“And how, monks, does a person, in this very life, attain Nibbāna without volitional exertion? Here, secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unwholesome states, a monk enters and dwells in the first jhāna the fourth jhāna. He dwells relying upon these five powers of a trainee: the powers of faith… … and wisdom.” – Anguttara Nikāya
Some things ripen in sunlight.
Some ripen in shade.
Some doors open from knocking.
Some open when the knocking stops.
When the pond is left alone,
the mud goes down by itself.
The water does not clear through force.
It clears when nothing keeps stirring it.
So it is with the heart.
The Buddha spoke of one who comes to peace in this very life
without strain,
without forcing,
because the mind is no longer running out
toward sensual pull
and unwholesome states.
Then the heart gathers.
Quietly.
Steadily.
One level of stillness,
then deeper stillness,
then deeper stillness again.
Not by tightening,
but by no longer scattering itself.
Peace does not come
from fighting the mind.
It comes when what troubles it
is no longer fed.
If you keep stirring the water,
how will it clear?
If you keep feeding the fire,
how will it cool?
So practice is not always doing more.
Sometimes it is not adding.
Sometimes it is letting things settle.
Faith keeps the direction.
Energy stays with the path.
Mindfulness remembers.
Collectedness steadies.
Wisdom sees.
These work quietly,
like roots under the earth
holding a tree through wind and rain.
Then there is an effort
still mixed with self.
That effort is heavy.
And there is another ripening
that no longer feels like pushing.
Not because nothing has been done.
But because the struggle to become
has begun to fade.
The grasping hand grows tired.
And opens.
Then stillness is not made.
It is allowed.
And when stillness is allowed,
clarity appears on its own.
So when you sit,
do not only ask,
How do I arrive?
Ask,
What am I still stirring?
What am I still feeding?
What am I still adding?
The heart can settle.
The mind can clear.
Just as evening comes
without anyone pulling down the sun,
peace appears
when the causes are there
and nothing more is added.
Then the water is quiet.
And the fading field
asks for nothing more.