Anand was Buddha’s most devoted disciple. Years after Buddha’s death a Great Council of the Enlightened was planned and one of the disciples went to tell Anand about it.
Now at that time Anand was still not enlightened himself though he had worked at it strenuously for years. So he was not entitled to attend the council.
On the evening of the council meeting he was still not enlightened so he determined to practice vigorously all night and not stop till he had attained his goal. But all he succeeded in doing was making himself exhausted. He had not made the slightest progress in spite of all his efforts.
So toward dawn he decided to give up and get some rest. In that state in which he had lost all greed, even for enlightenment, he rested his head on the pillow. And he suddenly became enlightened!
Said the river to the seeker, “Does one really have to fret about enlightenment? No matter which way I turn, I’m homeward bound.”
~ Anthony de Mello, S.J.
“The Heart of the Enlightened A Book of Story-Meditations".
enlightenment
Posted - May 27 2008 : 10:34:28 AM
