Extreme Concentration And Enlightenment

Anecdotes

oi-Priya Devi

By Priya Devi

Thursday, June 3, 2010, 15:20

Extreme concentration can bring about enlightenment. A short Zen story illustrates the truth.

A Zen seeker was working hard on a Koan, the answer to which he could not derive. He tried hard but could not. He was gripped with fear of his teacher who would obviously come down hard on him. Zen teachers were said to be very severe, that they could even end up beating the student.

The seeker thus tried hard on the Koan, meditating on it until he was exhausted thoroughly that he dozed off to sleep.

In his dream, he dreamt of Bodhidharma, the master of all Zen masters, looking into his face with his big and scary eyes. It is said that Bodhidharma had a dangerous face. The seeker was gripped with tremendous fear of the eyes of Bodhidharma that he woke out of fear. The awakening was not only from the ordinary sleep, but also of the sleep of lives together. It was an eternal awakening. He thus became enlightened and fear was the factor that enlightened him.

Extreme concentration in the exercise of the Zen master's could bring about enlightenment. In the process of concentration about something itself, the result is achieved.

Osho says that the actual path is not about coming up with the answer, but of finding an understanding. In the process of understanding, the question disappears and suddenly one who is seeking, the subject is the real answer!