Slicing Off My Eyelids in the Pursuit of Peace // Variant Perception #45
What are you willing to give to feel moments of peace?
For Bodhidharma, a 5th-century CE monk, the answer is two eyelids and a leg. Bodhidharma dedicated nine years to unbroken meditation, staring at a wall by himself in a cave, a feat so significant that legends say he cut off his eyelids to fend off sleep and his legs atrophied from disuse.
Bodhi has no chill.
Spiritual texts recount many such astounding tales– people participating in radical asceticism and physical pain in their pursuit of enlightenment.
Enlightenment only occurs for people who cast away all possessions and relationships. You must seclude yourself in a monastery, spending life barefoot, deep in devotion and prayer. With each story more outrageous than the last, enlightenment seems impractical for someone engaged in a world of material possessions, relationships, and obligations.
I feel silly even using the word enlightenment as if telling myself, “Why pursue something impossible to experience?”
Yet, here I am asking the question… Can I pursue the experience of enlightenment while still enjoying Netflix?
The answer is yes. But it requires a shift in perspective.
But first, we need a shared definition of enlightenment.
I use a quote from “Comfortable with Uncertainty” that defines enlightenment as, “Total fearlessness is full enlightenment — wholehearted, open-minded interaction with our world.”
“Enlightenment” is not an end state of maxed-out bliss someone reaches when they’ve done enough meditation. Or, if you’re Bodhidharma, when you’ve tortured yourself for nine years in a cave.
Enlightenment arises from being fully present in the day-to-day chaos of the human experience.
“Total fearlessness” does not mean feeling no fear. It means not letting our fears (which we all have) rob us of the joy and beauty of a fully felt and experienced life.
For those of us who live in the real world, our everyday reality creates opportunity after opportunity to pursue enlightenment. Whatever event you’re bothered by, annoyed with, frustrated, scared, intimidated, you name, it is an opportunity to observe with “wholehearted, open-minded interaction.”
I’m calling this perspective “Practical Enlightenment” (a phrase coined by a dear brother). Practical enlightenment means using the everyday experiences of modern life to gain satisfaction and consistent feelings of joy.
Enlightenment does not need to be this nebulous and contradictory end state that’s unattainable for anyone who does not wish to upend their life and become a monk.
Practicing moments of total presence with the entire spectrum of your life, all good, bad, and neutral, is a path to enlightenment. A moment where you judo-flip a negative experience into a deeper understanding or a moment of gratitude dips your toes into an enlightened state. An enlightened state, which I define as consistent access to states of joy, peace, presence, and gratitude, is a moment where you invite in more joy and connection even when your mind resists.
Use the experiences life gives you as the kindling to pursue Practical Enlightenment—no need to slice off your eyelids and stare at a wall for nine years.
-Jared