Debunking the #1 myth about enlightenment | Robert Waldinger
Summary
TLDRThe concept of enlightenment, rooted in Buddhism and other spiritual traditions, signifies the awakening to the interconnectedness and oneness of all things. While some seek a permanent state of enlightenment through intense meditation, Zen teachings caution against the pursuit of a constant altered state, emphasizing instead the fluctuating nature of spiritual awakening. True enlightenment is not a static goal but a dynamic process of engaging in compassionate, interconnected actions throughout life.
Takeaways
- 🌟 Enlightenment in Zen tradition signifies the understanding of life's interconnectedness and essential oneness.
- 🔍 Enlightenment is not a fixed state but rather a process of moving in and out of more awakened or less awakened states.
- 🧘 Long periods of meditation can lead to profound experiences, but these are fleeting and not indicative of permanent enlightenment.
- 📚 Accounts of enlightenment often involve out-of-body experiences, but these are not the same as a lasting state of enlightenment.
- 🚫 The pursuit of constant enlightenment is considered dangerous and unrealistic in Zen teachings.
- 🛌🏡 Enlightenment does not exempt one from everyday life responsibilities like doing laundry or brushing teeth.
- 🤔 Zen teaching warns against individuals who claim to be ultimately enlightened, as no one is fully and forever enlightened.
- 🌱 'Enlightened activity' refers to actions that reflect kindness and awareness of interconnectedness with all things.
- 🌍 Unenlightened actions are those that are selfish or destructive, such as harming the planet.
- 💡 The goal is not to achieve a permanent state of enlightenment but to strive for moments of enlightened activity throughout life.
Q & A
What is the concept of enlightenment in Buddhism and other spiritual traditions?
-Enlightenment is an ancient concept referring to awakening, understanding the interconnectedness and essential oneness of everything, and the truth of life.
How does the Zen tradition view enlightenment?
-In Zen, enlightenment is not a static state but a process of moving in and out of more awakened or less awakened states, recognizing the ever-changing interconnectedness of life.
What is the danger of seeking enlightenment as a constant altered state?
-The danger lies in the misconception that one can permanently live in an unusual, altered state. Zen teaching emphasizes that even spiritual practitioners have moments of delusion and must return to everyday life.
What does the phrase 'enlightened activity' mean in the context of the script?
-'Enlightened activity' refers to actions that are kind and mindful of one's interconnectedness with all beings and the environment, reflecting a state of enlightenment.
How does the script contrast 'enlightened activity' with 'unenlightened activity'?
-Enlightened activity is compassionate and aware, while unenlightened activity is selfish and destructive, such as actions that harm the planet.
What is the significance of the book title mentioned in the script, 'After the Ecstasy, the Laundry'?
-The title signifies that regardless of profound enlightenment experiences, one must always return to the mundane aspects of life, like doing laundry and brushing teeth.
What should one be suspicious of according to the script?
-One should be suspicious of individuals who claim to be ultimately enlightened or perfectly evolved, as no person is fully and forever enlightened.
What did Shunryu Suzuki, a prominent Zen teacher, emphasize about enlightenment?
-Shunryu Suzuki emphasized that no person is finally, fully, and forever enlightened, highlighting that enlightenment is about this moment's activity and interconnectedness.
What is the goal of pursuing enlightenment as presented in the script?
-The goal is not self-improvement but to cultivate compassion and engage in enlightened activity as often as possible, being mindful of our interconnectedness in every moment.
How does the script describe the experience of people who have had enlightenment experiences?
-The script describes these individuals as having brief, intense experiences of interconnectedness and oneness, but these experiences do not last and they return to their everyday lives.
What is the importance of understanding the concept of enlightenment as described in the script?
-Understanding this concept helps to avoid the trap of seeking a permanent altered state and instead focus on living compassionately and mindfully in the present moment.
Outlines
🌟 Understanding Enlightenment in Zen Tradition
This paragraph delves into the concept of enlightenment as understood in the Zen Buddhist tradition. It highlights that enlightenment is not just a spiritual goal but also a realization of the interconnectedness and essential oneness of all things. The speaker emphasizes that while enlightenment experiences can be profound, they are fleeting and do not equate to a permanent state. The paragraph warns against the pursuit of enlightenment as a self-improvement project and instead encourages viewing it as a series of moments where one can engage in enlightened activity, characterized by compassion and awareness of our interconnectedness with the world.
