Aspiring to Awaken, we create
an opening for
reality to become
realized,
Opening more fully,
we Awaken
Our first step is the last step,
Time is an illusion,
Thought is an illusion,
Self is an illusion
created by ego;
When we step
onto the Spiritual Path,
we at least
barely, with just a hint,
encounter a taste of reality;
When we finally Awaken,
reality blazes brighter than a trillion galaxies!
A poem by Robert Aho © 2026
People laugh when I say that Enlightenment is by far the easiest thing that we can do. This laughter is especially precious and intense coming from Buddhist Spiritual Practitioners who have been receiving great and profound teachings, attending numerous Spiritual Retreats, and practicing meditation for years and years. I don’t get the joke, as this has always seemed obvious to me, at least in the past few lifetimes.
I recall sitting at a Buddhist retreat years ago, thinking to myself as the teacher came into the room that I didn’t know why I kept attending so many retreats. The only point is just utterly simple. Why all the discussion and endless practices? He stopped as he was walking past and turned to me, “You’re right, it’s very simple.” People didn’t know what he meant, but he was looking at me, responding only to my thoughts.
In reality, there is really only one thing to know, except we can’t know that in the conventional way that we’ve been utilizing since time immemorial. We need to know through direct experience. We need to learn how to see without utilizing thoughts and concepts and beliefs and emotions, as well as our endless delusions. It’s very simple, and that’s what makes it so incredibly difficult.
The first step, as I’ve said many times, is the Aspiration to Awaken. This is exactly the same as the last step, which is Full Enlightenment. People look at this notion with curiosity, flooding their mind with endless thoughts, speculating about this or that, making it weirdly complicated. It’s not complicated, it’s just one point, which is bright open awareness, beyond all limitations. That’s the only point we need to uncover. If we know what that is, we can become Fully Enlightened right now. We don’t need to wait until we do a million prostrations or venture to the top of a mountain to meet some famous guru. All we need do is create that spark. This is easy for anyone to do.
When we meditate, we examine thoughts; however, that is not the point of meditation. Awakening is the point of meditation. We examine thoughts in order to see that they are not real. We examine thoughts in order to see mind in motion. We look at our thoughts of the past, present and future in order to see that they have never been real. We’ve been deluding ourselves by thinking that what we think is real. When we look within, the point is not simply to find better thoughts, the point is to witness the essence of all. This is very simple.
It appears bright and clear when we witness our real nature. This does not mean that you create a thought of something bright or something that we can change through visualization, it means that you become aware of what is very natural. We start with a spark, then allow that to grow within that clarity. It doesn’t mean that we surround that spark with endless discussions in our head and debates with others. We do this very simply, then begin removing what is obstructing our vision. If you have great capacity, then it is not such a difficult task. If you have a closed mind, then it may take a very long time before reality becomes even slightly apparent.
When we are habituated by concept and belief, it is extremely difficult to fathom reality. This simplicity we discover with Enlightenment is something we ignore and resist. When a valuable lesson comes our way, something that might bring us great benefit, our addiction to ego and ignorance impulsively leads us to discarding any such teaching or advice. We clutter our mind at once with demons and delusion. That is our habit, that is our addiction.
If we wish to Awaken, then we need to find a simple way. We need to discover reality by remaining at ease within that spark of awareness. We need to acknowledge that our own behavior has been conditioned by ignorance, attraction and aversion, rather than a tendency to remain at ease when reality has been glimpsed. Our ego thinks it knows reality, even though it does everything in its power to avoid just that.
Reality cannot be known unless we open our heart and mind. With our first step onto the Path, we open just a little. With the last step, we open completely. In this, with an open heart and mind, the essence is identical. We are already Buddhas, even though we don’t yet know that.
If we remain at ease, something very simple becomes obvious. It’s not something we can ever attain through concept; and, this is the problem. We’re addicted to delusion, thinking that we need more delusion. Aspire to go beyond concept and belief!
Blessings of Source,
Rigdzin Robert Aho
Robert Aho is the author of Timeless Luminosity and The Frog: A Spiritual Autobiography, Spanning Many Lifetimes. Both books, written after his death experience, give advanced spiritual advice regarding the complete Spiritual Path, inspiration for living each day and words of encouragement, with the intention of helping people to stay committed to their Spiritual Path, as well as preparing for death. This ultimately leads to discovering your own unlimited power within, which leads to Awakening. Both books are available on Amazon, Zenith Bookstore, as well as various other sources.