Nowhere To Get To

You can't do anything to be here, now; you already are

Photo by Vladislav Babienko on Unsplash

Nothing to do
Nowhere to go.
~ Lin Chi

You’ve likely heard people claim that meditation can lead to various higher states of consciousness — enlightenment, self-realization, awakening, nirvana, or some other elevated state. There are, it is true, many practices aimed at achieving such experiences, and remarkable states of mind can, indeed, arise along the way. However, reaching these states usually takes considerable practice.

With the meditations I’m interested in, practices that lead to a settling of the mind, the benefits are more down-to-earth.

There’s no ultimate goal, no altered state of consciousness we’re chasing. There’s nowhere to get to, other than being fully here. We’re simply returning to our natural state of mind — a mind that is no longer clouded by distracting thoughts and unnecessary emotions. The more we relax into this natural state, the more we discover a greater ease and contentment.

Nothing to Do

Because there’s nowhere to get to, there’s nothing we need do. In fact, any attempt to do something, any effort to get anywhere other than where we are, will take us away from the simplicity of being here, now.

In a sense, this practice is about “not-doing” — not doing the things that distract us from our natural state. As we let go of thoughts and reactions that disturb the ease and contentment of the untroubled mind, we find ourselves returning to a place we never really left — except in our thoughts.

The Path of No Path

You may also hear some teachers of nonduality claim that, because there is nowhere to get to and nothing to do, there is no path. You don’t even need to meditate. If they are speaking from an experience of living fully in the present, this can be a profound realization — a recognition that there truly is no “there” to get to.

I suspect, however, that most people who claim there is no path did, at one time, follow a path that led to this realization. Some may have delved into the nature of self. Others may have been engaged in deep surrender or contemplative practices. And a few might have woken up spontaneously, without any intention or forewarning.

In my own case, this realization came during deep meditations when my mind was especially quiet. At such times, it became clear — beyond any doubt — that there really is nowhere to get to and nothing to do. The peace of mind we seek is part of our true nature, but is generally overshadowed by our thoughts, worries, and emotions.

However, had I not followed a path that taught me how to let go and return to my natural state of mind, I probably would never have personally appreciated this profound truth.

From the perspective of those of us not abiding in the peace of our own true nature, there are paths to follow — paths that help us develop the skill of letting go; paths that allow the thinking mind to settle; paths that help remove the veils obscuring our natural mind; paths that facilitate being here now.

This essay was based on material in my latest book, How to Meditate Without Even Trying. You can read more about it here

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