There is Not a Better Moment than This One
‘When the Buddha arose from his vigil under the Bodhi tree on the night of his awakening he said, “I gained absolutely nothing from complete unexcelled enlightenment. This is why it is complete unexcelled enlightenment.” He then went on to teach a path saying, “There is this shore and there is the other shore and the path that carries is safely over.” All great spiritual traditions speak of the possibilities of profound peace, liberation, wisdom, and heartfelt compassion that are immanent within each of us. Possibilities not only promised to the special, saintly, and holy who have the ideal life and personal attributes of greatness, but possibilities held in each human consciousness. Our capacity for delusion, greed, anger, and confusion are also spoken of at great length. We all know what this shore can feel like - to be lost in whirlwinds of alienation, need and aversion are familiar experiences. Vision leads us to look for a path to the other shore.
None of us travels a path of awakening in order to stay the same - we have little interest in becoming more intimately acquainted with a chaotic mind, a complaining body, or a tumultuous heart. When we begin a path we look for change and transformation, to realize the possibilities of the freedom from which we feel separated. No one outside of ourselves, no matter how loving or wise, can cultivate this path for us. It can only be cultivated in the midst of this life, body, heart, and mind. There is not a better moment than this one in which to awaken, nor a more fertile moment to nurture sensitivity, simplicity, and depth.’
- Christina Feldman, The Buddhist Path to Simplicity.
