoming aware…and once aware, simply sitting in the feeling of that new awesome state, so expansive, so honey-rich with wellness, blissfully full.

this screen (two-sided) is my weird way of trying to say “the acceptance of awareness” feels awfully damn great!! beautiful enough to create fine art about.

when i’ve accepted something (like higher consciousness), i no longer have any inner (or outer) dialogue of dissention.  it simply is.

how to connect with the state of awareness: take long, deep breathes somewhere quiet, alone, serene, clean.  put any issue, situation, person, etc. into that center of quietness, once you have reached the place (through continued deep breathing) where disturbing thoughts no longer pierce the emptiness of pure awareness (within us all).  then… just listen.  listen to the Truth that emanates from the heart-mind (of all).  serenity fills (all).  Truth is pure love (in all).  Truth is pure awareness (for all).  Truth is “seeing” things that you cannot discern in “ordinary” states of consciousness (awake, sleeping, thinking, analysing, etc.).  Truth is also God speaking, but one must be very quiet in order to hear this, and have already gone through the stages of purification (no addiction, no neurosis leftovers, no inner chatter dissention) in order to “hear” this pure voice of the Divine that awaits us all … in emptiness.

often i receive answers to the questions i put out to the Universe.  sometimes they’re as clear and as loud as inner “billboards.”  sometimes i just receive a “feeling” — something like being allowed to bathe my aching hurt (mental, physical, or spiritual) in pure soothing Love.  surrounded by the sea of Truth, the ocean of Love, the atmosphere of pure Bliss, the solution to problems becomes quite clear, quite simple, quite obvious.  quite Right.  learning to do this kind of discerning is called viveka, “spiritual discrimination,” in yogic scriptures.  Truth is here all the time, if we can all learn to quiet our “monkey mind” as the buddhists call our inner chatter (also known as the “freight-train” mind in other circles), and learn to go within to tap this incredibe Source of wisdom.

once i realize my Truth i can take action.

inner wisdom as inspiration for worldly action!

inner wisdom as inspiration for worldly action!

and thus…the process of

  • awareness
  • acceptance
  • action

can easily take place within us all.  but we must go within to do it.  most of us are too lazy to go within, but–i’ve learned it’s so delicious that i actually look forward to the time when i can meditate, go within, and relax in my inner Self. 

being human is about having choices.  we all can go within and listen to our inner “guide,” that wisdom within, the Source that is innate, pure consciousness that’s available to all of us, which represents Truth.  this inner Truth is more reliable than any politician’s campaign promise, or presidential decision.  the inner Truth is, in fact, subliminally influencing our ever expanding grasp on evolutionary possibilities, more than any organized group or culture, be they religious, political, scientific, social, or philosophical.

i know that you are just like me: that we are One, that we all are connected by our inner consciousness.  that is the Truth i have discovered in my quest for knowledge of what this life is all about.

the connectedness of all

the connectedness of all

truthfully, i trust no politician.  democrat or republican.  but i am voting, and my vote will be the best i can do.  but whomever wins i will support wholeheartedly.  i hope each and every one of my fellow americans will also support our newly elected leader. my wish is that we can leave this time of dissention behind us, and enter a phase of healing and growth that will help the entire world to come together as One.

in the Light, lord flea … sending gleaming banners of joyous, energizing white Light around the democratic process of election

groovin’ with the newfies

hi everyOne,

we’re baaaa-ck! back from sailing the gorgeous, wild, mystical, mysterious, and oh-so-weird southern coast of newfoundland.

fog, gale, or doldrums...take your pick!

fog, gale, or doldrums...take your pick!

two weeks away! many books read:

  • my third read of “Eat Pray Love” — enjoyed it even more this time around
  • “A Flash of Lightning in the Dark of Night,” the Dalai Lama’s interpretation of an ancient text on how to be a bodhisattva, the Bodhicharyavatara by the sage Shantideva
  • “Bird by Bird,” some instructions on writing and life, by Anne Lamott
  • the Upanishads, which i must say i didn’t understand hardly, perhaps one minute iota, and
  • a couple trash novels which i only seem to enjoy on long, endless days aboard a sailboat
sunset at anchor

sunset at anchor

 

we were a crew of five:

  • lordflea and carter (american)
  • captain petur (iclandic) and his lady rhea (american)
  • malde (danish)
some crew of yacht Dagny

some crew of yacht Dagny

and oh, let’s not forget the boat’s doggie, Scrappy, the queen of Dagny (pronounced dine-ee, an Iclandic name for girls meaning “new dawn”).

scrappy with her best friend, rhea

scrappy with her best friend, rhea

the retired fishing captain from iceland….Petur, our boat’s captain: the man who –without even blinking an eye–sailed our 70 foot yacht through an inlet’s tiny hole, one that looked to any other like we were surely headed for deadly rocks; the man who senses change in current, weather or wind, or any other sea conditions, long before news comes over the airwaves:

captain petur peturson, seaman extraordinaire

captain petur peturson, seaman extraordinaire

and finally, the young (19 years old) Danish mathematician, Malte (pro-nounced in English, mal‘-dah) who is having himself a fine adventure  sailing Dagny from Newfoundland to the Caribbean, before going off to college, back in Denmark:

the modern viking, a young dane named malte

the modern viking, a young dane named malte

our time aboard dagny was filled with the pleasures of simplifying our complicated lives: living in a small space, sharing that space with others, cooking simple delicious nutritious food (lots of cookouts on the shore, next to one magnificent waterfall after the next), and, most importantly, getting quiet in the mind.

it took us about three days to quiet ourselves from the hustlin’ pace of living in the fast lane (well…. let’s face it, anywhere in the good ol’ U.S.A. is much faster than anywhere else, to live).

i’ll have more to say about my experiences in newfoundland in my upcoming posts.

before leaving for our sail i made it a goal of mine to spend some time after returning to learn how to get this blog of mine out into the public’s eye. so that’s what i’ll be learning in these next weeks. always something to learn! always! i’m also working on my spanish, something i’ve been enjoying and speaking more and more over the past years, but…unless i practice daily, it all goes out the window (there was not much opportunity of speaking spanish up in “the rock” as the newfies call their country).

this life is so filled with possible adventures…all we have to do, like malte, my new friend from denmark, is to pack our bags and hop aboard a boat and go somewhere new. of course not all of us can do that, literally. but we can, however, metaphorically do it. we can “pack our bags” by making a decision to make space in our lives for something new. we can “hop aboard a boat” by setting a goal, then unfurl our sails (by choosing to direct our energies toward that special something new) and … finally … we’re cast off, setting out on our new life adventure, simply by one day deciding to do it!

go somewhere new, somewhere different!

go somewhere new, somewhere different!

breathe…enjoy…take a chance and go some place different (in your mind, at least!) that you’ve always wanted to go. you CAN do it! how? just by giving yourself permission to do so. and then…surround yourself with people, situations, affirmations, visualizations, activities, etc. that reinforce the positive decision, and the adventurous destination you’ve chosen.

congratulations on opening your mind, opening your heart.

lordflea with daphne...we are all capable of being living a mythical journey...just do IT!!

lordflea with daphne...we are all capable of living a mythical journey...just choose, and then do it!! don't think! just do.

how exciting it is to experience something totally, absolutely, mind-blowingly different from what we know as “normal everyday life.” what an incredible adventure life is, this journey, with you all as my fellow crewmembers. i’m very thrilled to be alive, especially at this time, this amazing time when so many vital things are happening that will forever influence the evolutionary course of all humankind. think about that for a moment, why don’t cha?

with love, in the Light, your pal lordflea