🎯 The Goal of Enlightened Living
The second paragraph focuses on the practical application of enlightenment in daily life. It suggests that the goal is not to achieve a constant state of bliss or to avoid suffering altogether, but rather to strive for moments of enlightened activity throughout one's life. This involves being as compassionate as possible and acting with mindfulness of the impact of one's actions on the world and others. The paragraph concludes by reinforcing the idea that enlightenment is not about reaching an ultimate state of being but about the journey of living with intention and awareness.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Enlightenment
💡Zen tradition
💡Interconnectedness
💡Oneness
💡Meditation
💡Altered state
💡Compassion
💡Self-improvement
💡Shunryu Suzuki
💡Delusion
💡Enlightened activity
Highlights
Enlightenment is an ancient concept found in Buddhism and other spiritual traditions.
In Zen, enlightenment refers to recognizing the interconnectedness and essential oneness of everything.
Enlightenment is not just a concept but also involves experiencing life's surprising aspects.
On a superficial level, things appear separate, but at the deepest level, everything is interconnected and constantly changing.
Enlightenment is often seen as something to be achieved, with people seeking intense meditative experiences.
Zen teaching warns against the danger of seeking to live in an altered state of enlightenment constantly.
Unusual experiences of enlightenment are brief and cannot be sustained.
A Zen teacher's interviews with enlightened individuals were compiled into a book titled 'After Zen,' emphasizing the return to everyday life.
Life continues with mundane tasks even after enlightenment experiences.
The pursuit of constant enlightenment is unrealistic; humans naturally move in and out of states of awakening.
Spiritual practitioners, no matter how evolved, will still have moments of delusion and confusion.
One should be suspicious of anyone claiming to be ultimately enlightened or perfectly evolved.
Zen teacher Shunryu Suzuki emphasized that no one is fully and forever enlightened; there is only the present moment's activity.
Enlightened activity is characterized by kindness and attention to interconnectedness with all things.
The goal is not self-improvement but to be as compassionate as possible in each moment, pursuing enlightened activity.
Transcripts
- There's a lot of talk about enlightenment.
It's a concept that's very old in Buddhism,
but also in other spiritual traditions.
And it can mean so many different things,
but in my Zen tradition, it really refers to:
and to some of the surprising aspects of life
that we don't normally see.
Most specifically, the interconnectedness of everything,
the essential oneness of everything.
That yes, on one level, everything exists separately.
I exist separately from you,
and this chair exists separately from me.
And at the deepest level, none of it is separate.
All of it is completely interconnected and always changing.
That is awakening to the truth of life.
Now, enlightenment is often held out
as a thing that we can get.
And in fact, you can read accounts of people sitting
in long periods of meditation, sometimes on retreats,
where they essentially have these amazing experiences.
Sometimes they feel like out-of-body experiences,
and they can write elaborate descriptions
of what these are like.
And sometimes people feel like,
"Well, if I just have those experiences,
then I'm enlightened.
And if I had those experiences once, I want them back,
so I want to try to get them back again."
What we teach in Zen is that that's actually dangerous,
that nobody lives in a kind of unusual
altered state all the time.
Most of us never do.
And if we have unusual experiences, it's very brief,
an experience of, for example, complete interconnectedness
and oneness cannot last.
In fact, one Zen teacher did a set of interviews
with people who had had enlightenment experiences,
and he put them into a book, and the title of the book was,
And what he meant by that was that no matter what kind
of unusual experience we might have of waking up,
of enlightenment, we always go back to needing to do
the laundry and needing to brush our teeth
and needing to go to work, but that is just how life is.
So, although most of us, myself included,
wish that there were a way to get enlightened
and stay that way, to get to a place
where it's always blissful and we never suffer,
I have never met a human being on this Earth
who gets to that place.
And Zen teaching is that that's not possible.
That in fact, we move in and out of states of being
more awakened or less awakened,
that no matter how evolved you are
as a spiritual practitioner, you're gonna have times
when you're just all upset about stupid stuff,
when you're just deluded, as we say.
And then, you move back into periods
where you see life more clearly.
That's important for me because if you meet people
who hold themselves out as an ultimately enlightened person,
be very suspicious of that.
Be very suspicious of anybody who claims
to be a perfectly evolved, enlightened human being.
Shunryu Suzuki, a very important Zen teacher
in the United States in the 20th century,
was famous for saying that,
And what he meant by that was that no person
is finally, fully and forever enlightened.
There is only this moment's activity.
So, if I do something that is kind, that pays attention
to my interconnectedness with everyone
and everything, that is enlightened activity.
If I do something that's selfish, if I do something
that destroys the planet, that is unenlightened activity.
And so, the idea of pursuing enlightenment
really is not pursuing a self-improvement project.
It's pursuing a way to be as compassionate as I can
in each moment, to pursue enlightened activity
in as many moments as I can string together in my life.
That's the goal.
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