The Edge

The Edge Q uestion Sooner or later, after being on the path for some time, you come to a place that feels like the edge of a cliff. From that place it seems that the only way to go farther is to take a leap, to abandon everything that you think you know. My question is: once you get to that place, how do you take that leap? Answer If you’ve really come to that place, the question “How do I take that leap?” does not arise. But if you haven’t come to the edge of that cliff, if you are a thousand miles away, then you may ask, “How do I do it? How do I take that leap?” But from a thousand miles away, there is no way to leap. Q So how do you get there? A The way you get there is by becoming very serious. And the way to that seriousness is through asking yourself the two most fundamental spiritual questions as if your life depended on it: Who am I? and How shall I live? You begin by asking yourself these two questions in a very sincere way. That means that you have come to the point where you have no doubt that your life literally depends upon finding the answers. When you discover a heartfelt urgency in relationship to these questions, you are walking towards the edge. Most seekers dare to ask themselves serious questions at one time or another and in doing so begin to approach the edge of the cliff. But unfortunately too many get distracted­ along the way and lose touch with the all-­important sense of urgency. Ambition, romance, fear and desire for security are the perennial distractions that ultimately foil all but the most sincere. The individual who is genuine in their desire to be free recognizes these distractions for what they are and does not allow themselves to become sidetracked. This is very rare. When you get to the point where the edge can actually be seen, you will feel a magnetic current that literally seems to be pulling you to step beyond it. It’s at those moments when you recognize in a way that is always shocking that the possibility of Liberation is real. You will then feel the intimations of your own death and simultaneously sense the dawning of no limitation. All fundamental beliefs about your identity and the nature of reality start to shake as you see this intellectually and feel it emotionally. You will experience an ever-growing pressure imposing itself on all of your fixed ideas. Indeed, as you get closer and closer to the edge, you recognize more and more directly just how vast and potentially unlimited the fact of being alive actually is. At this point, many experience fear and what often proves to be overwhelming doubt. In the face of that which appears to be without limit, they see how small is almost all that they have been identified with. This is a shattering realization for the ego, an emotionally and intellectually crushing revelation that is absolutely terrifying. But if one has the rare courage to persevere in the face of the enormous temptation to doubt, one will not only be able to jump, but may never experience the need to hold on ever again. You see, at the moment of letting go the question “How?” doesn’t arise. There is only leaping into vastness. Q And in that vastness you find the answers that you’ve been looking for? A Yes. In a way that is final. That’s the whole point. Along the way you may get glimpses. As you move closer and closer to that edge, you allow more and more of your attention to be attracted to what is on the other side, and as a result of that you will gain some insight into those questions. But those glimpses are in no way a final answer. They are moments of spiritual affirmation and confirmation. They say to you, “Yes, this is really true.” You see, even if one has had glimpses of revelation, one usually still experiences doubt. And under the pressure of that doubt, one’s already delicate confidence can be shaken: “Is this all my imagination or is it real?” Leaping off the edge means a point of no return. It’s a place where doubt has been conquered forever. Some mistake mere glimpses along the way for that final leap. But they are not the same. Q It’s frightening to see how delicate all this is. A Yes it is. And the reason it’s frightening is because as you approach the edge, it becomes painfully obvious that you have nothing to gain from taking that leap, but in fact only have everything to lose. A lot of people hear the word “Enlightenment” and think, “It sounds like a great thing to have.” But if you actually take that leap, you will lose everything. All that you thought you were has to be left behind on the edge of the cliff because you can’t take anything with you when you jump. That’s when you realize how shockingly real it is. That’s when you find out that it’s not a game.