By Gary L. Shapiro
There’s a curious paradox I’ve been thinking about lately—one that arises often on spiritual paths, whether in monasteries, forests, or modern yoga studios. It goes something like this:
“If you say you’re enlightened… you probably aren’t.”
At first, this might sound like a clever spiritual put-down. But it’s not about judgment—it’s about humility, ego, and the ineffable nature of awakening itself.
When I reflect on my own life—decades of walking among orangutans in the canopy, observing their quiet awareness, and then returning to the bustling world of human ambition—I’m reminded again and again that real insight rarely needs to speak. The forest doesn’t announce its stillness. And perhaps, neither does the awakened mind.
Let me take you through three short stories from different traditions, each pointing toward the same truth.
Zen: The Cup Must Be Empty
A young monk, believing himself enlightened, visits his Zen master to share the news.
“I’ve realized the truth,” he proclaims.
The master silently pours tea into a cup, and keeps pouring… until it overflows.
“Stop!” the monk cries. “The cup is full!”
The master replies, “So is your mind. Come back when even that has spilled away.”
The monk’s excitement was sincere—but his cup was still full of self.
Advaita Vedanta: Who Is Enlightened?
In the nondual tradition of Advaita, a seeker declares, “I am Brahman! I have realized the Self!”
The sage smiles and gently asks, “Who is this I that claims such realization?”
This is not just rhetorical. In Advaita, the final realization is that there is no individual self left to make claims. Enlightenment is not something a person has. It is what remains when the illusion of personhood dissolves.
Sufism: The Flame Does Not Speak
In a Sufi tale, a dervish rushes in ecstasy to his master, proclaiming, “I am nothing! I am one with the Beloved!”
The master looks at him and asks, “Then who is making all this noise?”
The flame does not say it is fire—it simply burns.
Beyond Proclamation
Across these traditions—Zen, Vedanta, Sufism—there’s a common thread: Real awakening is not something we grasp, own, or announce. The moment we try to claim it, it slips back into the ego’s hands, like mist closing around a reaching fist.That doesn’t mean we can’t feel moments of clarity, of deep connection, of sacred insight. But perhaps the wisest course is not to boast or even speak of these moments, but to live from them. To be kind. To be curious. To be still.
A Meditation on the Silence Beyond Self
If this paradox intrigues you as it does me, try sitting with this reflection:
Who is the one that seeks enlightenment?
Can the seeker be found?
What remains when the seeking ends?
Let the questions soften you. Let them dissolve you. You don’t need to answer with words. Just be still and notice what’s left behind.
The forest knows something about awakening that we often forget: it doesn’t need to explain itself. It just is. And perhaps, so can we.
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