THE BEGGAR AND THE STRANGER

                                                     THE REAL WEALTH

   

            A BEGGAR HAD BEEN SITTING BY THE SIDE OF A ROAD FOR OVER THIRTY YEARS. ONE DAY A STRANGER WALKED BY. "SPARE SOME CHANGE"?, MUMBLED THE BEGGAR, MECHANICALLY HOLDING OUT HIS OLD BASEBALL CAP. "I HAVE NOTHING TO GIVE YOU,", SAID THE STRANGER. THEN HE ASKED, " WHAT'S THAT YOU ARE SITTING ON "? NOTHING, REPLIED THE BEGGAR, "JUST AS OLD BOX", I HAVE BEEN SITTING ON IT FOR AS LONG AS I CAN REMEMBER," EVER LOOKED INSIDE? ASKED THE STRANGER, " NO " SAID THE BEGGAR, WHAT"S THE POINT? THERE'S NOTHING IN THERE, " HAVE A LOOK INSIDE", INSISTED THE STRANGER. THE BEGGAR MANAGED TO PRY OPEN THE LID. WITH ASTONISHMENT, DISBELIEF, AND ELATION, HE SAW THA THE BOX WAS FILLEW WITH GOLD.

            I AM THAT STRANGER WHO HAS NOTHING TO GIVE YOU AND WHO IT TELLING YOU TO LOOK INSIDE. NOT INSIDE ANY BOX, AS IN THE PARABLE, BUT SOMEWHERE EVEN CLOSER: INSIDE YOURSELF.

           BUT I AM NOT A BEGGAR, " I CAN HEAR YOU SAY.

           THOSE WHO HAVE NOT FOUND THEIR TRUE WEALTH, WHICH IS THE RADIANT JOY OF BEING AND THE DEEP, UNSHAKABLE PEACE THAT COMES WITH IT, ARE BEGGARS, EVEN ID THEY HAVE GREAT MATERIAL WEALTH. THEY ARE LOOKING OUTSIDE FOR SCRAPS OF PLEASURE OF FULFILLMENT, FOR VALIDATION, SECURITY, OR LOVE, WHILE THEY HAVE A TREASURE WITHIN THAT NOT ONLY INCLUDED ALL THOSE THINGS BUT IS INFINITELY GREATER THAN ANYTHING THE WORLD CAN OFFER. 

          THE WORD ENLIGHTENMENT CONJUIRES UP THE IDEA OF SOME SUPERHUMAN ACCOMPLISHMENT, AND THE EGO LIKES TO KEEP IT THAT WAY, BUT IT IS SIMPLY YOUR NATURE STATE OF FELT ONENESS WITH BEING. IT IS A STATE OF CONNECTENESS WITH SOMETHING IMMEASURABLE AND INDESTRUCTIBLE, SOMETHING THAT, ALMOST PARADOXICALLY, IS ESSENTIALLY YOU AND YET IS MUCH GREATER THAN YOU. IT IS FINDING YOUR TRUE NATURE BEYOND NAME AND FORM.  THE INABILITY TO FEEL THIS CONNECTEDNESS GIVES RISE TO THE ILLUSION OF SEPARATION, FROM YOURSELF AND FROM THE WORLD AROUND YOU. YOU THEN PERCIEVE YOURSELF, CONSCIOUSLY OR UNCONSCIOUSLY, AS AN ISOLATED FRAGMENT. FEAR ARISES, AND CONFLICT WITHIN AND WITHOUT BECOMES THE NORM.

           I LOVE THE BUDDHA'S SIMPLE SIMPLE DEFINITION OF ENLIGHTENMENT AS "THE END OF SUFFERING", THERE IS NOTHING SUPERHUMAN IN THAT, IS THERE? OF COURSE, AS A DEFINITION, IT IS INCOMPLETE. IT ONLY TELLS YOU WHAT ENLIGHTENMENT IS NOT: NO SUFFERING. BUT WHAT'S LEFT WHEN THEREIS NO MORE SUFFERING? THE BUDDHA IS SILENT ON THAT, AND HIS SILENCE IMPLIES THAT YOU'LL HAVE TO FIND OUT FOR YOURSELF. HE USES A NEGATIVE DEFINITION SO THAT THE MIND CANNOT MAKE IT INTO SOMETHING TO BELIEVE IN OR INTO A  SUPERHUMAN ACCOMPLISHMENT, A GOAL THAT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR YOU TO ATTAIN. DESPITE THIS PRECAUTION, THE MAJORITY OF BUDDHISTS STILL BELIEVE THAT ENLIGHTENMENT IS FOR THE BUDDHA, NOT FOR THEM, AT LEAST NOT IN THIS LIFETIME.