The longing for enlightenment

Jeroen

Due to a change in circumstances I now have a different layout to my mornings, and as a result I have embarked on a re-reading of Nisargadatta Maharaj's book 'I Am That', which you can download freely as a pdf from the internet.

One of the things he said is that a longing for enlightenment and an earnestness are the most important elements in the search, that if you have these they will take you swiftly towards your goal. That any form of practice was just form for this longing, and that even without practice sitting and focussing on the longing itself would ensure your progress. But also that if you practice without this longing, then the practice would not help.

I found this insightful and also that it fits with Buddhist practice, where the bodhicitta is also meant to take one towards enlightenment. That longing is one of the very last desires to give up. The other thing that I liked about this chapter from 'I Am That' was that he said that the very idea of enlightenment was like a seed planted in the spirit, which would eventually come to fruition.

So a very useful pointer, to keep the longing for enlightenment in your mind, and not to focus too much on the practice.

how

This is the typical view of those who have been drawn towards the faith/devotional approach to Buddhist practice over the alternatives of meditative practice or scriptural study.
I have hope for practitioners who end up seeing these three paths more as companion options than as being better or worse than each other.

Jeroen

That makes perfect sense, thanks @how

For me it was a new piece of the puzzle of how these things work. I had a little practical experience of the spiritual effect of longing, but I never quite put it all together.

marcitko

@Jeroen said:
spiritual effect of longing

One of my teachers reccomended to feel your deepest longing each morning with the explanation that it would help guide your day towards it.

lobster

companion option

I like this term companion option. If we are on the Path to Enlightenment/Awareness/Mindfulness/Awakening, everything becomes a potential companion or friend or skilful means.

For example:

• relaxation methods as opposed to stimulation and endless recycling of trivial time wasting
• finding the Buddha/Dharma Nature in all experience, people, encounters etc

• never give up and give up are the same thing

  

person

I learned from Tibetan Buddhism the idea of good in the beginning, good in the middle and good in the end. Meaning, at the start of practice you want to set a noble intention, actually can't remember what good in the middle is, if its do a technically sound practice or keep the intention. And good in the end is to dedicate the effort to a noble end.

Doing all that sets, and trains, your mind towards an enlightenment goal over more mundane (though still positive) reasons, such as your own mental well being.

I can speak to my own experience that simply saying intention setting and dedication prayers before and after each sitting, and other instances, such as before a meal, have helped change my own mindset over time.

lobster

Good in the middle/muddle is when we need Dharma practice the most. It is also the time when we do not have the enlightenment of a Buddha or the Bodhisattva intention to transmit. We are just muddling along, cycling through our own karmic tendencies ... in need of example ...

In effect, we are just a herd of ignorance, trying to stay the heard/inspired course/path ...

https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an03/an03.065.soma.html

A monk called Gotama, it seems, a son of the Sakyans, who went forth into homelessness from a Sakyan clan, has come... Now a good report of Master Gotama has been spread to this effect: "That Blessed One is such since he is accomplished and fully awakened, perfect in true knowledge and conduct, sublime, knower of worlds, incomparable leader of men to be tamed, teacher of gods and men, awakened and blessed... He teaches a True Idea that is good in the beginning, good in the middle, and good in the end, with its own special meaning and phrasing; he exhibits a holy life that is utterly perfect and pure." Now it is good to see such Accomplished Ones.

— MN 41
https://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/nanamoli/wheel017.html

pegembara

The longing for enlightenment - that is the type of longing that has an end unlike the other types of longing that just goes on and on and on.

Kamma that leads to the end of kamma aka right intention.

Chanda Sutta:Desire

"There is the case where a monk remains focused on the body in & of itself — ardent, alert, & mindful — subduing greed & distress with reference to the world. For him, remaining focused on the body in and of itself, any desire for the body is abandoned. From the abandoning of desire, the deathless is realized.

"He remains focused on feelings in & of themselves — ardent, alert, & mindful — subduing greed & distress with reference to the world. For him, remaining focused on feelings in & of themselves, any desire for feelings is abandoned. From the abandoning of desire, the deathless is realized.

"He remains focused on the mind in & of itself — ardent, alert, & mindful — subduing greed & distress with reference to the world. For him, remaining focused on the mind in and of itself, any desire for the mind is abandoned. From the abandoning of desire, the deathless is realized.

"He remains focused on mental qualities in & of themselves — ardent, alert, & mindful — subduing greed & distress with reference to the world. For him, remaining focused on mental qualities in & of themselves, any desire for mental qualities is abandoned. From the abandoning of desire, the deathless is realized."

lobster

Hope this is of some interest ...
https://audio.com/lobster/audio/topdown-enlightenment