THE BOTTOM OF THE PAIL BROKE THROUGH,
NO WATER, NO MOON
One moonlit night the female Zen adept Chiyono (1223-1298) was carrying an old bucket filled with water from the well that eventually came to bear her name. As she walked she noticed the full moon reflected in the pail of water. As she continued along the path the bamboo strip that held the pail staves broke and the pail began to come apart. The bottom broke through, and the water disappeared into the soil beneath her feet, the moon's reflection disappearing along with it. In that instant she realized that the moon she had been looking at was just a reflection of the real thing...just as her whole life had been. She turned to look at the moon in all it's silent glory, her mind was ripe, and that was it...Enlightenment.
HER MIND WAS RIPE!
Over and over, for centuries and in one form or the other, the question has been asked, "How does one go about triggering the the fruitations of the Enlightenment-experience as suggested by the ancients in the Sutras and so forth, so that the resultant outcome of that fruitation IS that which IS Enlightenment?" How does the "mind get ripe," "how does the bottom of the pail break through?" In other words:
"HOW DO I GET ENLIGHTENED?"
Positive outcomes usually emerge from small seeds, often planted inadvertently initially. Without trying, no expectations of merit, putting your mind and thoughts into the right frame of reference, familiarizing youself with terminology, and study-practice coupled with thoughts and deeds that carry the right escort.
"Those who have not attained Awakening should penetrate into the meaning of Reality, while those who have already Attained should practice giving verbal expression to that Reality."
Several titles of Enlightenment, Dharma, Buddhism, and Zen related pages are provided below for your own edification. Google any of the titles along with "the Wanderling" --- or simply use "the Wanderling" alone or along with any Zen or Buddhist word you can think of --- and see what comes up. Try as well any word or name related to The Razor's Edge such as Larry Darrell or any word or name related to Carlos Castaneda such as Don Juan Matus.
As an example, Awakening 101 is a FREE self-paced on-line Dharma course that explores the Enlightenment experience in the Zen tradition.
The course is arranged in such a way as to help point the way and ease the Dharma Gate for any who may be so interested. It is organized into several easy to follow on-line folders that flow, in order, from a general position and explanation of Zen, Enlightement, and Buddhism into more specific areas. In Folder 6, for example, you will find the topic is on Meditation. Everything from a beginning view to those of Nagarjuna to Dogen to what Shikantaza is to an actual online meditation course, is laid out step-by-step and explored. The last folder, Folder 10, ends with a rather extensive suggested reading list. The reading list has many additional click-through reading sources such as online Koans, Sutras, and full-length Zen books as well.
Again, type in any title just as they appear below along with the word 'Wanderling' into Google or any other search engine and see what comes up:
AWAKENING 101
THE RAZOR'S EDGE
CARLOS CASTANEDA
SPIRITUAL GUIDES: Pass or Fail?
ZEN ENLIGHTENMENT IN A NUTSHELL
CRITICAL CONCERNS WITH AWAKENING 101
An outsider comments on the use or non-use of
Awakening 101 as a path toward Enlightenment.
SRI RAMANA MAHARSHI: The Last American Darshan
Recounting a young boy's nearly instant transformation into
the Absolute during his only darshan with the Maharshi
