Mount Kailash is in the west of Tibet, at a height of 6,638 meters.
The peak is covered by snow all year round, and is spectacular both visually and spiritually. The great rivers of the world such as the Ganges River, the Indian River, and the Brahmaputra River all originate from the mountain. It is also regarded as a sacred mountain and where deities reside by Tibetan Buddhism, Hinduism, Tibetan Bon religion and Jainism. Devout Tibetan Buddhists hike around the mountain in a clock-wise direction, hoping to purify their negative karma in this and previous lifes, and to accumulate immeasurable merit.

One of the series in Pen Walking is to draw the Mount Kailash with a pencil, while using up the entire pencil in the process. Here, I adopted the story of I Try. To me, the mountain was a symbol, representing a goal that is transcended in reincarnation. As I could not physically reach the mountain, I used the sheet of paper as my shrine. Walking around a place or object is a kind of ritual as well as a kind of practice in Buddhism. It is often performed around a noble one or a symbol of respect, such as a Buddha statue, or a Stupa. Walking clock-wise represents following Buddha Dharma and also putting one’s heart and soul into Dharma. “Pen walking” (using up the entire pencil to draw the mountain) the mountain sets me under a different altitude, which lets me see from above all life experiences. It also reminds me that this is a journey with a destination at the end. This kind of concentrated and repeated behavior also brings me peace and calmness.

The life of a pencil devoted to walking around a mountain is a beautiful story. With continues lines and pencil shavings, we see a pencil devote its life to walking around a mountain. This represents devoting one’s life to climbing a mountain. If the goal is not achieved in this life, then one would continue in the next life (or pencil). If one still cannot reach the goal, then one would try again and again. As long as a person holds the fundamental motivation to do so, one will find truth, wisdom and compassion, eventually.