A man is climbing mount Everest.
He has prepared for this moment for all his life.
He has sacrificed everything to get to the top.
On the mountain he is in a very harsh climate – seemingly denying himself the great pleasures of life.
On the great mountain he has no comfort, he has no family; he has no girlfriend; he has no friends; he has no TV and Netflix.
On the climb up the mountain, he has absolutely nothing that most people in everyday life want to have.
He denies himself all the comforts of the world so that he may climb the mountain. But is the mountain man really denying himself anything?
Or…
Is he making another possibility happen?
Climbing to the top of the greatest mountain in the world is something that average people can never imagine.
They are all willing to settle for small things – phones, cars, sugary junk food, some apparent status in the community.
When these average people see the mountain man in everyday life, preparing to climb the highest of mountains, these people see only a man denying himself.
They cannot understand why you should ever deny yourself immediate pleasures.
To them, the thought of delayed gratification is an alien concept. Denial to them is a horrible travesty.
But what they never see is what the seeming denial has given the man who is on the path to the ultimate.
What they cannot see is that it was not a denial at all.
It was a sacrifice.
The man gave one thing to get another thing.
Anybody who has created anything great has first denied themselves some simple pleasures of life.
The reason why you deny yourself is because you want to create something.
To create something – to be on the path to the ultimate – your attention must be diverted from the simple pleasures that other people think are valuable.
The concept of sacrifice is something all great religions of the past talk about. But modern man misunderstands the concept of sacrifice.
When we hear about sacrifice, we think of sacrificing a chicken to the sun god to make it rain, and then the natives do a rain dance.
That is not what sacrifice is.
Sacrifice is the act of giving one thing to get another thing.
In Thailand, the people might sacrifice a refreshing drink to a local spirit so that they may get good luck or not anger the spirit.
The mountain climber will sacrifice his simple pleasures so that he may prepare to achieve the ultimate and climb the highest mountain.
When he is finally on top of the mountain, what do you think he is thinking?
Is he thinking…?
“I wish I had my smartphone, my latte, my fast car, my Bluetooth radio. I wish I had Becky to have sex with. I wish I had some internet porn, I wish I had some fast food…”
Or…
Is he thinking…?
“I did it. I finally did it. All the sacrifices finally paid off. I’m here. I’m home.”
Perhaps he cries tears of joy.
Perhaps he smiles and basks in the glow of his ultimate bliss.
Perhaps he thinks nothing at all, as he has been so steadfast that the moment has not hit him.
One thing I can guarantee, he is not thinking about: Regret.
When you follow the path to the ultimate (Brahmacharya) you have no regret for the simple pleasures you sacrificed.
The gods and the spirits wanted you to sacrifice those simple pleasures to them, and in return, they gave you the ultimate.
Ask yourself a simple question. Which is more important… Simple pleasures today?
Or…
Achieving the ultimate tomorrow.
If you chose the ultimate, Welcome to BRAHMACHARYA.
Brahmacharya is your guide to self-mastery and the path to the ultimate.
If you follow the methods laid out in this book, you can expect to be on top of the mountain in the future.
