Words can be tricky.
Ram Dass said that when we think about something,
We're always one thought away from reality.
Words are certainly thoughts,
And they're often the best tool we have for communication.
Lao Tzu said,
The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao.
And yet,
As Ram Dass and Alan Watts both pointed out if my memory serves,
He told that Insight and Realisation in one's direct experience are of utmost importance.
This is why we practice mindfulness.
And yet,
In all but the rarest of cases,
We must hear about how to practice,
And hear something of what is to be realised before any fun is to be had.
All ideas that came to the West from the East were interpreted,
Translated,
And interpreted again.
Enlightenment,
Awakening,
Liberation are interchangeable words that are used to describe many different things.
The trap that lies beneath them all,
However,
Is the same.
And that trap is the trap of goal orientation.
We Westerners love a goal.
We're trained very thoroughly to love goals.
That's capitalism.
When great teachers of the East spoke about various attainments,
It was quite safe for them to do so.
They weren't addressing a crowd of ambitious business people.
Whisper the word enlightenment here in the West though,
And before too long you have people undergoing hip surgery due to their insistence on sitting full lotus.
Enlightenment means simply this,
Being satisfied with what's happening right now.
Any time you are satisfied with what's happening right now,
You're enlightened.
Enlightened of what though?
You're enlightened of the burden of negative thoughts and feelings.
What a relief.
We like to imagine that things are somehow permanent.
And so when we hear of some old master being enlightened,
We imagine all kinds of things.
From their never thinking thoughts again,
To their being able to break the laws of physics like a Marvel superhero.
But whether or not these kinds of things are possible is irrelevant.
The Buddha said in the Alagadhupama Sutta,
Both formally,
Before,
And now monks,
I teach only Dukkha and Dukkha Nirodha.
Dukkha is another word which has been subject to differing interpretations.
The most common translation is suffering.
But this,
Like the word meditation,
Is a very Western,
Very Judeo-Christian interpretation.
A more literal and more useful translation from the Pali is dissatisfaction.
So,
The Buddha said that he taught only dissatisfaction and the cessation of dissatisfaction.
He didn't teach how to stop thinking.
He certainly didn't teach how to fly or walk through walls.
He taught only how to come out of dissatisfaction.
And we will all do well to practice only how to come out of dissatisfaction.
No good teacher will be found talking about their retainments.
The simple reason that this creates desire in people,
And to desire something we don't have,
Is Dukkha.
Dissatisfaction.
But if you watch someone,
Perhaps yourself,
Carefully,
Over a period of time,
And ask,
Have I seen this person wanting things?
Have I seen this person being mean?
Have I seen this person being lazy?
Have I seen this person being restless or worried?
Have I seen this person doubting their practice?
Have I seen this person being selfish?
Have I seen this person being authoritative?
Have I seen this person being ignorant?
If you ask these questions,
You may gain some insight into how well this person is doing with their practice.
If this person is you,
And you look back over the past few years and think,
Gee,
I really don't remember the last time I was angry,
Then you just might be enlightened.
But you won't care a damn bit.
And there's always the possibility that you'll get angry again if you're not careful.
