The 'Nothing to Do' and 'You Are Already There' schools
“I feel the need to address, which is to say shoot down with every bit of rhetorical force that I have, the insidious notion promoted by some teachers and even traditions that there is nothing to do, nothing to accomplish, no goal to attain, no awakening other than the ordinary state of being, no practice or tradition that is of value, no technique that will yield anything worthwhile.
The other side of this same coin is the point of view that you are already realized, already there, already Buddha, already completely accomplished, and you should essentially be able to hear this to understand it for yourself which, were that the case, would have been very nice of those propounding this view, except that it is complete bullshit.”
- Daniel Ingram
"The 'Nothing to Do' and 'You Are Already There' schools of thought in Buddhism and mysticism of all kinds have always struck me as a bit... peculiar. I mean, let's be real here, these teachings are essentially telling us that we don't have to do anything to reach enlightenment. All we have to do is sit around and wait for it to happen, like some kind of spiritual couch potato.
And maybe not even that. You don’t even have to wait for it. You already are enlightened. Plain and simple. Boom. Done.
Now, I'll be the first to admit that the idea of not having to do anything to achieve success is certainly appealing. Who wouldn’t enjoy sitting back and letting the universe do all the work for us? But the problem is, it's just not real. Even if the Buddha nature is within you, you still have to “polish the mirror”, so to speak.
Think about it: How would we ever accomplish anything if we truly had nothing to do? How would we ever make progress in our lives? The simple answer is, we wouldn't. We'd just be stagnant, stuck in the same place forever. And as much as some of us may like the idea of not having to do anything, that's not exactly the most fulfilling existence.
Sure, it's a nice sentiment to tell people that they're already enlightened, and perfect and that they just don't know it. But the truth is, we're not there yet. We're all still working towards our goals, and pretending otherwise is just a way to avoid taking responsibility for our own spiritual growth and maybe even our lives in general. It’s ultimately contra-productive if not outright harmful.
So, what's the solution to all this? Well, it's simple really. We need to put in the work. We need to put in the effort to become the best version of ourselves. To self-actualize. And we need to do it with a sense of humor because let's face it, the spiritual path is a quest, and it's not always going to be easy.
So, instead of waiting for enlightenment to come to us, let's go out there and grab it by the horns. Let's put in the reps, and let's enjoy the ride. Because after all, isn't that what life is all about? There is no good story without character development.
In the end, let's remember that the Great Game is not about taking the easy way out, it's about making the best out of the journey and making the most of it. So, put on your spiritual hiking boots, and let's get to climbing that mountain of enlightenment together!