Light Comes Through (eBook)

Introduction Anything and everything can arise in themind. This is either good news or not such good news, depending on howwe look at it. On one hand, it means anything and everything ispossible. On the other hand, if we possess no understanding of mind andhow it works, we will be—,as the traditional example describes—,likesomeone without limbs trying to ride a wild, blind horse. We will notbe able to rein in the mind, and so the mind will never serve us—,itwill never take us where we want to go. The Buddhist teachingsaddress the mind: how it functions and how we can shape the mind sothat it can serve us. If we don't learn how to shape the mind, the mindwill continue to shape itself. Rather than training in wisdom, it willtrain and habituate itself against our will, our intentions, our betterjudgments—,it will do as it fancies. We already know how much we sufferfrom our habits. It is amazing how resilient we are as human beings: wesuffer over and over again but just keep on going! In order toshape the mind, to make it work for us, we need to rely on an aspect ofmind itself—,an aspect we can call our natural intelligence. We maysometimes wonder where to find our natural intelligence—,or if we evenhave any at all. But the fact is, in ordinary, everyday ways, weutilize our natural intelligence all of the time. Without it, we wouldlack the ability to make basic decisions and to discriminate betweenthings that will help or hinder us. We rely on it while rummagingthrough our closets in the morning looking for the perfect thing towear. We base all our ethical principles upon it. Natural intelligenceweighs all the pros and cons, it organizes and analyzes. It has thecapacity to see the interdependent connection of various elements andhow they function together. And it searches for happiness and meaning .. . even if it sometimes can't find them. Without this essential toolit is doubtful we would get anything done at all. And any notion ofenlightenment, most certainly, would be out of the question. The buddhadharmaharnesses the power of natural intelligence in a unique way. As weencounter mind's raw, unprocessed conceptual activity, the teachingsencourage us to utilize our natural intelligence to lookdispassionately at mind and emotions and sort through our confusion andignorance, in this way we uncover our innate wisdom and clarity. TheBuddhist teachings affirm this natural gift and also challenge us:'Analyze! See if this isn't true.' Everything we need to move forwardis right here. Imagine a Vague Enlightenment Ittakes some time to refine the mind through this process of exploration.We may have some resistance to using conceptual mind—,thinking mind—,inthis way. The prospect of investigating mind may not fit thedescription we have of a spiritual path—,it may seem too analytical, toobookish or precise. We may prefer to keep our notion of spiritualityvague and openended. We may wish to reach for a nonconceptual stateabsent of thought. Or we may only select spiritual ideas we feelcomfortable with instead of exploring what we don't understand. In thisway, we maintain a more romantic view of spirituality—,one that willmake us feel good and that is separate from our ordinary, sometimestroubled life, the life we are trying to break free of. If we keepthings a little abstract, we can continue in our usual ways. We cankeep all of our options open, and we won't have to worry about shakingoff old habits. Our self-image remains intact—,just as we like. But tryto imagine a vague enlightenment: What might that be...