[OceanofDharma] Quotes of the Week: The Moment of Enlightenment

[Carolyn Gimian]

Ocean of Dharma Quotes of the Week

September 16, 2008

THE MOMENT OF ENLIGHTENMENT

Before Prince Siddhartha became the Buddha, he realized things were 
not quite right in his world. Neurosis was continuously spreading in 
his kingdom. He decided to reject any approach to life that made him 
purely comfortable and happy and to search for some psychological 
sanity beyond that. He thought that meditating and studying with the 
holy men of the time would help him.  Then he would be able to rule 
his kingdom and be a better king.  He left his palace and studied 
with various gurus, who taught him all kinds of techniques: holding 
his breath, not holding his breath, sitting in different postures 
doing spiritual acrobatics, and many other approaches.  But he found 
these techniques kept his mind very busy, rather than being simple and alone.
         Having practiced for six years, he still had doubts about 
what he was doing. Then, it occurred to him that life is not so much 
a question of gain and loss. Instead, life is full of reality, and 
that reality rests in the mind.  He realized that mind is constantly 
speeding, on and on. So Prince Siddhartha decided to stop that speed. 
He decided to sit and meditate under a bodhi tree on the banks of the 
Nairanjana River. His austerity had not proven to be the best way, so 
he decided to give that up. After sitting for a long time, not much 
happened. Then, he got up and walked around, and he was offered a 
drink of milk by a friend. He settled himself on a comfortable seat 
made of kusha grass.  He began to relax and meditate again.  At that 
moment, when he relaxed, the whole struggle began to dissolve. He 
realized that he shouldn't push so hard, but that he could give in 
and let himself go.  That was the moment of enlightenment, which was 
not all that dramatic.

Edited from an unpublished transcript VIEWING AND WORKING WITH THE 
PHENOMENAL WORLD, a seminar at Naropa Institute, Talk One, June 10, 1976.

All material by Chogyam Trungpa is copyright Diana J. Mukpo and used 
by permission.

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Carolyn Rose Gimian

Ocean of Dharma Quotes of the Week: teachings by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche.
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