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This is a reason Buddhists can speak of the "pathless path." You cannot locate this path, when you say "It is there," it is somewhere else, and it is everywhere. So, how do you locate a path that is everywhere? The path is emptiness, so open to constant movement, change, nothing permanent as is from one moment to the next. Hence, Dainin Katagiri, in The Light that Shines through Infinity, wisely speaks of what to do, "Every day, all you have to do is stand up in emptiness, open your heart, and accept the lively energy of your life." What else can we do, for we have nothing from the past left, even the last moment? Yet, we have Life, and Life has us, and we are in a mutual embrace together.
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A simple story may help in pointing to what is being said here of waking up now and now and now. The story is told of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche suddenly throwing water on those listening to him, to their surprise. His point - This is what enlightenment is like. Enlightenment is wakefulness, neither ordinary nor extraordinary, like the feel of water splashing the face ~ you wake up to the water, to be totally aware of being here, now. If surprised by water splashing your face, in that moment of "splash!," the water and you are not-one-not-two, no distance between you. In that "splash!," like in a good sneeze or a belly laugh, no distance.
And, then, one can laugh, realizing the big illusion is enlightenment. There is nothing special about it. There are no holy fireworks, no neon God-signs blinking, no seeing of singing angels, just this. And, then, the big laugh, enlightenment means nothing. You see enlightenment is a big over-sell, another word in the spiritual vocabulary that really does not mean anything, partly for it means so many things, like the word "God." God is empty of God, for God Is, enlightenment is empty of enlightenment, for enlightenment Is. And you do not feel a need to know if you are enlightened or not, for you simply are not enlightened or unenlightened, not holy or unholy, not spiritual or unspiritual ~ you are, and all things are with you. Jesus spoke, "I and the Father or One," and I do not think he had to hold that in awareness, for Oneness is our most natural state. When awake, you have nothing to call your attention to it; unnatural states, even religious or spiritual, so-called, grab the attention and easily are paraded as defining a special status. Spirituality can easily become how many satori badges one can get, religion the clamor to be known as a very-holy-one. Oneness does not go around looking in the mirror at Itself.
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I was once told someone asked if I thought I were awakened, another word for enlightenment. The question was irritating, not something I considered of interest at all. My only conclusion was others can consider me so, if they do, but it is of no concern to me. Anyway, the moment you feel holy, you have step away from Holy.
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