Start Again

Seek with arenewed vigor and arenewed spirit, without all the disillusionment of your past. Begin once again, throwing away all the conclusions that you have reached from all the experiences that you have had. Start again, fresh, with renewed innocence. Begin once again, knowing nothing, like abeginner. You are either aseeker or afinder. Many people claim they have stopped seeking even though they clearly haven't found what they were originally looking for. They say this because they have been on the path for avery long time. Many have come to all the correct conclusions, but only intellectually. The real event has not yet taken place. Without realizing it, they are completely lost. If you are afinder you will know it, and you won't have any doubt about it. So unless this is the case, con¬ tinue to seek. And seek until you find, forgetting every¬ thing that you thought you knew before. 5 3 when You Realize You Don't Know Anything It Will Be Very Easy to Let Go Q: Ihave been seeking for avery long time. I've spent time with different teachers, I've practiced several different methods of meditation and I've read many spiritual books. In spite of all that, I'm not Enlightened and I'm still seeking. Because Ihave learned so much from all Ihave done, sometimes Ithink Iknow what Enlightenment is when Iactually don't.

A: In the beginning something compelled you to seek. Then you sought out books and teachers and like-minded people, but you didn't find what you looking for. Along the way you have accumulated everything except that which you were originally seeking for, which was Liberation. You have lated so much and what you wanted was only to be free from all accumulation. In fact, you have only burdened yourself. Once you truly realize and accept the fact that you actually don’t know anything about Enlightenment, it will be very easy to let go. But as long as you have even asmall belief in the idea that you really do understand, you will miss it. If you deeply and profoundly recog¬ nize that you are completely ignorant on the subject of w e r e a c c u m u - 5 4 Enlightenment, then it will be very easy for you to let go of all that you have acquired, become attached to and are now imprisoned by. 5 3 L o s t I n n o c e n c e Q: When Istarted my spiritual search Ifelt agreat deal of joy, excitement and wonder. It was like Iwas on a honeymoon, but it didn't last very long. Since that time my search has been motivated only by the memory of this honeymoon.

A: Often when people begin their search there is aredis¬ cover}^ of alost innocence. It is the realization of this innocence that is the door to the profound happiness that many people are looking for. In their initial spiritual experiences many discover that they are on amysterious adventure that seems limitless and potentially without end. This is very thrilling. What allowed this innocence to surface is that they began to question everything that they had until that moment believed to be true. They suddenly realized that they had lived most of their lives with aprofoundly limited perspective. They discovered that they actually had no understanding of the way things truly are. All was brought into question in the immensity revealed to them in their initial experiences. This newfound innocence, which is so thrilling and such asource of inspiration, usually lasts only ashort time. This is because there is aprofound vulnerability that always accompanies this innocence and this vulnerability is usually too much for most people to bear. In order to 5 6 escape this vulnerability many doubt its ultimate validity or else take pride in their spiritual accomplishment. In this way, the innocence and purity is lost. Without even realizing it, the potential for profound transfonnation slips through their fingers. This happens only because they cannot bear the unbearable vulnerability and empti¬ ness of knowing absolutely nothing. 5 7 i r J Spiritual Practice Spiritual Is What You Already Are You Cannot Prepare for Where You Already Are Is It Necessary to Meditate in Order to Reach Enlightenment? Don't Want Time to Understand The True Path Are You Going to Jump or Not? Oil and Water Do Not Mix What Kind of Practice Can Prepare One for Enlightenment? Enlightenment Is Where All Practice Is Supposed to Lead Devotion Cannot Be Practiced Spiritual Progress 5 9