you don't have to meditate for years.
you don't have to develop wholesome qualities.
you don't have to contemplate the nature of reality.
all you have to do is recognize what's already true.
because friend, if you're really interested in truth, you're interested in what's already and always been the caseâand i'm going to explain that to you in this email.
anything that's created isn't what you're looking for
that means:
đč anything you read or hear
đč anything you develop through meditation
đč anything you experience on a retreat
if something comes and goes it's not truthâit's just an appearance.
yes, even the most blissful states of meditative absorption.
these are wholesome but they're not enlightenment.
ask any wisdom teacher who knows their shit and they'll tell you enlightenment is one thing only:
realizing your true nature.
good news: your true nature has always been your true nature!
you don't have to go looking for it.
you don't have to speculate about it.
you don't have to train yourself into it.
all you have to do is recognize it.
but how?
1 step to instant enlightenment
recognize you're the awareness that perceives things you experience, not the things themselves.
this means you're not:
đč your body
đč your thoughts
đč your emotions
đč your memories
đč your circumstances
because these are just things you experience.
these are just things that come and go.
but awareness remains.
awareness is the one common factor in every experience you've ever had.
try to prove me wrong if you likeâit's a lot of fun.
when you look in the mirror i know you feel the same as you did when you were 12 years old.
đč your face has changed
đč your thoughts have changed
đč your emotions have changed
đč your memories have changed
đč your circumstances have changed
hell, you might not even recognize yourself based on all these things.
who is the "you" that's recognizing or not recognizing?
awareness.
why should you care?
"okay dan," you might be thinking, "this sounds kinda cool but how the f*ck does it help me?"
well friend, awareness has never been harmed by any of your experiences.
đč none of your childhood traumas ever harmed awareness
đč none of your embarrassing teenage moments ever harmed awareness
đč none of your failures in adulthood ever harmed awareness
you felt harmed because you identified with those experiences.
you felt anxious because you identified with your mental feedback loops.
you felt down on yourself because you identified with your shortcomings.
but in your direct experience these things come and go.
and since they come and go they cannot be "you".
you are beyond them...
unharmed by them...
untouched by them.
and all you have to do to be free of them is recognize this truth.
and paradoxically, this puts you in a MUCH better position to deal with the appearances of worldly life, e.g...
đč to heal your childhood trauma by confronting fears
đč to forgive yourself for those embarrassing moments
đč to learn from your failures instead of taking them as wounds
â"okay i get it, but surely that doesn't mean i'm enlightened now?"
if you're sharp today you'll have realized something important...
you don't "get enlightened".
no-one does.
enlightenment is your default mode, which is all that's left in any moment you stop worrying, doubting, grieving, gossiping, desiring, judging, labelling, regretting, complaining, resisting.
in simple terms, it's not about you.
and without all those self-centered mental/emotional processes running you will naturally tend toward win/win arrangements with other people. and this is how we build our utopia.
see, you don't need reasons to be kind. you need reasons to be unkind.
if you have no problems and someone asks you for help then why would you not help them?
kindness is your default mode.
freedom is your default mode.
confidence is your default mode.
creativity is your default mode.
effectiveness is your default mode.
genuine spiritual practice is a subtractive process.
âto recognize your already-present enlightenment, use this simple practice
although that 1 step above really is all you need, everyone i've ever worked with has needed a little help.
this is what meditation is for.
here's a 4-step practice that encourages this simple recognition i'm talking about.
the important 3rd step here makes your practice enjoyable, which sets up a positive reinforcement.
when you enjoy this practice, you'll practice a lot.
when you practice a lot, you get familiar with the truth of your being.
now, what's typically called an "enlightened person" is someone who's recognized what i'm talking about so thoroughly that identification with thoughts, feelings, memories etc. is absurd to them.
that doesn't mean thoughts don't happen.
that doesn't mean feelings don't happen.
it means they're experienced as no different to the weather.
impersonal.
unimportant.
beautiful.
sometimes useful.
but never again overwhelming.
this full recognition tends to take some time, but there's a lot of benefit to be gained along the way.
i'm here to lead you to it.
dg đ
~
P.S. if you're like most people you'll have some degree of objection to the teaching i've shared in this email.
this is perfectly normal (because it's so different to the cultural assumptions around who you are as a human being).
most of my time with students is spent handling their objections to this deepest teaching, then designing personalized practices to guide them to effortless wellbeing in all circumstances.
if you'd like to engage in that process, click here.