This video is positive because it talks about common stereotypes to reaching enlightenment but is obviously sarcastic and therefore disagreeing with these stereotypes. These stereotypes include growing a long beard, not cutting or washing one’s hair and waiting for food handouts while meditating quietly.
Brad Warner talks about these quick enlightenment scams in his book.
“There are, unfortunately, a lot of guys out there hawking instant enlightenment scams. According to one of these people, his trademarked technique will give you an authentic kensho or satori experience in which you realize your True Nature just like Buddha did under the Bodhi Tree in a single half-day session. I am not exaggerating, I swear.”
It should be more than obvious that if it took the Buddha several lifetimes and much practice and time to reach nirvana, these “quick strategies” are only scams.
Brad Warner explains, “there is no way to get it without years of practice. That’s just the way it is. And nothing will ever change that. No miracle drug. No miracle process. Nothing. Imagining you could get enlightenment quickly would be like imagining you could do fifteen minutes of sit-ups and get a bod like one of the chicks from America’s Next Top Model, or thinking you could take a single guitar lesson and emerge playing Eddie Van Halen’s ‘Eruption,’ or believing you could take one yoga class and be able to bend your leg around the back of your head afterward. It just doesn’t happen that way. Never can. Never will.”
Americans seem to be confused as to what meditation, enlightenment, and pretty much everything that pertains to Buddhism is really all about. Warner explains that this is why these scams appeal to Americans. He says “but since there’s no real understanding among the general public of what this enlightenment stuff is, anyone can claim that just about anything is enlightenment and a lot of people will believe it.” He also explains that there are no shortcuts to enlightenment. It takes years of zazen practice to gather bits of understanding that gradually come together to form a “deeper intuitive knowledge.” He explains that a feeling of change occurs during enlightenment but “that doesn’t mean everything gets fixed forever.” He sums up his description of enlightenment in the next few sentences: “You still have to live, with all the hassles you had before. You just have a better idea about what it is you’re living and how to deal with it. That doesn’t mean you’ll always do what you should, though. Enlightenment has to be practiced.” I think practice was highly emphasized in this book. Warner wants us to understand that enlightenment is not a moment of realization as these scam artists want to convince Americans but rather a lifetime of realization that shapes the life of a Buddhist through the practice of zazen.
Americans seem to be confused as to what meditation, enlightenment, and pretty much everything that pertains to Buddhism is really all about. Warner explains that this is why these scams appeal to Americans. He says “but since there’s no real understanding among the general public of what this enlightenment stuff is, anyone can claim that just about anything is enlightenment and a lot of people will believe it.” He also explains that there are no shortcuts to enlightenment. It takes years of zazen practice to gather bits of understanding that gradually come together to form a “deeper intuitive knowledge.” He explains that a feeling of change occurs during enlightenment but “that doesn’t mean everything gets fixed forever.” He sums up his description of enlightenment in the next few sentences: “You still have to live, with all the hassles you had before. You just have a better idea about what it is you’re living and how to deal with it. That doesn’t mean you’ll always do what you should, though. Enlightenment has to be practiced.” I think practice was highly emphasized in this book. Warner wants us to understand that enlightenment is not a moment of realization as these scam artists want to convince Americans but rather a lifetime of realization that shapes the life of a Buddhist through the practice of zazen.
