Recently become very interested in Buddhism, spiritual growth and meditation etc. been meditating for a while and learning about living in the "Now" rather than the past/future... my question is (in relation to all related areas of thought and teachings) how can one distinguish from when their desire to be enlightened or spiritually grow is yet another desire, causing more suffering? - following a path to remove suffering that is in-fact motivated by suffering... For example when meditating, I sometimes get thoughts that come across as if I am meditating and trying to spiritually grow with the exact same motivation as if I was to strive towards a powerful/lucrative job - competing for form stuff over another being. any advice? Edit: Another Q would be this... I feel as if everything I have learnt about enlightenment leads me to believe that I may already be enlightened, I feel no person is separate from one another and I have unconditional love for every living being on the Earth with respect to their form/perception/experiences/condition etc. I sometimes feel that I don't think or act like the people around me as to I always see through their intentions and true actions, not to mention I don't identify with materialism and most of the modern western culture (celebrities and such)... However I don't physically feel anything different, I may feel a odd sensation in my forehead or in my body when I try to look for something, but I would just related to them as natural or a figment of my imagination. So the question is really can anyone really define or give some suggestion as to what being enlightened feels like or some way of distinguishing the difference from being unenlightened?
Motivation is important.. spiritual progress is no competition. Just as I myself have fallen into samsara's waters, so have all other sentient beings, empower me to see this and really to practice, bodhimind that carries the weight of freeing them. I feel that the essence of spiritual practice is your attitude toward others. When you have a pure, sincere motivation, then you have right attitude toward others based on kindness, compassion, love and respect. -- Dalai Lama
In my opinion. If you don't have the desire to become enlightened, or improve yourself, you never will. Desires are not bad as we could not survive without them. You desire food, sleep, exercise, etc., but attachment to desire is bad. So, if you desire enlightenment, that is not bad, just don't become attached to that desire. Don't let it rule your life. I believe some Buddhist would agree with you. We are all enlightened, most just don't know it. If you have to ask someone they can't tell you. If you don't need to ask they already know.
There is the trap of being attached to desire, and there is the trap of being attached to non-attachment. The traps are not bad. All traps lead to freedom. There is no wrong way; there is only what needs to be learned, and the way you make for yourself to learn it.
Desire of itself is not the cause of samsara. In the chain of dependent origination the first cause is ignorance. There are many schools of Buddhist thought, and one would do well to consider Dzogchen. Even though it is considered a pinnacle vehicle for self knowledge one should consider learning from the most realized and highest teachings right now while those teachings still exist. I recommend Dzogchen because the idea of ripping out desire is a real mistaken understanding of spiritual teachings. Also we all are enlightened right now, and it takes only a few small tweaks to really understand that. Just like it may take five people to lift a stone. It may yet take only one small person with a lever. Look not for the five people but for the lever. And yet, don't think you know everything or are enlightened before you really really are. If enlightenment means something to you, then you aren't enlightened.
What is there to improve? That's what I'd like to know. The fact the desire exists in me without knowing that makes me think it is not a sensible desire.
I hear someone saying that if enlightenment means something to you, then you aren't enlightened. I hear another saying that if you don't have the desire to become enlightened, you never will. What is true?
What can be improved is your understanding of how the world works and how you can relate to it and others. IMO What is true? A very good question.
When I said if you still think about enlightenment you aren't that's like if you still think about how to cook a recipe you aren't chef, or how to play guitar you aren't a guitarist. When the thought ceases for the reality then finally the reality settles in. You have an itch, you scratch it, then no more thinking of itch.
Thus as Nagarjuna said, When you have an itch, you scratch. But not to itch at all, is better than any amount of scratching.
Good question. This is where living in the present can extinguish suffering. Worry about the present, a simple way you can train yourself to do this is when your eating a meal think about every single bit as you chew it, and chew it Until your mind wanders off then swallow. Before you know it you'll start to notice huge differences. Buddhism is an amazing life choice I haven't regretted once since I started practicing 8 years ago. Don't get discouraged and don't give up. It's worth the wait. I hope this helped.
Desire is necessary up to a point, the desire for enlightenment will be one of the last things you drop before you are enlightened.
I might as well just post what's on my mind and see what happens. I grew up a Buddhist (Vietnam) and admire it a lot, but don't believe hardly any of it. When I die I die, so ending Samsara and the suffering will be automatic. I think enlightenment is a nice metaphor but doubt there is any real such thing. I would rather listen to classical Western music than meditate, and it does more for me. I enjoy my existence and would perpetuate it if I could, but that's wishful thinking, and if I am reborn, I will still be dead -- the new one will not be me. What I do accept is Buddhist ethics (actually strongly) and the idea of karma (as a real here-and-now thing, not something for the future) and the Buddhist agnosticism about gods. I'm not looking for ratification, but I wouldn't mind a nice challenge to all this, or maybe some analysis.
Assuming that is for me, I thought I said. To repeat, I don't believe in Samsara, in Enlightenment, in Buddhas for that matter, that life is principally about suffering, or that I will be reborn. By the way, I am uncomfortable with the phrase "I don't believe." It would be more accurate to say that in my opinion I doubt these things are real.
If you want, please describe your understanding of samsara, enlightenment, Buddhas, suffering, and rebirth. I don't claim to be a Buddhist as I don't usually join any type of organization, but I do like a lot of the philosophy. I have only met three or four people who claim to be an actual Buddhist, so I would be very interested in the views of someone who was raised in the tradition.
I actually do happen to be a Buddhist. But that said, I don't believe in it. For instance, in the morning when I want coffee, Buddha isn't going to set the coffee maker and bring me a cup. The problem of any religion is after the indoctrination, the rest of the world is thrown out. What then occurs is endlessly recursive argumentation, like, supposing the world is red, then the arguments are brick red, pink, magenta, and the rest of the palette disappeared as if red was all that matters. Meditation stops working when it has reached its end. Yet the end may not be permanent. Down the line one may uncover a new area. The point being that many or most Buddhism meditators keep pounding away at the same small area of mind forever and never let themselves settle and just grow. There isn't one Buddhism, there are millions of Buddhisms. The challenge for the Buddhist is to find one that is autentic to them, instead of one that makes them feel part of a group, or loved, or makes them feel hip in their Ngakpa robes with the bells and kapilas. Buddhism isn't just about the epistimology or theory, Buddhism is ideally about ones cognition and ability to be effective in the present.
