Thanks. You’re right. No problem with disagreements. It’s breaking through to a still, gentle unoccupied mind, where all concepts are absent.

Kaushik

I too think that awakening is a stopping/experience of attentiveness that is already but which we tend to ‘forget’.

I introduced the distinction of simple and easy to resolve what I thought was an unnecessary disagreement (necessary disagreements good, unnecessary disagreements bad).

Namaste Matt, I apologize, I somehow missed your comment.

I acknowledge and appreciate that you are being constructive. I agree with you that the self-congratulating blogging community is not always helpful. Perhaps you can see that the truth “Awakening is simple” is resisted, ironically, for the same reason–individual and collective egos don’t like basic assumptions to be overturned.

“‘Awakening is difficult” is an idea, a belief, an assumption. So is “Awakening is simple,” but our dualistic language affords no other way to try to break through the assumption.

Your example of alcoholism is relevant. In his book and website, Jack Trimpey offers a simple method, called Rational Recovery, to get past the addiction of alcohol and other substances. His success rate is 65% whereas AA is in the single digits! His method is based on overturning the assumption that abstinence is difficult. The ego loves to believe that abstinence is difficult, it can never be permanent, it would take enormous discipline and support and so on. And, collective egos will propagate these assumptions, and will resist anyone who may question it.

Can we notice that “Awakening is difficult” is just an idea? A mental construct? Can we let go of the idea?

Shanti
Kaushik

I don’t say Awakening is simple to distinguish it from easy. Simple and easy are ideas. I don’t say Awakening is simple as a pedantic trick–I’m not saying that the last step in the marathon is simple and easy, and smugly ignoring the all the training and the most of the 26 miles of running. I don’t say awakening is simple as yet another “I want it now” aspect of modern culture. I fully recognize that awakening is difficult for many–I’m not trying to belittle those who are struggling with it.

I say awakening is simple because it is. I say Awakening is simple in the same way I would say “Stop banging your head against the wall.” Yes, we can certainly analyze why it might take half a lifetime of banging before we stop, or how the very last bang is critical or easy or difficult, or that the cessation of the effort of banging is simple but not easy, or that the simplicity of stopping is just another aspect of cultural entitlement…we can accumulate and build on all of these concepts. Or we can simply stop banging our heads against the wall.

Awakening is simple. It is a gentle, unoccupied mind–a passive watchfulness, which already is. It seemingly is not, when we put in the effort to accumulate concepts.

Awakening is simple. The seeming difficulties are overcome with releasing.

Shanti,
Kaushik