Teachings

Enlightenment means Wake Up by Zen Master Su Bong

Everybody makes enlightenment very special. All sutras, all practicing people, said enlightenment is No.1 and very wonderful. That's not good, not bad because that word "enlightenment" sets up for human beings a goal, something to look forward to in life. But every morning you wake up from your sleep and you see that it is 8 o'clock and you can see outside, the sun is shining and you can see the color of your wall, if it is white, or blue or pink. And you can hear your father or mother call: "Did you wake up?" That, in itself, is already enlightenment because enlightenment means only, wake up. It's like waking up from a big dream.

If you stay awake in this world, if you are not wishing and dreaming of what things should be, or wishing that something that happened in the past, that morning or that day, didn't happen, if just this moment when you are doing something, you just do it, then you have complete freedom and you can do anything. Anything you like, you can do. Not only anything that you like, you can do anything that is necessary to do. That means you become independent. You can use your parents' teachings and your older brothers' and sisters' advice and you can go to school to learn everything about this world but you are never dependent on those things. But you can use those things. Then you can control your feelings and your condition and your situation. Then everything is no problem. Everything is no problem, you can help your father, your mother, your brother and your sister. That name is love and compassion.