| People study, meditate, and prepare in many | | | | inseparable from each moment. It is day in, day |
| ways to be enlightened, but when it happens, it is | | | | out practice. Without enlightenment, there is no |
| in an instant. We have many small enlightenment | | | | practice, without practice, no enlightenment. |
| in life, inner learning that are felt from within and | | | | There is nothing to attain or gain. So in this sense, |
| yet share a universal character. Learning to ride a | | | | enlightenment is nothing special, and yet it is very |
| bicycle provides an analogy that may help you | | | | special. Other example: A mother with her child. |
| understand how enlightenment happens. | | | | Each day is nothing out of the ordinary, and yet |
| Relate this example to your own experience: | | | | motherhood and the love between mother and |
| Young children often become very excited and | | | | child are incredibly special and wonderful. When |
| interested in learning how to ride a two-wheel | | | | you take this attitude, it is a very beautiful and |
| bicycle. Kindly adults will guide the process, holding | | | | mysterious world we live in, and yet it is nothing |
| the back seat and running alongside as the child | | | | special. |
| peddles. The bike wobbles as the little one | | | | The Zen master can tell when the pupil has |
| struggles to find balance. After a great deal of | | | | attained enlightenment, but how? There are no |
| practice, one day, it happens. Suddenly the child is | | | | fixed criteria, but there are signs which the |
| in balance, riding, and steering all by herself | | | | experienced Zen teacher can perceive. |
| without realizing it. No one can balance for the | | | | Enlightenment brings relaxation and transformation |
| bike-rider: It is an inner experience that must be | | | | that is expressed physically, in posture, gait, |
| personally felt. This sudden awakening to bicycle | | | | movements, gaze with the eyes: in fact, no one |
| riding is similar to the sudden enlightenment of | | | | particular look or expression is exactly "it" but |
| Zen. In that moment of a wakening you lose your | | | | instead, a wealth of gestures and mannerisms |
| sense of self, like the child who just rides. | | | | communicate and display the new perspective of |
| Some Zen master views practice and | | | | this change. |
| enlightenment as a unity. The method for practice | | | | The enlightened practitioner is spontaneous but |
| is sitting in meditation. During meditation, | | | | clearly responsive. This person is relaxed, able to |
| practitioners empty their minds of the usual mind | | | | solve a problem with an affirming response that |
| chatter to allow nature to shine though. Like the | | | | makes sense and can maintain mindful awareness |
| air we live and breathe or the water that is the | | | | in action. |
| main constituent of our bodies, enlightenment is | | | | |