The Allure of Enlightenment

                                              For those who are about to seek Enlightenment…

                                                                            I salute you.
 
But don’t make me make this out to be a dire situation for you, even though they say it might entail…

                                                                                Death.

...of course, that’s “ego death” and not physical death, since you wouldn’t be able to enjoy your Enlightenment if you are dead.

                                                                           [could you?]

Well...I wouldn’t know you see, I don’t claim to have any knowledge of anything that I don’t know about.

I hope that didn’t sound too redundant, but it is true that I don’t know what I don’t know. When you hear people talk about not knowing anything whether it be nuclear physics or changing a tire, they do "know" what they don’t know.

The problem is actually that they do have knowledge about the subject even if it is only knowing the title of this thing that they don’t know.

To clear up any confusion, I am operating on the base level of word definition. To not “know” something is to have no knowledge of the thing at all.

                                                                  That means completely.

A little issue that comes up whenever this subject is breached that throws a monkey wrench into the works is that we actually know everything.

                                   We create everything around us to make order from chaos.

The brown, tan, and black bumpy,  gnarly growth that has a thousand vibrant green ovals and stars at its very top is what we call a “tree”, and this is what makes it different from the smooth and cool blue wet thing we call “water”.

What does this have to do with Enlightenment? Knowledge is a powerful thing. Your mind which thinks and acquires this knowledge, well...does exactly that; acquire knowledge.

The only way of acquiring knowledge is through experience. Whether it is physically or in a book, your mind has to contend with the subject matter.

There seems to be some conspiracy with some of the Enlightenment teachers that the way to Enlightenment is controlling or even “turning off” your thoughts completely.

Well I sure enough and most earnestly want you to try and do that, through whatever method they say (probably through some meditation technique). I unfortunately think that you will be most discouraged that the “turning off” of the thought is not working out.

                                                      There is nothing wrong with the mind.
                                                              Don’t try to change the mind.

                                                                         Let it be as it is.

                                                                     Continued in Part II…