Awakening the Buddha Within _ Eight Steps to Enlightenment - Lama Surya Das [172]
So the Buddha ordained Chunda. But Chunda couldn’t remember anything, not even how to wear his robes. Sometimes it can be complicated to be a monk, at least at first. There are a lot of teachings, and since in those days there were no books, there was a great deal to memorize. Chunda couldn’t keep up, so they gave him the job of cleaning the sandals left outside the door while the monks were receiving teachings.
But Chunda wanted to practice like the other monks, and get this enlightenment thing he heard about every day. He went straight to the Buddha to ask him what he could do to achieve enlightenment. The Buddha said, “When you’re scraping and sweeping, just think, ‘Now I am purifying all the obscurations of the mind.’” Then the Buddha gave Chunda a two-line verse to recite: “With each cleaning of the sandals, I am cleaning off the obscurations of the shining, perfect natural mind.” The Buddha asked him to repeat it. He repeated it. The Buddha said, “Can you remember that?” Chunda said, “Yes.”
Chunda went off to repeat the verse “With each scraping of the dirt, I am cleaning …” And he couldn’t remember the rest. But he had good karma and he had gentle Ananda around to remind him of the verse. Still, he kept forgetting. So Chunda went to his monk brother at regular intervals to be reminded.
One day the compassionate Buddha came back and said to Chunda, “Are you cleaning the sandals?” Chunda said, “Yes.” Buddha asked, “Are you cleaning the dust off the floor?” Chunda said, “Yes.” And Buddha asked, “Have you cleaned the obscurations off the shining, perfect, natural mind?” And Chunda was suddenly enlightened! His heart leapt for joy. He realized that the sandals with the dirt were still the sandals. The floor, even with the dust, was still the floor. He became an arhant.
All the local people who knew Chunda could not believe he was an enlightened, saintly arhant. But wherever the radiant Buddha went, he saved a seat for Chunda, because he said he was the purest-minded, least proud arhant among all. He was the most pure-minded because he didn’t know anything. And least proud because he acknowledged his limitations. Sincere intentions and purity of heart are what counts.
FREE AND EASY: A SPONTANEOUS SONG
by Venerable Lama Gendun Rinpoche
Happiness cannot be found
through great effort and willpower,
but is already present, in open relaxation and letting go.
Don’t strain yourself,
there is nothing to do or undo.
Whatever momentarily arises in the body-mind
has no real importance at all,
has little reality whatsoever.
Why identify with, and become attached to it,
passing judgment upon it and ourselves?
Far better to simply
let the entire game happen on its own,
springing up and falling back like waves—
without changing or manipulating anything—
and notice how everything vanishes and
reappears, magically, again and again,
time without end.
Only our searching for happiness
prevents us from seeing it,
It’s like a vivid rainbow which you pursue without ever catching,
or a dog chasing its own tail.
Although peace and happiness do not exist
as an actual thing or place,
it is always available
and accompanies you every instant.
Don’t believe in the reality
of good and bad experiences;
they are like today’s ephemeral weather,
like rainbows in the sky.
Wanting to grasp the ungraspable,
you exhaust yourself in vain.
As soon as you open and relax this tight fist of grasping,
infinite space is there—open, inviting, and comfortable.
Make use of this spaciousness, this freedom and natural ease.
Don’t search any further.
Don’t go into the tangled jungle
looking for the great awakened elephant,
who is already resting quietly at home
in front of your own hearth.
Nothing to do or