Out on a Limb

Enlightenment—or to be more precise, ‘awakening’—holds infinite possibilities. It is without a doubt the most important thing that one can achieve in this precious lifetime.

After Lord Buddha attained enlightenment he remained under the bodhi tree for six weeks, reflecting on whether to go forth and try to communicate his realization to other people. Divine spirits whispered in his ear, praying, encouraging him. But he was not hopeful. Ultimate truth is beyond words, beyond description.

Thankfully the Buddha decided it was worth a try. With so many different kinds of people in the world, he ended up teaching in whatever way was appropriate to the person in front of him.

There are many relative truths. For some individuals, a long philosophical discourse may be the most beneficial. For others, the Buddha would teach in extraordinary ways. One time at Vulture’s Peak, in front of a large audience, he simply lifted a flower, not saying a word. The teaching was lost on everyone but one person, Mahakashyapa.

Imagine, for a moment, the Buddha holding that flower, twirling it ever so slightly, and in that sublime gesture…

When my friends asked me to join the Twelve and contribute to their blog, I had to ask “Who am I to talk about enlightenment?” I am just a simple monk. I am not a Buddha. In order to help other people, one must first be right with oneself. Trying to save a drowning person will not work very well if you don’t know how to swim!

There is a story in Tibet about following unwise leaders.

Once, in the distant past, there was a band of monkeys. They lived in a forest, and in the forest was a well. One night, the leader of the band of monkeys peered into the well, and seeing the reflection of the moon in the water, said:

"Look! The moon has fallen into the well; we ought to get it out or our world will be without a moon."
The other monkeys looked into the well and saw that it was indeed so. "Yes," they agreed. "We should certainly get the moon out of the well."

So the monkeys formed a chain, each holding onto the tail of the one before, while the monkey at the top of the chain held onto a branch to support them.

The branch began to bend under the weight of the monkeys as they lowered themselves into the well, and soon began to crack. The water was disturbed and the reflection of the moon disappeared, the branch broke, and the monkeys tumbled headlong into the well.