The Myth of ‘Doing Nothing’
Colin Drake
I recently was talking to a friend who was complaining of
existential anxiety; which was dispelled by reading a good book on
nonduality or attending an inspiring satsang, but which always
returned. So I asked him what he ‘did’ on a daily basis to
establish himself in nondual awareness, whereupon he grinned
sheepishly indicating that he did nothing. Which made me ponder the
teachings of many modern teachers of nondualism who say there is
nothing to ‘do’ and everything just ‘happens by itself’. Indeed
even in my book Beyond the Separate Self there is a chapter
entitled ‘Nothing to Achieve, Find or Get’ which could give the
impression that there is nothing that one needs to do … However I
can assure you that if one continues to live in the same headspace
without ‘doing anything’ then there will no change in one’s outlook
and anxiety levels. For as I say in the book:
At a deeper level than this flow of fleeting objects (thoughts and
sensations) we are this constant subject, awareness itself; this is
already the case and as such cannot be achieved. All that is
required is to realize this!
So awareness is central to our being, whilst thoughts and
sensations are peripheral. This is self-evident for without
awareness our thoughts and sensations would pass unnoticed. Thus we
cannot lose this awareness; we just need to stop overlooking
it.
It is impossible to get that awareness which you already are, and
thus have in full abundance. All that is required is to recognize
this. In this respect you do need to ‘get’ this, but this is in
fact nothing as it is not a thing but the ‘ground’ from which all
things arise, in which they exist and back into which they subside.
So there is in fact ‘no thing to get’ and you do need to ‘get’
nothing(ness)!
So although there is:
‘nothing to achieve,’ we do need to realise the deeper level of
pure awareness, for this to be the case.
‘nothing to find’, we do need to stop overlooking the awareness
that is always present.
‘nothing to get’, we do need to recognize that we already have this
awareness.
This realization, or recognition, of the deeper level of pure
awareness is easily accomplished by directly investigating our own
moment-to-moment experience. My book aims to provide a simple
straightforward framework in which this investigation can take
place. However even after the recognition of this deeper level we
do need to cultivate, and establish, this by further
investigation/contemplation for as it says in The Tibetan Book of
the Dead:
All those of all [differing] potential, regardless of their acumen
or dullness,
May realise [this intrinsic awareness].
However, for example, even though sesame is the source of oil and
milk of butter,
But there will be no extract if these are unpressed or
unchurned,
Similarly, even though all beings actually possess the seed of
buddhahood,
Sentient beings will not attain buddhahood without experiential
cultivation.
Nonetheless, even a cowherd will attain liberation if he engages in
experiential cultivation.
For, even though one may not know how to elucidate [this state]
intellectually,
One will [through experiential cultivation] become manifestly
established in it.
One whose mouth has actually tasted molasses,
Does not need others to explain its taste.
Even after one has ‘tasted molasses’ this taste will dissipate
after a time, requiring further ingesting for the taste to
reappear. In the same way the effect of ‘awakening’ to the reality
of the deeper level of pure awareness will dissipate if one ‘nods
off’ again and re-identifies with the mind/body. So one needs to
continually inquire into/investigate/contemplate the nature of Self
and Reality for this ‘awakening’ to become established. It is only
in this established awakening that all existential anxiety is
banished.