FromPart One

Fear of Enlightenment
Meditators sometimes report that fear of liberation holds them back in their practice; as they proceed into uncharted territory, fear of the unknown becomes an obstacle to surrender. But this is not really fear of enlightenment. It is rather fear of ideas about enlightenment. We all have notions about freedom: dissolving in a great burst of light, or in a great cosmic flash. The mind might invent many different images of the experience of liberation. Sometimes our ego creates images of its own death that frighten us.

Liberation means letting go of suffering. Do you fear the prospect of being free from greed? Do you fear being free from anger or delusion? Probably not. Liberation means freeing ourselves from those qualities in the mind that torment and limit us. So freedom is not something magical or mysterious. It does not make us weird. Enlightenment means purifying our mind and letting go of those things that cause so much suffering in our lives. It is very down-to-earth.

Imagine holding on to a hot burning coal. You would not fear letting go of it. In fact, once you noticed that you were holding on, you would probably drop it quickly. But we often do not recognize how we hold on to suffering. It seems to hold on to us. This is our practice: becoming aware of how suffering arises in our mind and of how we become identified with it, and learning to let it go. We learn through simple and direct observation, seeing the process over and over again until we understand.

When the Buddha described his teaching in the most concise way, he said that he taught one thing and one thing only: suffering and the end of suffering. Understanding this reality for our self frees our mind and opens more fully the possibilities for compassionate action in the world.

One Taste
Is enlightenment gradual or is it sudden? Whole schools of Buddhism have grown up around this issue. But it has always seemed to me that liberation is both sudden and gradual, that there is no polarity between the two.

Enlightenment is always sudden. It is grace; when the conditions are right, it happens. But the path leading up to that moment is gradual. We practice, we create the field, we prepare the ground, and the mind eventually opens suddenly and spontaneously. Then again, after sudden awakening can come a gradual cultivation and ripening of the enlightened mind.

The Buddha declared straightforwardly that our mind in its natural state is pure but that it is obscured by visiting defilements. In one of his discourses he said, "The mind is radiant, shining, glowing forth; but it is stained by the defilements that visit it. The mind is radiant, shining, glowing forth, and from the uprooting of defilements that visit it, it is freed."

Techniques may vary, but the essential teachings of the Buddha—on the nature of suffering and the realization of freedom—are found in all the Buddhist traditions. Countless forms have evolved in all the places where the Dharma has flourished: India, Burma, Thailand, Tibet, China, Japan, Korea, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Vietnam, and elsewhere. Munindra-ji told me long ago that he was familiar with over fifty techniques of insight meditation in Burma alone.

Do not become attached to the idea that there is only one right way or technique of practicing the Dharma. Freedom and compassion are the reference points for all practice. Everything else is skillful means. There are many experiences along the way. As soon as we take a stand any place at all, thinking "this is it," we have already overshot the great jewel of emptiness, creating yet another sectarian view.

One of my teachers voiced what I think is true for all traditions, practices, techniques, and views. He said, "Unless a practice cools the fires of greed, aversion, and ignorance it is worthless." This is the measure of everything we do.

What is truly wonderful about the Dharma in the West is the opportunity for practitioners of all traditions to meet and learn from one another. Each of the great traditions—Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana (Tibetan Buddhism)—has so much to offer. As the Buddha said, "The Dharma has one taste, the taste of freedom."

And for all of us practice is the key. There is a wonderful story of Milarepa, the great Tibetan yogi. It seems that at the end of his life Milarepa took his foremost disciple to a remote mountainside in order to transmit the most secret teachings. With great reverence and devotion the disciple requested the transmission. Milarepa then bent over, exposed his backside, and pointed to the leatherlike calluses that had developed from his years of sitting.

As individuals we will have different cycles as our practice unfolds. There are times when you might have a lot of energy for intensive, silent meditation retreats that can help stabilize strong awareness and open new levels of insight. At a certain point, however, you might find yourself losing energy for such intensity in practice. This waning in the cycle might come after a few years, a few months, or even, at first, after a few days of intensive practice. When it comes depends on each person's level of development and particular life situation.

I knew one retreatant who had been practicing in Asia for several months. His practice had reached a certain level of maturity, but for some reason he could not make any further progress. When our teacher asked him about conditions at home, he spoke about a compelling desire to see his family again. Our teacher advised him to return home for a visit. After seeing his family, his mind was cleared of that obstacle, and when he came again to practice, he finished that particular course of training.

Be wary of holding a fixed model of how your practice should proceed. At times you may be drawn to investigate your mind in a secluded retreat situation. At other times, you may not feel this need for solitude. Just follow the rhythm of the cycle in a simple, natural way. If liberation is the central aspiration of your life, periods of intensive meditation practice can be of inestimable value. They generate tremendous energy, power, and insight. But there are also cycles of living actively in the world, developing generosity morality, truthfulness, and compassion, qualities more easily expressed in daily life than in retreat. Then in turn these great strengths of mind will further empower your intensive meditation.