Manufacturing the “Accident” of Enlightenment …

The nun Chiyono studied for years, but was unable to find Enlightenment. One night, she was carrying an old pail filled with water. As she was walking along, she was watching the full moon reflected in the pail of water. Suddenly, the bamboo strips that held the pail together broke, and the pail fell apart. The water rushed out; the moon’s reflection disappeared–and Chiyono realized her Oneness with everything around her … She became “enlightened”, whereupon she wrote this verse:

“This way and that way I tried to keep the pail together,
hoping the weak bamboo would never break.
Suddenly the bottom fell out.
No more water; no more moon in the water–
… emptiness in my hand.”

Many in the “Old Age” movement of East — as well as quite a few in the New Age movement in the West — believe that “Enlightenment” is an intellectual realization; one that comes on the winds of whim and fancy. These folks believe that we can only prepare ourselves to possibly someday “become Enlightened”, and that we can only humbly hope &/or pray that we will someday experience the same. These folks believe that we must simply dedicate ourselves to mental openness — or to meditating on Oneness — or to repeatedly visualizing the same, in order to “create a certain aroma around you in which that great accident becomes possible” ~ unknown

Maybe so …

AND YET, there is another Enlightenment available to each & every one of us — an experience of Oneness that requires no mental dedication whatsoever — no years of practice; no disciplined days of meditation; no following a particular “Master”; no chanting; no vows & no “stillness of mind” … Better yet, it is not dependent upon accident or luck, but rather arrives fully EVERY TIME a person has the courage to do one thing and one thing only.

We strive so diligently to keep our pails together — to obtain the “clear mind” that will allow us to bring our cherished water (“happiness”) home without spilling it. We struggle each day to carry that pristine sustenance somewhere else — where we can then wait until we are “thirsty enough” to then drink it “in safety”.

We seem to have forgotten that we don’t have to wait until we are dying of thirst to drink up Oneness; and that we don’t have to go anywhere else to do so. We can simply stop right where we already are and drink it fully right now.

Oneness, you see, has very little to do with what you “know”, and everything to do with what you are doing — specifically FOR WHOM you are doing what you are doing.

Do anything for yourself, and you will experience non-Oneness … you automatically distance yourself from everything around you.

Sacrifice this illusion by consciously acting solely for the benefit of others, and Oneness will flow over & around & through you like a gentle spring rain.

In such moments of humble courage, you literally become the Joy which you currently seek … You literally become ONE with everything around you … You literally become Love itself.

Instead of merely comprehending “enlightenment”, you literally become the same.

In such moments of active selflessness, there are no more destinations to “get to” in order to drink Love’s perfection — and there are no more pails needed to carry that Love until you are ready to do so. There is no more waiting for or hoping for or praying for “the great accident” of Enlightenment to come to you. You choose to Love, you act accordingly, and you literally Wake UP. Instead of waiting for Enlightenment to someday come to you, you remember that it is already within you — and then you simply act accordingly and GO TO IT.

Enlightenment is LIVING Oneness via radical acts of Kindness …

So, … got Enlightenment?

“Everyone has a spirit that can be refined by a body that can be trained to act in a certain manner. Everyone has a courageous path to follow. You are here to realize your inner divinity and manifest your innate enlightenment.” ~ inspired by Morihei Ueshiba

Filed under: Enlightening Enlightenment by Scaughdt