The wisdom of non-achievement

November, 2011

Science has been documenting many of the benefits to practicing mindfulness-awareness meditation. For example, with only short amounts of practice, we can grow the part of the brain that regulates our emotions or with sustained practice over months we can significantly revitalize our immune system. Or with a daily practice we can gradually improve our emotional intelligence and sense of well-being. And over the centuries, accomplished practitioners of mindfulness-awareness speak of the possibility of even "attaining enlightnment"! And while these benefits are inspiring, no doubt, engaging the practice properly requires that we eventually drop our desire to achieve any benefit whatsoever and instead resolve ourselves to perfecting a very simple yet demanding gesture: fearlessly opening to whatever occurs.

Such an undertaking seems straightforward enough but opening to whatever occurs becomes increasing subtle and demanding as we practice meditation more and more. At first, we quite reasonably may come to meditation motivated to relieve our personal suffering or confusion. Or maybe we have read about becoming wise, joyful and healthy through meditation and would like to become such a person. Over time, however, practicing mindfulness-awareness reveals that accomplishing such ambition is questionable and we notice that practicing teaches us to discover rather than achieve – recognize rather than accomplish.

Shedding our motivation to achieve takes time and humility where we slowly soften to ourselves and to our lives. Rather than aspiring to become someone else – someone who is less confused and a healthier version of “me” - we, instead, slow down, ease up and begin to notice who we are - which demands that we open – making ourselves utterly available to anything and everything that occurs. Whether we are sitting on a meditation cushion or parking a truck; studying a rare wisdom text or sewing up a wound, our motivation becomes to fearlessly open to whatever occurs.