Enlightenment is Boring
Enlightenment is boring
"My job is to point out the obvious".
Adyashanti
When leading a meditation I often use a 'trick' taught by Adyashanti. I suggest that before we start 'meditating', we simply check to see if what we are seeking through our meditation is not already present. This simple act of redirection often results in a depth of awareness which catches people by surprise.
As profound as this momentary experience is, it is also, quite paradoxically, unremarkable. It is so unremarkable that we fail to notice that it is with us all the time. It is always available, patiently waiting for us to place our attention upon it, but in a world rich in distraction it is easily overlooked. This is why Adya describes his work as pointing out the obvious.
The fact is that we are already enlightened. It is our true nature. However, we are just so damn curious, such creative, playful and wonderful expressions of life that we are continually distracted from that true nature. And there is nothing wrong with that. With such a wonderfilled planet as a playground it is no surprise that we become more engaged with the noise rather than the silence from which it emerges. However, to keep our distractions in context and to maintain a sense of balance it might be helpful to give a little more attention to the silence from time to time. To give some attention to the truth of our being.
If you feel depressed try to become interested in that which is aware of the feeling of depression rather than the depression itself. Use that curiosity to explore what is aware of the distraction rather than the distraction itself.
The only certainty about our many distractions is that they are impermanent and as such ultimately unsatisfying. It is this realisation (often at a subconscious level) that triggers the spiritual search. With little frame of reference the majority of spiritual "seekers" believe that what they are chasing is extraordinary, and their seeking is willingly encouraged by the spiritual marketers (church included) who in one way or another attempt to sell them what they already own. There is nothing wrong with this but ultimately it is just another version of the distraction.
Enlightenment at its most fundamental is the realisation of truth. In order to get our attention we have been sold the idea that enlightenment is some blow your socks off experience. A sort of cosmic orgasm in which you merge with everyone and everything, riding wild unicorns, leap-frogging the Sun as you chat with Jesus. Who knows, it may well be that for some, but the truth for most is far less spectacular
Sadly, it is in the search for the extraordinary that we often fail to notice our many moments of authentic awakening. We dismiss the presence which is the portal to enlightenment because our minds are seeking something spectacular. And if we are honest presence is, at a superficial level at least, kind of boring. Boring to the mind that is.
In fact at the level of the mind enlightenment is boring, because it involves a movement beyond the need for experience. Ironically, moving beyond the need for experience opens us up to a greater depth of experience, a depth we somehow always sensed was avaialble to us. Unicorns? Maybe. Its your universe, you choose. But without the distraction of thought even the simplest of things can be experienced as the miracles they are. Who needs unicorns?
All this is not to dimiss life and its distractions as meaningless. Far from it. To get a feel for the beauty of our distraction just watch a child lost in play and imagination. As that child fights tiredness and sleep to keep their play alive their behaviours can become challenging. We are just the same. Sometimes it would be wise to rest in the primordial awareness that we are and keep our distractions in some sort of perspective.
In other words don't take life and its distractions so seriously, and choose them wisely! By taking time to rest in the truth of who we really are, by creating time for truth we can re-engage with life like that child absorbed in play and imagination,
Much love
Sat Nam
Bill