What exactly is enlightenment? That’s a tough question to answer. In the Winter 2020 issue of Buddhdharma, Joan Sutherland dives deep into the concept in her teaching “Everything Is Enlightenment.” “Enlightenment is our true nature and our home, but the complexities of human life cause us to forget,” she writes. “That forgetting feels like exile, and we make elaborate structures of habit, conviction, and strategy to defend against its desolation. But this condition isn’t hopeless; it’s possible to dismantle those structures so we can return from an exile that was always illusory to a home that was always right under our feet.” The three articles from the Buddhadharma archives below feature a number of Buddhist teachers exploring what enlightenment is, what it isn’t, and whether or not practitioners should expect to attain it.
“Expect that awakening will come in unexpected ways,” writes Sutherland. “Make yourself available, and trust that enlightenment will find you.” |
No comments:
Post a Comment