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using darkness to define the light
genkaku
Northampton, Mass. U.S.A. Veteran
In a conversational tone -- no biggie, just talking a little -- did it ever cross your mind how much implicit and explicit praise is heaped on what is referred to as "enlightenment?" The question is a personal one -- for you, not for some poorly defined but sweeping collection of people ... "Buddhists" perhaps or "humanity." The question is for you ... conversationally.
Implicitly or explicitly, "enlightenment" seems to be put forward as something desirable, sometimes very, very desirable ... desirable enough so that all sorts of disciplined activity might be applied. "Enlightenment" is worth the price of admission. It is bright and beckoning and praise-worthy and yummy ... seriously yummy.
And yet, as a personal matter, how yummy and praise-worthy might "enlightenment" be if it did not stand in some stark contrast to the ignorance and delusion that is often seen as a precursor to that "enlightenment." Implicitly and explicitly ignorance and delusion get the slimy end of the stick and "enlightenment" stands out as a time or realm in which day-to-day fuck-ups would no longer be so wounding and harsh. One thing seems to be for sure: No one goes around extolling and longing for a world of ignorance and delusion. Few if any praise the hell they seek to escape ... heaven, by whatever definition, gets the kudos.
But -- as a personal matter and just by way of conversation -- how bright could heaven possibly be if it stopped depending like a babe at its mother's breast on the dark and disastrous shadows? Heaven relying on hell -- does this compute; hell relying on heaven -- does this compute? If enlightenment were nothing more than a get-out-of-jail-free card, how could that possibly do away with the jail itself? Is implicit or explicit praise -- or damnation -- really enough?
As I say, this is all by way of easy conversation, no biggie. It is just something to consider, I think, in a very personal, very responsible, very courageous and no-more-fucking-around quest.
Just a little noodling.
Implicitly or explicitly, "enlightenment" seems to be put forward as something desirable, sometimes very, very desirable ... desirable enough so that all sorts of disciplined activity might be applied. "Enlightenment" is worth the price of admission. It is bright and beckoning and praise-worthy and yummy ... seriously yummy.
And yet, as a personal matter, how yummy and praise-worthy might "enlightenment" be if it did not stand in some stark contrast to the ignorance and delusion that is often seen as a precursor to that "enlightenment." Implicitly and explicitly ignorance and delusion get the slimy end of the stick and "enlightenment" stands out as a time or realm in which day-to-day fuck-ups would no longer be so wounding and harsh. One thing seems to be for sure: No one goes around extolling and longing for a world of ignorance and delusion. Few if any praise the hell they seek to escape ... heaven, by whatever definition, gets the kudos.
But -- as a personal matter and just by way of conversation -- how bright could heaven possibly be if it stopped depending like a babe at its mother's breast on the dark and disastrous shadows? Heaven relying on hell -- does this compute; hell relying on heaven -- does this compute? If enlightenment were nothing more than a get-out-of-jail-free card, how could that possibly do away with the jail itself? Is implicit or explicit praise -- or damnation -- really enough?
As I say, this is all by way of easy conversation, no biggie. It is just something to consider, I think, in a very personal, very responsible, very courageous and no-more-fucking-around quest.
Just a little noodling.
1
Comments
Otherwise what choice would we have?
Enlightenment is the end of suffering. The negativity is inherent to the definition (at least in the terms the Buddha used.)
I feel like I'm watching Spielberg's "Poltergeist".
I am a bit of a wooze when it comes to suffering un necessarily and consider the avarice of enlightenment to be suffering. The same is true for me of "Nirvana" or Kensho.
I have more heart for "Awakening" because as a verb it represents a journey rather than a destination and has less taint of judgement or attachment.
Your question@genkaku might be one of those proper direction/clarification questions IMO
I too have more rising up to meet the promise of Awakening than Enlightenment. In my brain, if I pursue deeper and deeper, they end up meaning different things anyway. I don't want to be alone or singled out somehow from others with my Enlightened state of being. Awakening seems so much more organic, and it is something everyone does every single day. Awakening encourages depthlessness or infinity of Awakening, in my personal grasp. I know this isn't a thread about Awakening versus Enlightenment, so anyway . . .
Are we incorrectly conceptualizing Awakening/Enlightenment as a polar opposite to the dark despair of suffering, kind of like making a Christian heaven and hell out of them?
One of the first upside-the-head intuitions about Buddhism happened when I read something I can't remember about the Ten Oxherding Pictures. The tenth picture:
columbia.edu/cu/weai/exeas/resources/oxherding.html#picture10 The intuitive 'hit' that walloped me upside the head was that Awakening/Enlightenment wasn't necessarily on one end of a continuum with pointless suffering and black despair on the other. Awakening was walking back into the marketplace with open hands. It didn't make sense (in my mind) anymore that Awakening was the opposite of suffering.
Clearly the darkness of black despair and the clear light of Awakening/Enlightenment illustrate each other. But how does that happen? Oi dunno. Your question is good for exploring questions, and then generating better questions than ever perhaps?
Great yin, becomes the beginning of yang at its height.
I knew my new year resolution to become unenlightened would not work for too long . . .
and now back into the light . . .
:wave:
Can there even be this without that?
I don't think so.
Or maybe I do.
It's only a thought.
Great yin, becomes the beginning of yang at its height.
I knew my new year resolution to become unenlightened would not work for too long . .
and now back into the light . . .
:wave:
Tonight
Conceptualizing awakening/enlightenment is a dream about not dreaming.
and
Polarities verses "states of flux", are just more stories told to deny truth's chaos.
Time to stop using my zafu for a pillow