Sudden Enlightenment vs. the Gradual Path

Dhr. Seven, Ananda (Dharma Buddhist Meditation), Ashley Wells (ed.), Wisdom Quarterly

Is there "sudden enlightenment"? Sure, the sutras or "discourses," are full of examples. Except that when one looks into the backstory, there was nothing much sudden about it.

That is to say, when karma ripens through practice, the realization may set in very quickly. But until then it is far better to be persistent, make merit, and study right view.

THE GRADUAL PATH

The term ānupubbī-kathā, or "gradual instruction," is a progressive discourse given by the Buddha when it was necessary to first prepare a listener's mind/heart before speaking to that person on the advanced teaching of the Four Ennobling (Enlightening) Truths.

The stock passage (e.g., DN 3; DN 14; MN 56) runs as follows: "Then the Blessed One (the Buddha) gave that person a gradual instruction. That is to say, he spoke on

• letting go (giving, relinquishing, liberality, renouncing, abandoning, sharing, dāna),
• virtuous conduct (precepts, restraint, harmlessness, sīla), and on
• the heavens (favorable rebirths, pleasant destinations, the pleasant ripening of mundane morality, sagga);
• He then explained the peril,
• the vanity, and
• the depravity of craving for sensual pleasure, and
• the advantage of renunciation (internally letting go).

"When the Blessed One perceived that the listener's heart/mind was prepared, pliant, free from  hindrances and obstacles, elevated and lucid, then he explained that exalted Teaching unique to buddhas (buddhānam sāmukkamsikā desanā), that is, the real meaning of the four ennobling truths.

SUDDEN AWAKENING

Ach! Who cares about all that? I want my enlightenment now! Right now!! Whatdya got for me, a hungry American thirsty for liberation before my lunch date later on today?

Well, once there was this time that a monastic had been practicing meditation a lot and was trying to be mindful all the time, and was sort of taking a break, coming back from alms round with warm food, sort of absentmindedly wondering about everything in general and nothing in particular, thinking maybe to resume the lay life and chase those great sensual pleasures subject to craving, when he beheld in the sky a bird who had gotten a scrap of meat and all the other birds were attacking trying to take the flesh from its greedy mouth, knocking the flesh out of its grip, descending toward the ground, almost killing each other to get this precious bloody shred, and it suddenly occurred to the mind, "Hey, that's a lot like humans constantly struggling and bickering for sensual pleasures in the world, heading down, killing or being killed in an effort to grasp and cling to the slightest scrap!" And the realization came, internally the monastic let go (renounced, nekkhamma), and the mind was free and could see things just as they were. Enlightenment.

Now, so, the implication is obvious. We should ordain, struggle hard in meditation, try to be mindful the whole day, and take a break, get some grub, and look up into the sky hoping to see a bird fight -- so we can suddenly realize what the Buddha has been on about all this time. Is that right? Something like that. We need strong effort, followed by relaxation, and an incident to inspire sudden insight. Who needs all that mucking about with a "practice"?

Now the sad thing is, given the news cycle or the way we humans think or are trained to think by evolutionary forces, what bleeds leads. Danger is the way to get our attention. The newspapers and broadcasts are all FILLED with the exceptions, not the rule. The rule is boring. Blah blah blah, we heard all that. Who cares how most people get enlightenment? Man bites dog! Now, there's a front page story. Not only now, but in the past, many sutras record exceptional instances and we take them for the norm. Zen is all about that. This meditator got satori or kensho from that quirky incident; that must be the way to awaken! That is not. But who's got time for right effort? It would be wise to make time. What is "right effort" again? Isn't it just any effort? No, the Buddha was very specific, as he mentions in the ennobling eightfold path:

• The effort to abandon the unskillful
• the effort to keep it from arising again
• the effort to develop the skillful
• the effort to bring it to fulfillment.