Perils of the Path

Xhe greatest peril of the path for those who seek Enlighten- ment isnot leaving enough room inside themselves for what thev_do not know. And the greatest peril of the path for those who already are enlightened is neglecting to leave enough room inside themselves for what they do not know If we want to know what Enlightenment is, then we ——————— ___^ have to leave infinite room inside ourselves for what we do not already know^ That simply means that no matter what we think we understand, if we want to directly experience that profound depth of Self, the discovery of which always lib- erates, then we have to create infinite room inside ourselves for what we do not know The reason we have so much difficulty experiencing enlightened perception—which is seeing beyond the mind and knowing beyond memory—is simply because we don't leave enough room inside ourselves for what we do not know And the reason we don't leave enough room inside Perils of the Path ourselves for what we do not know is that without being aware of it, we believe we already know. Already know what? Already know everything—including what it is that we don't know! Already knowing is how the ego protects itself from the unknown. From the perspective of Enlightenment, already knowing is wha t the ego is . Ego is the veneer of invulnera- bility and overconfidence that creates a life-numbing wall of separation. A wall of separation that always divides the domain of experience into two: inner and outer, self and other, individual and world. From the perspective of EnUghtenment, the very defini- tion of ego is arrogance. The arrogance of already knowing. The invulnerable overconfidence of already knowing is that fortress of limitation that always keeps the unknown at bay. From the perspective of Enlightenment, the unknown is a metaphor for no limitation, and no limitation is a descrip- tion of the experience of consciousness liberated from the inherently limiting arrogance of already knowing. Not knowing is synonymous with enlightened conscious- ness because not knowing automatically creates infinite room for the unknown, which is experienced as consciousness liberated from any sense of limitation. Humility is the human face of enlightened consciousness precisely because that face has been freed from the arrogance of already knowing. Humility is the direct consequence of always first not knowing 8'^ Embracing Heaven & Earth in relationship to all experience. Arrogance or ego is the human face of unenlightened consciousness because it is the direct consequence of always first already knowing in relation- ship to all experience. In not knowing there is always infinite room for the unknown, but in already knowing there never could be. But the nature of Enlightenment is paradoxical. Its perfect continuity rests upon a delicate balance of opposites. On one hand, enlightened consciousness is a direct conse- quence of abiding in a state where there is always infinite room for the unknown . And on the other hand, the very stability of that consciousness equally rests upon a doubt- less conviction, a knowing, o f the ultimate nature of reality that is unshakable. So therefore, the tremendous challenge for all true seekers of enlightened perception lies in finding that perfect middle place between knowing and not knowing and, once having found it, staying ^h£I^ Once again, the greatest peril for those who seek Enlightenment is not leaving room inside themselves for what they do not know And the greatest peril for those who already are enlightened is making the very same mistake. Indeed, the often confusing result of deep spiritual experi^ ences lies in their potential to bestow a powerful knowing or strong conviction that is unsupported by a deep and Perils of the Path continuous surrender to the unknown. This is the most precarious aspect of Enlightenment and of spiritual experi- ence in general: arrogance or already knowing tainting the potentially immaculate expression of powerfully awakened consciousness. This is why Enlightenment is such a delicate business. Unless we hit the bull's eye—^which means that per- fect middle place between knowing and not knowing—the inevitable result of profound spiritual experiences, including even Enlightenment itself, will be imperfect. That simply means that in the one who is enlightened, a shadow of ego will remain because in his or her attainment, knowing will be more powerful than not knowing. That is why the pursuit of Enlight- enment is such a delicate matter for the seeker and finder—it is so easy to err on one side or the other. If seekers are unwilling to surrender all prior knowing, then the liberating power of enlightened perception will remain ever beyond their grasp because, without that incon- ceivable leap into the unknown, the confidence of knowing that mystery that abides beyond the mind will always be unstable. And for those rare individuals who have found, those who have taken that leap, now that they are finders, will there still be room inside them for what they don't know? Once confidence in Enlightenment has finally been won , will the all-important humility still be there? Or will the finder have become trapped in one side of the paradox, now being only the one who knows? Embracing Heaven & Earth Once you know, and once you know that you know, there's no going back. That's why the greatest danger for the finder is doubtlessness—even though doubtlessness is an essential ingredient of Liberation. You see, in the end, the goal for seekers and finders is the same: to always leave room inside themselves for what they do not know, to manifest an attainment that casts no shadow, to rest always in that perfect middle place between all pairs of opposites. Perils of the Path