So here’s the weird thing about the non-dual scene.

Well, there are many weird things of course, but one of them is…

It’s full of mythology. Mythology that persists no matter what we see, hear or learn that contradicts it.

For instance, Alan Watts: “I have never yet met a saint or sage who did not have some human frailties.”

You realize what that quote means, right?

It means that even after enlightenment, whatever that is or isn’t, however it’s defined…

Life goes on. Humanness persists. Even saints and sages keep desiring, drinking, smoking, having sex, and, heaven forbid, reacting.

Of course this can be shocking to consider when so many insist that it's possible to become more than human. Although.... where does the human disappear to, Bermuda?  But I digress.

In addition to being deliberately fed this dream in so many ways, we might be forgiven for wishing for perfection, simply because the story is so appealing.  Most seekers are devoted to the myth of constant calm and smiles no matter what. Even though the untruth of that story has been revealed many times. (And when wise ones have supported this myth, all one needs to do is look at their personal off-stage life to see the contrast between words and deeds.)

All those teachers who say, “Chop wood, carry water?” All those sages from Buddha on up who have written some version of “Nothing changes after enlightenment?"

They mean it.

The honest ones essentially say, “Yes I have had experiences and still, life as it’s been, goes on. This personality is here. I still feel things, I still think things, I’m still “me”.”

Anthony de Mello: “Before enlightenment, I used to be depressed; after enlightenment, I continue to be depressed.“

And yet, it seems we’d much prefer to think,  “If I do everything right and inquire more and get more present and see through the illusion of self, I will no longer be this messed up person. I will no longer be not good enough or unlovable or a failure. I will no longer get angry. I’ll only be peaceful, blissful and content at all times for ever and ever, amen.”

Not that it’s so terrible that people are seeking a unicorn. Except that this set up keeps us chasing and dissatisfied, forever.

Adyashanti: “Most people think enlightenment is like an unending satori experience. But it’s not an unending experience at all. It has nothing to do with an unending experience. That misunderstanding will get you to do more ‘tail chasing’ than you ever dreamed possible. In the end enlightenment has very little to do with enlightenment experiences. It is simply not perceiving through the lens of ego.”

I mean, yes, maybe here and there we get lucky and some overt quirk of personality shifts, so that maybe we stop drinking for example, but basically…

Whatever that personality is, remains.

That’s why we don’t confuse Adyashanti with Krishnamurti or Rupert. We recognize one from the other because each of their unique, identifiable personalities continues.

So the question becomes…

Assuming we’re able (and willing) to see past the hope and myth of getting to something “better” … is it possible to be OK with that?

Is it possible to set aside all our dreams of a better Me, and stop chasing an idealized fantasy life?

Byron Katie: "There is no permanent state of clarity, since clarity has no future. We don't wake up forever. We wake up only now. People have these wonderful experiences of spiritual opening, and that's not it. As soon as they think, "I want this to last forever," they've moved into a future and lost the reality. THIS is it, right now. It's that simple. Only this exists."

Oh I do wish this for everyone. Because trying to be MORE brings perpetual seeking, perpetual failure, perpetual self-blame, self-focus and lies.  

That’s a failure-ridden, misery-inducing, non-stop feeding of personal inadequacy. Not to mention a drained bank-account, crushed-dreams casualty waiting to happen.

“I’m not there yet.”

Well of course you are. There is no “there,” and every one of us is here. Where else can you be?

This is it. This Me. Right here. Here it is, and tag, you are already it. There’s nothing more to get.

Of course we’ve heard and read that many times before, here in The Mind-Tickler and everywhere else.

Tony Parsons: "The most effective way the mind AVOIDS Awakening is to SEEK it.  You are already that which is. But your mind is frightened to let go and still has an idea that something special should happen."

But the pull of myth and dream is strong.

So if we are lucky enough to finally see this… what now?

What happens to life when it isn’t chock full of improving, or watching to see what self shouldn’t be doing, or constantly checking to see what is lacking?

Is it possible to live life without trying to change, attain, correct or fix?

What does it even look like when relationships hit all the triggers, when things feel utterly sad, when anxiety shows up in the night, if it’s actually understood that this existence, as it is, is it?

Tim Freke: “My life isn’t always perfect; it’s full of highs and lows, just as I suspect your life is. We share the same dilemmas. … I’ve fallen in love with my tender, vulnerable, wounded humanity, just as it is, in all its glorious ambiguity. I’ve fallen in love with my wonderful, terrifying, everyday life, in all its bittersweet splendour.”

And yes, dreaming and pining for something better is also ‘it”, and of course be my guest. Though it does kind of suck.

But even more than the inevitable unhappiness, myth-chasing actually keeps us from what we’re seeking.

Because when we simply notice that ‘bettering’ is going on- not as a ploy to change it, but just noticing the myth at work- something happens.

Right behind that first disbelieving response- y’know, the tantrum: “No! This can’t be it! It’s not ok as is! Not even close! Then what’s the point? Why get out of bed? Noooooo….”

Right behind that might be, surprisingly… something else. Something that’s not dependent on fixing things in order to be happy.

Something now. Something here. Something this.

Jeff Foster: “Nothing changes [after enlightenment.]  Eat, shit, grow old. Get cancer. Scream in pain in the middle of the night. None of that stops. This isn't about living in some New Age fantasy world. This isn't about taking on comforting concepts. This is reality at its most raw. Nothing can be blocked out anymore. It's the end of control. It's a love affair with what is.”

That's a not-mythological presence which, astonishingly, might just be what we’ve been chasing all along.

Here already.

Just like they’ve been saying.