All of us writing on this subject (on enlightenment and what-not), have probably described, or at least tried to describe, this thing that has no business being described. We can all clearly see that the description will never capture the truth.
And yet, we go on…
Perhaps it is cruel of us to say anything. To provide that hope to another. The hope that the seeker might find this thing through brute force, like a hand thrusting itself into the water, hopelessly trying to contain all of it…
But can anyone be blamed for the hope of another?
Not enlightened yet? You’ve not meditated enough. You’re not silent enough. You’ve not read enough. You’ve not given enough. Or maybe it is because you’ve not taken my exclusive 12-week You Can Be Enlightened, Too seminar.
Hmm…perhaps someone can be blamed for the hope of another. 
Liberation seems cruel, for it is all so simple. But human beings create the cruelty by trying to make it complicated. Is there anything as simple as living?
Takuin will go on…
{ 19 comments… read them below or add one }
I’m not sure why I feel the need to say this, but 2010 is going to be a wonderful year.
It is nice to finally be back here with all of you again.
No, I don’t think it’s a waste. One day in my head, the meaning suddenly just snapped! And I understood. I like your articles
And I think it’s funny how you refer to yourself in 3rd person haha.
Thank you, L.
I am grateful for your words.
Takuin thanks you.
> And yet, we go on…
It seems a question of purpose: why do we write about this subject? Isn’t it quite arrogant to describe “the subject” to a seeking somebody? What is the intention? Wouldn’t it be better to live as an example, and not to teach, and see what happens?
It’s nice to have you back, Takuin.
Thank you, Tokumei. Always great to see you here.
I like your questions. As for arrogance, we can throw that right out. We’ll leave that to those analyzing the moment after it has passed (arrogance can only appear through comparison of the past).
I can’t say that any particular direction is better than another in this case. It all happens through that movement; the moment by moment awareness of other human beings and so on, if that is the right way to put it. If we create an ‘answer’ as a go-to solution, it might not fit anything that happens in our lives. It is quite like trying to pound a square peg into a round hole.
I suppose to live as an example is just to live. Whether or not we are examples….we can leave that for others to decide.
Hey, I’ll have you know it is only a NINE Week Enlightenment Course, and I’ll be selling it for $59.95. It is a bargain at that price.
Hmm…. On the whole, one thing seems to be missing from what you wrote above. While I am in sympathy which much of what you say, it is missing a key element: compassion. The movement here, and the movement in many others who write about this topic, is a sense of genuine love for seeming others, a compassion for their experience. We write, we talk, and maybe, just maybe, that which they are will experience a transmission and it will wake-up to itself.
If the words we write were only for the seeming human, were only words directed at the ego from another ego, then they would be cruel. As it is, the words come from Self and are directed at Self. Compassionate truly is the description. They may be fingers pointing at the moon, but in this case, the moon wishes to experience itself.
Put compassion of Love for Itself into the equation. It makes the 9 Week Enlightenment Course seem like a good idea. Well, okay, maybe not. But it COULD be a good idea. Maybe.
Come on Tom, you’re selling yourself short. It should be 3 EASY PAYMENTS of $59.95.
Compassion moves in all directions. Sometimes compassion will stay to teach or talk or listen. It can express its love in that way completely.
And sometimes compassion will shut-up and walk away. The love in that is no less complete.
Sometimes one action will be more appropriate than the other, but we’ll only find out which is which through living. Our lives teach us these things in every moment.
It is not teaching because of this or that, or walking away because of this or that. It is just teaching. It is just walking away.
And I feel that all this reading and searching on the subject is just a way to pacify the fear of capturing the truth.
Sometimes I feel that I want to throw out all my books (just like you did) and stop reading the blogs, and stop talking about this subject. What is stopping me? Why do I feel the need to re-read the same over and over to be comforted?! From what?
Though, I do also feel that I pick up valuable reminders from all the books and sites. They’ve helped bring me to the point that I am here now.
Thank you Takuin, and welcome back
Thank you, Masi.
