That is so nice. People trying to define enlightenment. Spent many years chasing that. Dropped that and now it is all good. Still looking for the answer to “What is MU?”

Another better term may be Awakening! When ones mind gets gradually very still, calm and imperturbable one awakens from this deep dream of Physicality. It is based on clinging to self-identities, sensual desires and false views.  In jhana, mind becomes blissful, luminous, infinite, equanimous, peaceful, then ultimately dark, hollow and empty. Awareness is released of all mental formations, suffering and ignorance to liberation of Nirvana.

Hi,

Hi all,

For what it’s worth; my initial training in Buddhism was from Theravadin monks, who warned against formulating ideas about what enlightenment is. Their reasoning was that when one decides what they’re seeking, they limit the scope of their search to certain directions, which may lead them to a dead end. Much of the literature suggests that enlightenment is not something to be found outside of oneself, but something lying within, dormant, or buried under our misunderstandings; that we must reveal in order to see through our illusions. How that is done is the subject of much discussion; but it is up to us to find a suitable path. To me, this highlights one of the strengths and difficulties of the Buddhist way; it does not prescribe a pre-ordained way of doing this, as many religions do; there’s no formuala set out for the seeker to follow. This is the difficult part, one must figure it out for oneself. I suspect that there are many paths to enlightenment depending on the individual, and that many ways/religions/philosophies will take one there; but I don’t really know.
…. john

Hi Helcat,
Stories about the monks? Well, they taught me the value of observing my thoughts and life, dispassionately and uncritically, without regard to whether I liked or disliked what I thought or saw. That was thirty years ago; but the monk who had the most influence on me was bhante Kovida, a very wise, insightful man. (If you Google his name you’ll find him on the net.) I can hardly express my thankfulness to him. He taught me things I have never forgotten. He was fond of saying that much of humanities suffering results from expecting more from life, and others, than they are willing or able to provide. He used to tell us stories about how the monks in many of the countries he frequented were treated like gods, which did not have a good effect. Occasionally I would go to where he was staying (when not traveling). After talking with him, I once offered money (to help with expenses), which he would not touch, instructing me to put it on the table, where someone else would collect it. He was/is a very humble man who strictly observed his vow of poverty, since he saw the corrupting influence it had on other monks. He believed that understanding the four noble truths is the path to enlightenment (awakening). My personal belief is that penetrating the wisdom of the three marks of existence, especially anicca, will do the same. (Time will tell ;-). After my time with him, I spent many years attending group discussions and meditations at the Jodo Shinshu temple in Toronto, learning to meditate (which, after practicing for years, I am unable point to any tangible benefits from doing) and again, being exposed to very good teachers, which are hard to come by. One can only hope that some of what they taught me sunk in.
So, you have learned not to worry about unnecessary things, not an insignificant achievement; and not an easy hurtle get over. Nice going!!
Was there a particular event, etc. that helped you to come to this realization?
…. john

Hi John

Thank you so much for sharing your story, it really has helped me lot. I keep coming back to it to remind myself of the lesson.

It sounds like you have learned a lot from your training. You are very lucky to have had such an amazing teacher! He was very wise to have managed to avoid the pitfalls that corrupted other monks.

Your stories are fascinating and insightful. If there are any others that you would like to share, I would love to read them. 😊

Thank you for your kind words. I’m having relationship difficulties with my husband after having a baby. It causes you to focus on what is important.

“Suffering results from expecting more from life, and from others than they are willing or able to provide.”

Quite often, I have heard the first part about expectations from life. I’m pretty easy going in life. This is the first time I’ve heard about the expectations from others. It truly is a gift that you shared it. Thank you! 🙏

Love, peace and blessings! ❤️🙏