On the other hand, there is something you can be absolutely certain about. And it’s the simplest thing in the world. The simple fact that Truth is true and nothing else.

Adyashanti recently said the most amazing thing is not enlightenment, but that we manage to un-enlighten ourselves? That’s not just a cute idea, it’s blatantly true.

Watch how this works. It should be the most obvious thing in the world that truth is true and nothing else is true. Why? Because anything else is not true. Which means nothing else is real, nothing else is there. Nothing else is there. So there can’t be anything less than or other than or opposed to Truth. So there’s no possibility for separation, conflict, disharmony, suffering and all the rest.

Now, realizing that is what enlightenment is. That’s all. As Adyashanti points out, it’s easy, simple, obvious, clear, and effortless. The ultimate piece of cake. There’s nothing incredible or amazing about it at all.

The incredible and amazing thing is that we’ve managed to get ourselves to believe the preposterous idea that what’s true is not true. That what is, isn’t. That what exists, doesn’t exist. That what doesn’t exist, does exists. Now to manage to believe such absurdities is indeed truly quite amazing and incredible. Yet we stolidly believe it. And we’re further convinced it’s going to take lifetimes of spiritual discipline to wake up from it. That’s the amazing way we un-enlighten ourselves. We actually believe there’s stuff besides Truth, dumbing ourselves down enough to overlook the inescapable fact that anything besides truth would have to be not true and wouldn’t exist.

Now why do we do such a stupid thing? What’s happened here? What’s happened is this. Even though there’s nothing so easy to recognize as Truth, we’ve gotten the notion that recognizing Truth is a kind of egghead baloney that really doesn’t matter. It’s my experience that counts, we proudly claim. That’s what’s real to me. I trust my experience to tell me what’s true, we announce. I know what’s what, we say. I’m my own man or woman, we think. I trust my own experience, we sagely assert.

See how we’ve turned an absurdity into something that sounds sensible, strong, plausible and dignified? Quite a remarkable stunt, wouldn’t you say?! But it’s the fatal flaw that creates the dream and locks us in it. Can you see what the mistake is? The mistake is that experience can only reflect beliefs. It can’t be evidence of truth because if the beliefs aren’t true the experience won’t be either.

Now watch how this works. Here’s what happens. Since we don’t care about what’s true what isn’t, we end up believing that there can be stuff other than or opposed to truth, making possible belief in opposition, separation, conflict, disharmony, suffering and all the other wretched children of idiocy. Nice work, eh?

Now watch what happens next. Because we now believe in suffering, our belief in suffering of course manifests the experience of suffering. And you see, we’ve already decided that our experience is what tells us what’s real. So experiencing suffering makes us believe it’s true. And hence we become more convinced of it. That deeper conviction makes it manifest more vividly in our experience. Which in turn deepens our conviction even further. Which in turn causes it to manifest as an even more intensely experience. Causing yet even deeper conviction still, and so on, in a self-intensifying vicious circle. That’s the idiocy that creates the dream, and locks us in it. And that’s what we need to wake up from.

The whole dream, then, stems from believing that there can be stuff other than truth. So what does waking up mean? It’s so simple it’s almost breathtaking. Waking up means nothing more than realizing it’s quite certain that only truth is true and nothing else. Then your certainty in truth can melt your beliefs in all the crap contrary to truth that’s been creating all your crappy experiences.

Now you may feel that it’s arrogant of me to be telling you what’s true and what isn’t. That doesn’t matter. All that matters is that you wake up. Nothing is so easy to recognize as truth. And nothing is so important. So for pete’s sake just do it. All this endless beating around the bush is for the birds.

Ok, I’ve got something quite nice to close with. Here’s a great way to practice all this in an easy, powerful and practical way. On occasion, through the day, contemplate the following Truth: “Because Truth is All there is, there’s absolutely nothing to be concerned about.”

Why is that so powerful? Because “Concern” is just a soft word for fear. So contemplating that Truth will dissolve fear. And fear is the only thing that ruins peace. And so the less fear there is, the deeper will be your peace. And the deeper is your peace, the more you will be aware of God’s Presence. That’s it. Clear, simple, powerful, practical, and surprisingly effective.

Does it sound too easy? Would you prefer instead the extremely difficult and monumental task of maintaining your un-enlightenment?

Thanks for tolerating my arrogance. I hope it wasn't offensive. It's only a teaching style, not an expression of unkindness. Nevertheless, if I need to be scolded, don't hesitate -- my ego usually deflates without much of a fuss. We all need to be nuked on occasion.

Much Love,

Ben

related link: Ben's Teachings