Today's Column

Innocence

Clearly, the legend of Atlantis is parallel to the legend of the Garden of Eden, the Elysian Fields, etc. They all refer to what is “generically” looked at as the fallacy of the Golden Age, the time of innocence, before Lethé was drunk and we all became the miserable creatures we are now. Well — a lot of us are miserable creatures, and many of us treat others miserably, especially those who run things. But a lot of us don’t think of ourselves as miserable creatures, and when someone starts talking about realization and awakening, many people could care less. So fine. My teacher says, “Don’t worry about your happy illusions. Worry about your sad illusions. Or your anxious illusions.”

In Joan Tolifson’s “Awake in the Heartland” the phantom Guru, Jed McKenna, is quoted as saying, “Enlightenment is nothing. Delusion is the wonder.” In the same book Chogyam Trungpa is referred to as having said that enlightenment is the biggest disappointment that exists. Well, sure. It’s the end of pretend. The big question may not be, “Who am I?” but “Why is there illusion?” Is there a “who” to whom illusion is being presented as a game? If it’s all One, how does that work? If there is no personal “I” who is being fooled?”
I Am That. Thou Art That. All of This is That. That is impersonal. “I” disappears into it. There can be no harm because there is nothing that can be harmed: there is no-thing. So where does the compassion come from that blossoms forth when one of us goofy, deluded creatures finally sees? If the point is that I take my own hand out of the fire because it hurts then why start? Why do it again?Innocence.

It blossoms again and again. It has no previous knowledge. Materialization – manifestation – just happens, and when it does, some say tomato, and some say to-mah-to. It just happens. There is no name that is correct, no right or wrong way to do it, but there are always disagreements. And agreements. These are small things. Life doesn’t mind. Life is what is aware. Awareness is the latent potential that pops out of no-where, no-thing, and that is who – what? – is typing this (and making errors on the keyboard, going back, fixing them, going forward). The vital datum it keeps mislaying is that opposites and contradictions stand out, but the fulcrum under the teeter totter is in shadow, and you forget it’s there. It’s neither this nor that. It doesn’t stand out. It produces no feelings. The only time you get a rush is when you suddenly remember it’s there, and that’s just the rubber band you’ve been stretching with your existential angst for the last twenty years snapping back. Oh. That’s called Samadhi.But awakening is always already aware. Like you. Here. Now.