• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

The awakened state lies dormant, an ignored potential within us, but we need consistent training in meditation to awaken this sleeping giant. There is a saying in the traditional Buddhist teachings of Tibet: “The ultimate materialism is believing one has to manufacture the buddha-wisdom.” All our grasping after unusual experiences or higher spiritual states comes from lack of confidence in the power of this original nature.

HOW DO I GAIN CONFIDENCE IN NATURAL WAKEFULNESS?

The analogy of the sesame seeds also illuminates the second most important aspect of the spiritual path—training. Here we are primarily exploring the topic of training in the discipline of the sitting practice of meditation. Training, cultivating—actually doing something to draw the inner essence out, to develop it—is absolutely necessary. Merely thinking about practice, intending to get to it someday soon, is not enough. As Tilopa explains: “If by the combination of mortar and pestle and hands, the beating and extraction are not done, one cannot obtain the oil.” If we simply sit staring at the bowl of sesame seeds in front of us, wondering when the sesame oil will magically appear, nothing happens. It’s not enough just to think, “Open sesame!” As it says in the genealogies of the biblical scriptures, nothing begets nothing. No pressing of the seeds, no sesame oil.

The seed of our awakened nature is an essential ingredient; it’s absolutely necessary, but it’s not sufficient by itself for awakening. If we don’t apply our attention and fully engage body and mind, stagnation soon sets in. Sleepwalking continues to reign. The net result? We find ourselves repeating the same scenarios, living out the familiar routines of habit, again and again and again. The accumulated power of our ingrained distraction is so strong that it easily overrides our momentary good intentions, like floodwaters snuffing out a matchstick’s flickering flame. We make a New Year’s resolution not to lose our temper, but then two weeks into January we hear ourselves snapping at someone at home or at work. Facing a tough deadline, we catch ourselves cursing at a slow driver on the freeway.

So, just as the teaching of an originally wakeful nature tells us that the path is not a matter of just working at it, the complementary teaching of training—particularly training through the discipline of meditation practice—tells us that just trusting in the fundamental goodness of our original nature is also not enough. As we know, it’s not enough merely to believe that exercise improves our well-being—actually getting to the gym or going out for a walk or a run is another, crucial matter. Similarly, it’s not enough simply to have naive faith or belief in the goodness of our original nature.

WHY NOT?

Why isn’t original goodness enough? If we’re naturally awake, why do we need to train?

Particularly at first, our trust and confidence in basic goodness are based largely on ideas and concepts. We have heard or read about inherent enlightened nature, and we say, “Yes—this makes some sense to me; it sounds good. Yes . . . yes, I think I believe in basic goodness.” This is fine, to begin with—where else could we start except with a somewhat vague sense of belief, a slightly naive faith in this possibility? Again, we have to start where we are. Wisdom is already there in our initial inspiration.

However, remaining with just this vague outline—the “finger-painting level”—would be like skipping the meal and instead continuing to chew on the menu in a good restaurant. (“Hmm, this cardboard could use more salt.”) Menus are helpful and often whet the appetite, but the point is to actually taste the tomato soup. Training in meditation corresponds to actual experience—smelling the aroma of a simmering stew, biting into a carrot, chewing and swallowing, feeling the sense of satisfaction as outer elements nourish and strengthen our inner being. Even the best menu is a pale and superficial imitation