You could be right about the pacification. Only you can say for sure, because we are talking about YOU. But if you stick with it, you may see the pacification as superficial, and something even deeper may be at the root. But you will find it before any of us will.
That is all well and good, but always ask yourself WHY. Are you going to throw out the books for the same reason you bought them? Will you find the same comfort at the trash can that you did at the cash register?
Thank you, Masi. I am glad to still have you along…
Bet you’re glad to be back “home”, huh? That’s a looong flight! Hopefully it wasn’t too packed and you could stretch out a bit.
“…human beings create the cruelty by trying to make it complicated.” Amen, brother! And I’m one of those “human beings”. It’s all a result of trying to make it make sense, trying to understand it. It necessarily makes it complicated in the process. It’s lovely. I’m having a blast, though. Thanks for the post, and glad you made it back safely.
Thanks, Mike.
The flight wasn’t so bad. I had an aisle seat with no one next to me. I watched all three Austin Powers movies, all 3 X-Men, the first Bourne film, and a bunch of Simpson’s, Family Guy, and Futurama episodes, so I was well taken care of.
I have not stopped by your site in awhile…maybe I’ll drop in and say Hi; find out what I’ve been missing.
Thanks for stopping by…I appreciate all of your activity here.
Welcome back, Takuin
“we go on…” and yes, so many things said become a message of not enough for the listener.
It is a curious dance, this simple thing called life. This idea to communicate, wondering what might be heard.
Hope you enjoyed some dancing in the US. It would be interesting to hear of your impressions of that. How it is vs how it once was. How everything responded.
Thanks, Davidya.
What else can we do as human beings? Well, there are countless things, I suppose, but communication is the fun bit, isn’t it? Verbal or physical or whatever. That is one way in which humanity is gifted. We can express, with such completeness, our other gifts in a beautifully sophisticated way. We don’t usually do this, but we CAN. There is always that hope, springing eternal.
The US was nice. Colder than Japan for sure. I had the opportunity to catch up with some old friends I had not seen for over ten years. That was great. And even a couple of impromptu talks popped up here and there.
There was more ‘death’ involved on this trip than I am used to (two funerals in a one week period), but it provided an interesting background for new exploration. I will write about all of these things soon.
Nice to see you, Davidya. Glad you’re still around.
Someone said it is either simple or impossible…
I wonder where they were seated?
Thanks Takuin! The “me” that wants to throw out the books and turn-off the net is the one that hears “you’re wasting your time, this is all a waste of time” or “you’ll never get it, you keep making the same mistakes”. And, yes, you’re absolutely right, I did even think for a split second that throwing out the books would get me the place that I thought buying the books would!
Our conversation here helped push me to see WHY I didn’t listen to the thoughts. Thoughts are not ME. And most importantly, I realized that my thoughts and ego are there to help me to see who I am. I feel more layers coming off
Thank you, Masi.
I know that in the midst of this kind of exploration it can fee like a fight. As if thought is an arch-nemesis or a James Bond villain that you must thwart at every turn. But if there is a villain, it is YOU, because the blueprint of the self says, “There is me here, and the negative thought there.” That is the greatest villainy of all.
Thoughts are not you in the purest sense, as you have said. But they are you superficially, and that is the questionable bit we must reserve our energies for. That is the delicate curtain so seemingly impossible to move aside.
You might have noticed in yourself, during the thoughts of throwing the books away, the center was still very strongly present (I am using center here as the doer or self or whatever you want to call it). Even though you might have seen through to some nonsense; that you are being comforted by the writings of others; the need to throw the books away was just another ploy to eventually bring you the same comfort, just in another direction.
You must see where you are seated in all things; where the center pokes and prods the embers, trying to keep the heat going. It is always there, but that is good. You’ll never lack material for spiritual exercises.
I see this today, I see how I suppressed the thoughts and labeled them ‘negative’…. telling myself that they (the thoughts) are keeping me from my quest to wherever it is I think I’m going.
And that is a wonderful place to be, Masi.
Remain diligent, and reserve your energies for these explorations. This is your own work, and these discoveries will be far richer than just listening to someone say “You are All One,” and accepting it as true.
Safe travels…