Originally posted by namelessness:
Actually, everyone is enlightened. The difference is just whether we know it or not? whether we have any doubt about it or not? And whether we can keep it enlightened or not?
States (similar to 'boy and ox' zen pictograms):
First: How come I am not enlightened? I will try all my might to reach it. Hopefully someone can help me.
Second: I have reached ENLIGHTENMENT. Thanks for helping me! But wait, I 'see' ENLIGHTENMENT everywhere! What's the difference?
THIRD: Who cares! At least now I know why I was not 'enlightened' in the FIRST place (see FIRST)!
FOURTH: The REAL Enlightenment (I should not even be writing this becos I am typing out words and words have severe limitation of expresssing something that can't be expressed by words - yes a conundrum) is to be 'above' the state of FIRST, SECOND, THIRD and FOURTH.
The FOURTH state should not be taken literally, but rather it is a state of {neither '... {neither '{neither 'above' nor 'below'}' nor {neither 'above' nor 'below'}}' ... }
== To return to the ZEROTH state ==
The ZEROTH state is {neither 'FOURTH state' nor 'NOT FOURTH state'}
Think of a spiral of ZEROTH States along the way to convergence == Enlightenment! Don't think like a Helix, you will not reach it!