Using Adventure to Access Our Blissful Beginner’s Mind
Adventure trains us to cut through the noise and lock into the present moment. When we hike, climb, ride, or paddle, the world quiets. The body moves, the breath steadies, and the mind clears. This is Zen in practice — nothing added, nothing taken away.
Zen master Shunryu Suzuki taught that when we see with beginner’s mind, everything is alive and full of possibility. Adventure is how we remember this. The rock is rock. The river is river. The wave is wave. When we stop chasing and simply meet what is before us, the hidden realm appears.
This hidden realm is both outer and inner. In the outer world, it’s rivers that gleam with mystery, cliffs that stretch toward the sky, and magical ocean breaks that leave us humbled and renewed. It is also found in the communities that rise up around adventure — the people who challenge and heal us, who remind us that the journey is never solitary. 
In the inner world, the hidden realm emerges as a wellspring of creativity. Music and art come alive in ways that pierce the mask we wear. Beginner’s mind opens a gateway to holotropic imagination — where rhythm, color, and expression flow effortlessly and adventure becomes a canvas for the soul.
It is not a distant place. It is here, now, in every pedal stroke, in every cast of the fishing rod, in every gust of wind on the ridge line. Adventure keeps us grounded. It reminds us that the present moment is enough.
We don’t always live this way. The gaining mind — the constant urge to get more, be more, prove more — pulls us out of balance. But adventure calls us back. It strips away pretense and leaves us with the simple truth: to be present is to be free.
For a quarter century, ASJ has been dedicated to this path. Not chasing trends, not pretending to have all the answers, but practicing. Showing up. Sharing stories of people and places that reveal the beauty of the ordinary and the extraordinary.
And here’s a concrete way to keep the circle strong: support your local guides and outfitters. Book the course. Tip well. Hire the guide who taught you to move safely in the mountains or read the river. These mentors hold knowledge that keeps our community alive and keeps us coming home. Their work turns curiosity into competence — and fear into respect.
If you have any extra money, spread it around to the nonprofits doing the quiet, essential work: trail alliances, surf and river keepers, access funds, adaptive sports programs, search-and-rescue teams, and youth organizations opening the door to first-time adventurers. Donate, volunteer, share their posts, show up for trail days and beach cleanups. These groups are healing the world — one path cleared, one kid stoked, one watershed restored.
But we can’t do this work alone. The wild places we cherish need all of us — readers, communities, and storytellers — pulling together to protect them. Supporting ASJ is one way to be part of that effort. Every subscription, every ad, every shared story helps keep the conversation alive and ensures that future generations can hike, climb, ride, and paddle in thriving landscapes. Your presence here matters. Together, we can make a difference.
We are grateful for every reader who has walked this path with us. Thank you for choosing to be here, in this moment, with us.
When the mountain is the mountain, Zen is Zen. When the adventure is the adventure, life is whole.
— Matt Niswonger
