Fools

2026, June, Issue 205

Embroiled

Distracted

Ignorant,

Attached to what is not real,

Averse to these perplexities of mind,

The sleeping Buddhas find themselves

in eternal suffering,

not because of anything they did,

not because of anything done wrong,

not because of punishment,

nor accident, bad luck, or misfortune;

It is foolishness itself

that keeps these wise ones

floundering in this great ocean of suffering;

It is forgetting

that we all possess infinite potentiality;

It is not knowing

that we are truly Buddhas

A poem by Robert Aho © 2026

A fool is someone who, after realizing that they are trapped in a box, will pick up a hammer, then immediately begin bludgeoning their own head, rather that using that tool to escape confinement. They won’t even begin to consider why they might be in that box to begin with. The fool is indistinguishable from a crazy person, in that they make no effort to discover why they are in this predicament, and will take no steps that make any sense at all in order to escape.

The same could be said about anyone who has received teachings about cyclic existence, then do everything possible to keep their eternal trap together. We’ve all received vast teachings that could liberate us from this mess we’ve created, sometimes elaborate wisdom and knowledge about our condition here in cyclic existence, this thing we call samsara. Very few have actually taken the steps necessary to remove themselves from this eternal suffering. Many people actually do things that make it worse than before these teachings.

It has been said that we are all sleeping buddhas. That is, perhaps, a nice way of putting it. What we really are, what our actions indicate, is that we are foolish buddhas. We continue to sleep even though we have had ample opportunities to awaken. Here we have all that we need in order to escape our eternal suffering, this trap, this dark box of ignorance and delusion, and we simply squander this great opportunity. We don’t look within. We don’t apply ourselves through meditation and deep investigations of mind. We simply remain as fools, slumbering in pain and angst.

Sometimes people think that they are somehow above it all, not really suffering or prone to cyclic existence in any way. It’s somewhat of a hipster thing to do, this idea of going to Buddhist retreats, hanging out with the cool kids, learning about things that are deeply spiritual, maybe from books or some other sort of intellectual endeavors, or by simply meeting someone famous. People add these types of experiences to their spiritual repertoire. It’s a spiritual accumulation of events and associations that feeds ego. It’s spiritual materialism, which is something that is utilized for ego, status and bragging rights.

It’s very common for people to go from one teacher to another, learning profound Spiritual Practices that could lead to awakening. Rather than actually returning home to apply these practices, they’re quickly forgotten and the fool goes to another retreat, another meeting with a famous teacher, another feather in the cap is accumulated. The opportunity is squandered and the Spiritual Practitioner remains as before, not really yet on the Spiritual Path, even though boasting about so much more than that. I really can’t tell whether this is a comedy or a tragedy unfolding. It makes me laugh and cry at the same time. This is samsara, the realm of fools.

Our misfortune, along with our eternal suffering, is completely preventable and avoidable. We’ve had ample opportunities to remove all suffering, ample opportunities to awaken instantly, even in this moment. Flashes of clarity come our way all the time, and we foolishly ignore rather than walk through that door. We are fools who do not need to be this way.

This life, this wandering through confusion in cyclic existence, is not really something that we need to think of as being insurmountable. In reality, since we refuse to let go, we make it so. Our own foolish efforts perpetuate this condition. We lament all this suffering, then we do everything possible to make sure that it continues. Awakening is actually the easiest thing we can do.

I’m sorry if my little letter sounds harsh this time. It had to be said. We all need to know that our own suffering is caused by our own attachments, our own clinging to what is not real, our foolish ego, which we defend to the hilt.

Enlightenment is our natural condition. We keep forgetting that, even though we are reminded at times of trauma, in both dreams and daily life, as well as repeatedly within the death bardo. When we are reborn, we adopt the beliefs of the confused beings who we are born to. We continue as they want us to, or we become seekers, or we take the next step, which is the Spiritual Path that leads to enlightenment. Even those born into families who understand the process of awakening have issues with this actual commitment to awakening. We must make this commitment for ourselves; and, in doing so, we let go of all the things that are holding us back.

If we are to awaken, we need to let go. We must Aspire to Awaken. We must never give up!

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 power within, which leads to Awakening. Both books are available on Amazon, Zenith Bookstore, as well as various other sources.