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Today's
quotation:
Enlightenment
is like the moon reflected on the water. The moon
does not
get wet,
nor is the water broken. Although its light is
wide and
great, the moon is reflected
even in a puddle an inch
wide. The whole moon and the entire
sky
are reflected
in one dewdrop on the grass.
Dogen
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Today's
Meditation:
There's
a definite mystique around the concept of
enlightenment. We tend to think that in order to be
enlightened, we have to spend so many hours (decades?) in
formal meditation, finding inside of ourselves what the
world doesn't offer. But many people have assured us
that enlightenment is not just for the monks who dedicate
their lives to meditation, and that it is something that
all of us can strive for, no matter what kinds of lives we
may lead.
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In
my life, for example, I find that my best meditation
happens when I'm running or walking. When I'm
outside, moving, my mind clears of the stuff it
normally focuses on as it naturally starts to pay
attention to the natural world around me. And
running is better because I also have to pay
attention to the path in front of me so that I don't
trip over anything or turn an ankle. My mind
is focused on the here and now, not on peripheral
stuff that truly isn't all that important, but which
my mind really enjoys dwelling upon.
Clearing our minds, of course, is an important step
towards enlightenment, for we can see life more
clearly when we're not thinking of the stressful
stuff that we so often think about.
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I
think that enlightenment is much more possible than we
think it is, but we do too much standing in our own
ways. We tend to jump at anything that's even
slightly urgent rather than allowing ourselves to be
still. Enlightenment isn't going to come when we're
super busy, when we're being judgmental, when we're
focused on money, when we're yelling at our kids. I
can't tell you when it is going to come, because as with
everything else on this planet, it's going to come to each
person in the way that's most fitting for them, in the
areas of life that are most important to them. And I
may reach enlightenment concerning why people do what they
do, but still not be enlightened as to the true reasons
for some people's sadness or the purpose behind life and
living.
I
want to be enlightened mostly because of the ways I
believe being enlightened can help others. As an
enlightened person, I think I could be more helpful to
more people. But I am simply a dewdrop-- yet I can
contain the entire sky in my essence, can't I? If I
want to be enlightened, I have to be open to new ways of
thinking, or at least letting go of the ways that I've
been taught are the best.
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