But what about sudden enlightenment?

Dhamma (accesstoinsight.org), Amber Larson and Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

If I knew it was going to take this long, I wish I'd done more hip openers (Angel City Zen).

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I ain't got no time for all that. Let's get to it!

Countless students over the centuries have invested  time and energy grappling with the question, "Is enlightenment 'sudden' or is it 'gradual'?"

This and other passages from the Pali canon make the Buddha's view on the matter quite clear: The mind/heart develops gradually until it is ripe enough to suddenly awaken.

"Just as the ocean has a gradual slope, a gradual step, a gradual shelf, with a sudden drop-off only after a long stretch, in the same way this Doctrine and Discipline (Dharma-Vinaya) has a gradual training, a gradual performance, a gradual progression, with a deep penetration to wisdom only after a long stretch (Ud 5.5).