Simpler & More Immediate
Recognizing the Absolute, allowing ourselves to dissolve any sense of fixed/separate self, and living from this in daily life, is a process that is far simpler and more immediate, and yet far more profound, than what we were likely to expect. It is beyond simple, immediate and profound.
I realize that I have recognized and rested as the Absolute, both in daily life and through sitting practice, for many years - yet always thought that there had to be something else. I always added extra effort, beyond the gentle shift that is needed to recognize and rest as it.
This may be partly due to its simplicity and immediacy. Partly because it is so profound. And partly because of the terminology used in many spiritual traditions which makes it sound very fancy and special. In a way it is special, but it is also the most ordinary. It seems that everyday words, used in a simple and personal way, conveys it far better than specialized terminology (although that also has its place, as it is more precise and finetuned).
I just found this beautiful statement on Metta Zetty's website:
Metta: Yes! The delightful simplicity of This is far more
amazing and marvelous than I had ever imagined....One of
my favorite reminders is from a Tibetan Buddhist teacher
who points out that there are 4 reasons we do not Recognize
and directly experience this "One Taste" as it is showing
up in the present moment:
· The first is that it is so close, so immediate.
· The second, that it is so profound.
· The third, that it is so (delightfully) simple.
· Fourth, that it is so excellent....
[See "The Four Faults," pp. 117-118 The Dharma, by
Kalu Rinpoche, The State University of New York Press,
1986.] Another aspect of this is that when we recognize ourselves to be the Absolute, and the Relative unfolding within it, we often first experience is in a relatively "local" way. We experience the drop - which is inseparable from and part of the ocean.From here, two processes unfold.
The first is learning to live from it in daily life. We explore our life and relative existence from/including the view of the Absolute, and we explore how to live from it in more and more situations. Here, we also learn to function with a more transdual view. We see clearly how this small self is an aspect of the seamless and fluid whole, and find a new ease and simplicity in life. Again - far simpler and with far greater ease than what we may have expected.
The second is unfolding Big Mind - to move from the drop to the ocean.
So when we realize the drop as ourselves, there is still further to go (actually, it seems to be an endless process). What we may have heard described is the ocean, which may make it difficult to recognize the drop as "it".
To summarize, there may be several reasons why it is difficult to recognize our nature as the Absolute:
- It is so simple
- It is so immediate
- It is so profound (in its implications, in what it means for our life)
- The language may appear too technical, too far removed from our experiences
- We may have heard descriptions of the ocean, while what we experience at first is the drop
We still have the spiritual traditions with its more technical and precise language, and we can now add a more simple and everyday way of speaking about it as well. These two approaches seems to complement each other well.
One gives precision and reflects the inquiry of generations of explorers, the other reflect its immediacy and availability here and now, for each one of us.