“Who are you?” asked the Emperor in search of wisdom
“I don’t know”, replied Bodhidharma
The ancient Chinese philosophy Taoism is mostly about the law of reversed effort: actions of a man are counter productive. When one tries to fall asleep, he cannot but when he stops striving, he falls asleep on his own. When one tries to recall something he cannot but the same thing thing pops up in his mind when he is occupied by some other work. Going little off-topic, this is also explained in terms of the game played by the conscious and the subconscious mind of the human being. When a person consciously makes effort, things aren’t recalled easily, or the nap just doesn’t hit. But the desired outcomes come about as soon as the efforts are stopped to make. This happens because when the conscious mind is inactive, the subconscious mind becomes active carrying out the tasks of the other, which is much more powerful. Hence, the results wanted appear on their own.
In the search of true knowledge, man strives in every way possible. He starts reading spiritual books, listening to several speeches and preachings, etc., just to learn how he’s connected to nature. Let me mention it once again – to ‘learn’, not to ‘realize’.
Truth is not to be found outside. No teacher, no scripture can give it to you. It is inside you and if you wish to attain it, seek your own company. Be with yourself.
Osho
Books may help a person as a guide to begin with or a means to seek direction when one is lost. But the true knowledge resides in letting go of knowledge; unlearning what the society has taught that muddles the mind, and forgetting the past as well as the future. Hence, letting go of our instilled notions of our own identity; forgetting how we looked at the world before and used to be, by letting our body and mind adapt to our new selves.
A scholar tries to learn something everyday; a student of Buddhism tries to unlearn something daily.
Alan Watts
This concept of forgetting one’s own identity is taught in Zen – an art more than a philosophy that urges people to promote awakening through endeavor.
Zen is not “attained” by mirror-wiping mediation, but by “self-forgetfulness in the existential ‘present’ of life here and now.” We do not “come”, we “are.” Don’t strive to become, but be.
Bruce Lee
For instance, consider a person who has read a plethora of scriptures and spiritual texts, and so has gained some sort of esoteric knowledge over metaphysics. But he is vain of his learnings and judges others, considering himself superior. On the other hand, consider the example of Laughing Buddha. He spread laughter like nobody else. The man in the first example depicts a mystified mind; a person who is lost in search of knowledge and will surely go through more ego-breaking-incidents in his life ahead. The example of Laughing Buddha depicts a truly enlightened mind- the one with clarity, happiness which has risen above all man made concepts.
Infact, awakening doesn’t necessarily need any scripture reading. All it demands is introspection and meditation. And if you find yourself lost in this journey, it’s a matter of seeing that you’re in right direction.
It is good that you feel you are lost because it opens a new dimension for search. It is good that you feel you are alone, abandoned, because that means you have to go inwards and be acquainted with your own interiority.
Osho
Awakening is never about acquiring anything from the outside. Rather, it’s an inwards journey. It’s about connecting to the very basic nature of human which is solely an embodiment of compassion. And all this is attained through a mindful living. An awake mind retains no bookish knowledge, but more of openness, joy, gratitude and a sense of freedom. It’s a by product of a simple life. When a person is enlightened, he has a take-it-easy approach towards life and is not in competition with anybody. He prefers a simple lifestyle and leads the same by not indulging in excessive number of activities in a day, like scrolling uncontrollably on Instagram feed, thereby, investing his harnessed time and energy on most crucial things like workout, meditation, reading, etc., thus maintaining a balanced life. A person who has woken-up finds pleasure in the daily life’s chores like ten minutes shower, meditating from dawn to sunrise, etc. You can also precipitate the same awakening in you by following the same way of living, considering the ‘fake it till you make it’ philosophy or by not trying to become but being.
When you reach those higher states of consciousness, words like happiness and sadness, good and bad, god and evil just don’t come to your mind, as if they’re merely not in your dictionary. Calmness and satisfaction are the hallmarks of this awakening mind, and the person is in state of very little desires which keeps him at ease, unlike other people who are kept unsettled by the rising and falling waves of their own wants.
Don’t be muddled. Forget if there was ever a thing like awakening. Carry out the smallest of tasks mindfully with giving your best every single time. Live a simple life because that’s all it matters.
The meaning of life is just to be alive. It is so plain and so obvious and so simple. And yet, everybody rushes around in a great panic as if it were necessary to achieve something beyond themselves.
Alan Watts
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