The Elephant Cometh

Be sensitive to boredom, restlessness or agitation – the residue of seeking fulfilment in the world and enlightenment in teachers, practices, etc. Your mind is already that for which it seeks – the ‘I am’ pervading all experience – simply abide as that. An analogy: an elephant approaches a village. The elephant cometh. The village dogs gather at the border, barking in expectation. The elephant enters and walks through; the dogs keep barking at its feet, but it walks on, not reacting. It exits the village; the yapping dogs eventually give up. The elephant is like steadiness in being, which the yapping dogs of the mind no longer affect. Our meditation periods are like before and after the elephant has been there, and everyday life is like when the elephant is present. But from the elephant’s P.O.V, there’s no difference. The deeper we’re established in being, as being, the less difference we feel between formal meditation and everyday life.

Be sensitive to boredom, restlessness or agitation – the residue of seeking fulfilment in the world and enlightenment in teachers, practices, etc. Your mind is already that for which it seeks – the ‘I am’ pervading all experience – simply abide as that. An analogy: an elephant approaches a village. The elephant cometh. The village dogs gather at the border, barking in expectation. The elephant enters and walks through; the dogs keep barking at its feet, but it walks on, not reacting. It exits the village; the yapping dogs eventually give up. The elephant is like steadiness in being, which the yapping dogs of the mind no longer affect. Our meditation periods are like before and after the elephant has been there, and everyday life is like when the elephant is present. But from the elephant’s P.O.V, there’s no difference. The deeper we’re established in being, as being, the less difference we feel between formal meditation and everyday life.