A Zen story:🔗

A disciple once went to his master and asked him, 'Master, when will I become a Buddha? How long will it take me to become enlightened?'

In reply, the master gave him a hard slap on his face! In that moment, the disciple awakened to his true nature.

How long can it take you to become something which you already are?

What practice can you do to become what you already are? Whether you try to move inward or outward, as long as you are going somewhere, you are missing the truth.

The very process of traveling takes us away from the truth. Truth is here and now! There is no need to go anywhere, to travel anywhere.

The very idea of traveling shows that you have created a shaft. You are seeing some progress. How can there be progress, when there is no individual who is progressing? The individual is dying at every instant. Then who will progress?

When you are unclutched, naturally the question of bondage and liberation will not arise.

Actually, your true self can never be improved by any practice. It is perfect and untouchable. Your true self needs no improvement, and your imaginary self can never be improved! Some people work on self-development. What self will you develop, when all you think of as 'you' is a sequence of unconnected thoughts?

If you try to develop this false self, you will be creating one more shaft, that's all! You will have the idea that your self is developed. It will be one more thought, one more shaft. Maybe it will give you a good feeling, but it will be just one more joy shaft! Really speaking, the self cannot be developed. The imaginary self can only be eliminated. When you unclutch, your false identity has nowhere to stand. It just disappears for that moment. In those moments, your true self is revealed. You get a glimpse of your own enlightenment.

Be very clear, you are not missing anything.

Nothing needs to be added to you.

So relax from your frame, your idea of what enlightenment should be like.