There's Nothing to Attain

Practice isn’t about achieving anything, not even enlightenment

Photo by Mattia Faloretti on Unsplash

One of the most common misconceptions about Buddhist meditation is that it is a practice designed to seek and attain enlightenment. However, seeking anything, even a higher awareness, is another form of craving and attachment. The Buddha taught that both were sources of our dissatisfaction or suffering.

There is nothing to be attained in meditation practice.

1. There is no such thing as an empty mind

Emptying one’s mind isn’t possible. Our mind’s sole purpose is to help us survive; it accomplishes this by generating upwards of 50,000 thoughts daily. They arise in meditation; unless we engage with them (like a dog chasing a car), they will ultimately fall away. Labeling thoughts helps them dissipate. This is the nature of our sitting practice.

2. There is no enlightenment reward

Waking up is a daily moment-by-moment practice. There is no Santa moment when we’re rewarded with the shiny bauble of enlightenment from another dimension or a higher being. Whe…