If you are a committed meditator then you probably have one of two notions about your practice; either, 1) you are on a path that gradually develops towards awakening, or 2) awakening does not develop because the realization of the Dharma is always, only in the here and now. But which notion is correct?

Buddhism has schools that transmit both of these approaches. Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana are full of gradual and sudden path practices. However, the different approaches to awakening can, at times, create confusion. So understanding the differences in both approach and realization can be very clarifying.