Waking Up is Not Enough

I was listening to a preview clip by Rinzai Zen patriarchs Jun Po Roshi and Doshin Roshi with Keith Martin-Smith while i was browsing in the net one day. In the discussion, Rinzai Zen patriarchs Jun Po Roshi and Doshin Roshi discuss why meditation and spiritual insight alone cannot transform ourselves or the world. From an Integral point of view, simply “Waking Up” isn’t enough. We are also being called to” Grow Up” (mature emotionally and psychologically), “Clean Up” (engage in shadow work), and “Show Up” (embody our insight in our daily lives).

This is much akin to “Awareness”, “Growth”,”Clean Up our baggage” and “Take Action” which i have shared in our sessions. A different words but may have the same meanings.

Pure Awareness is definitely not enough. I totally agree with the two masters –  Rinzai Zen patriarchs Jun Po Roshi and Doshin Rosh. Awareness is only the first step to enlightenment. But what’s the point with just awareness and not doing anything? Therefore, we must Learn, Adjust and Grow in our daily lives. Didn’t we mention before, if you stopped learning, you stopped living?

As we grow, we learn. Simultaneously, we must also clean up our baggage – those stuffs that do not serve us well. Holding onto baggage (attachments) will only hinders our learning journey. But we must acknowledge that these “baggage” were there for a purpose – to let us learn something. Once we learnt the lessons, we must let it go and “housekeeping” our shadow work.

Lastly, Take Action. Apply what we have learnt in our life. Embody these learning in our daily living.

May Enlightenment be with us. Namaste Om.

“From this point of view, Enlightenment is essentially two embodied realizations. First, Enlightenment is the direct realization of your Bud — the naked pure consciousness found deep within your ordinary mind. We call this realization wisdom. And second, Enlightenment is the realization of the fearless heart found in the profound depth of this wisdom. We call this realization compassion. But please be aware: Enlightenment is also the philosophical and emotional re-indoctrination and reformation following this discovery. To accomplish this philosophical and emotional maturity we offer Mondo Zen. Zen Enlightenment is the marriage of this wisdom realization and the unconditional love realization—all embodied in our daily lives.” –Jun Po Kelly Roshi