The Snow Leopard by Peter Matthiessen Review

When Peter Matthiessen embarks on his journey to Crystal Monestary in The Snow Leopard, he is unsure of his own intentions and expectations for the trip. In the Prologue of the book, he states, “Where did I imagine I was going, where and why?” (p. 3). It is assumed that he is traveling in pursuit of the allusive snow leopard, yet with his establishment of death and suffering from the start of his journaling, Matthiessen makes it clear that, in the simplest of terms, the destination of his journey is into the self, into the true nature of suffering.
But even in his despair, Mattheissen has finally achieved success. For the first time in the book, he has attained his Roshi’s advice to “expect nothing.” He finally has reached a state, not of change, success or failure, but of transformation. It is a fluid state that embraces the fullness of every moment and does not question the suchness of suffering and struggle. By accepting himself and the world around him, Mattheissen has achieved the ultimate success. He has succeeded in seeing the snow leopard, if not in its natural environment then at least the one that resides within Mattheissen himself.