Meditation & Why You Can't Get There From Here

Awakening is the goal of meditation. But like the old quip says “when it comes to awakening you can’t get there from here.” Therein lies the rub. If a non-dual realization if your goal then “doing a practice” implies that there is somewhere to develop, something to achieve… an obvious duality (or maybe not so obvious). Of course, meditation is a practice leading to awakening, but it is still just the finger that points to the moon of awakening. Join Dr. Dominique Cassidy and I as we explore this paradox of non-duality in our discussion of meditation and why you can’t get there from here.

The Ego Is A Closed Loop

Ego is closed loop. That’s not a bad thing, it’s just a fact. Of course, you want to have a healthy ego that is mature, balanced, and functional. In other words, you want to have your loop in order. But even the most “in order” loops are still closed.

Psychology tends to this loop, developing healthy, happy egos. But all spiritual traditions tell us the same thing; all of your sufferings are because of this closed loop. And ultimate freedom from suffering lies in transcending the ego and shifting out of the closed loop.

In this Dharma Discussion Dominique and I explore meditation, spirituality, and non-duality. We have a wide-ranging conversation that includes looking at the “gradual” and “sudden” paths of awakening, the difference between “awakening” and “realization”, and the wounds we receive from our cultural surroundings.

The bad news is that there is quite literally nothing you can do to shift into a non-dual realization. But the good news is that there is a lot you can do to create the conditions for the shift to happen. As the old saying goes, “Awakening is an accident. Meditation makes you accident prone.”

Question: “Meditation & Why You Can’t Get There From Here” – What does this koan mean to you? Join the conversation by leaving your comments below!