Photo by Amerune
A Zen student asked me recently, “Why does it take so long attain enlightenment? Do we have to crawl through the desert to get there?”

The problem of ‘attaining’

If you think of attaining something, the world breaks into two: on one side is the person who is striving to attain something, and on the other is the object that he or she is striving for. But the experience of awakening is the reverse: It is a moment of total intimacy where the boundary between ‘self’ and ‘other’ is dissolved.

To taste awakening, we have to let go of ‘gaining’, as we walk further and further into what is unknown and unknowable.

Awakening can happen in a sudden burst, or it may sneak up on you over time. You may experience a moment when there is just the call of a bird, or the flush of the toilet, or a word heard in passing–and nothing else. That moment fills the whole universe.

Each experience is different. But most experiences have two aspects in common. One is a preliminary sense of gathering, the other is a final sense of deep familiarity.

Gathering

Often there is a sense that spiritual energy is gathering as someone moves closer to awakening. In this process of gathering, people will often come up to the edge of the precipice, and, instead of taking wing, they will shrink back in fear. Each person has their particular pattern of backing off. One person will quickly retreat into intellectual thought, whereas another will find a pressing emotion to attend to. Anything, but anything to get back to what is safe and known!

If this happens, please don’t berate yourself. What it means is that you are not yet ready to hold and live the experience. Your dance of stepping forward and shrinking back is your own particular process of gathering.

Familiarity

The second aspect of awakening is a deep sense of familiarity. It is like meeting a long-lost friend and realise that he or she is non other than oneself. It is as if we fall into our own arms and exclaim, “What took you so long?”

I recently came across the following poem by Shail Gulhati called ‘Zen’ that includes the lines:

Zen
is the art of arrival
to a place
where you have always been.

 

What does it take to awaken?

Two factors are especially important. One is a strong spiritual aspiration. The other is regular, dedicated meditation practice. It takes time and effort to finally realise that what we seek for is already there - has always been there since before time began.

Robert Aitken says in his book The Gateless Barrier:

People sometimes ask me, “How long will it take?”
My answer is: “No time at all!”
“But, I have been doing zazen for ten years-why isn’t anything happening?”
Exactly: nothing is happening, though your realisation of that fact may be evolving.

 

If awakening is your aspiration, keep on walking, keep on knocking. Trust the process.

The poet Rumi said:

Keep knocking, and the joy within
Will eventually open a window
And look out to see who’s there.

***

Photo by Rosino
Life is short. In fact, it seems to rush by faster and faster. Many people give up on developing new dreams. And yet life is full of possibilities at every moment. I think it’s important to pack life with living to make it really juicy! My goal is to be able to lie on that last hospital bed and think, ‘Yes! I REALLY lived this life!’

Here is the inspirational story of Janice who started a new life at 75. I visited her just after her husband had died.

“What do you want to do with your life now?” I asked.
“My son wants me to go into a resthome.”
“You haven’t answered my question.”
“I’m too old to start something new.”
“If you weren’t too old, what would you like to start?” I asked.
“I know it sounds silly, but I would like to design clothes that women my age would enjoy wearing.”
Then she clapped her hand to her mouth. “But my children would think I’m crazy if I started something like that at my age.”

Six months later, Janice started her new business. Now, some years later, her designs have taken off and she is enjoying a new lease of life. She wrote to me a while ago:

“Following my impossible dream has changed my life. I thought the death of my husband was the end of the road, but it was the beginning of a new path.”

What would you do with your life if you could do anything you liked?

Photo by Theseathesea
To feel grounded, it’s important to touch the earth.

Have you ever wondered why full prostrations are a ritual in many world religions? One of the reasons is that something important happens when we bow down and touch the ground with our body: We pour ourself into the earth and into the sky. And this outpouring makes us feel grounded.

Here are some ways to feel grounded:

• Sitting on the ground

Most people sit on chairs or on sofas, not on the ground. However, it’s important to sit on the ground now and then. It allows us to be in touch with the earth. Next time you are in a park, sit on the grass. Experiment with sitting on the floor instead of on an armchair. What do you notice when you do that?

• Gardening

If you have access to a garden or windowbox, sow some seeds. Watch them come up and unfold. Make sure that you use your bare hands to work in the earth - this is truly being in touch!

• Walking barefoot

When did you last walk barefoot? Try it and notice the temperature, the feel of the ground under your foot, and the sensations on your skin.

• Swimming

Most of the earth is covered by water. When you swim, you are also intimately in touch with the earth.

• Surfing

When you enjoy water sports like surfing you also feel more grounded.

The key thing, whether you are walking, bowing, gardening, swimming, or surfing, is to pour yourself into your activity - body and soul. This is how you become grounded.

***