Opening the Mountain Circumabulating Mount Tamalpais, A Ritual Walk
, by Davis, Matthew; Scott, Michael Farrell; Snyder, Gary- ISBN: 9781593761271 | 1593761279
- Cover: Paperback
- Copyright: 10/26/2006
In 1965, Allen Ginsberg, Gary Snyder, and Philip Whalen gathered at the base of Mt. Tamalpais. Inspired by Tibetan and Indian practices of walking clockwise-"the way of the sun"-around a venerated object, they "opened the mountain" by completing the first circumambulation of Mt. Tamalpais. They did it again two years later, a month after the "Human Be-in" in Golden Gate Park, and with greater company as they invited the public to join them. The practice has continued almost uninterrupted for forty years, with Matthew Davis finding an organizing role on April 8, 1971, the Buddha's birthday, when he first led the walk. He has led the celebrations more than 140 times since then.