Beware of any teacher, from whatever tradition, promising ‘ecstacy’, ‘unshakable bliss‘, ‘everlasting joy‘, ‘eternal harmony’, ‘unending peace & happiness’, ‘permanent euphoric states‘ etc. etc. …

The vast majority (I dare not speak for all) are con artists … deceiving students with claims that cannot be backed-up, selling ‘enlightenment’ to the gullible. Eastern religions, Buddhism among them, are chock full of liars, fakes, abusive personalities, paranoics, would-be cultists, snake oil salesmen, megalomaniacs and thieves. They sell books and classes, soliciting money, promising Dharmic pipe dreams and offering storybook visions of Buddha Lands.

At worst, the ability of anyone to attain such states is a myth, the stuff of old legends. At best (even if, we presume, attainable by a gifted few), I cannot support any path among those that may require forsaking our ordinary lives. Although many living individuals claim such abilities and cosmic states … to be ‘fully enlightened’, holders of super-human consciousness, prophets, avatars, incarnate Buddhas … most such claims exist as nothing but rumors, whispers repeated so often among ‘believers’ that the rumor is taken as truth. Hell, anyone can claim such nonsense! Where is the proof, besides the faith of foolish followers hanging on the guru’s every word?

For those who are not so gullible, our Zen Practice (though it too is frequently packaged as a fairy tale, Buddhist Bullshit) provides something far beyond fluff and hype, a Way of Being relevant to real people with real lives, that folks can put to the test for themselves in the day-to-day. Beyond ‘Eternal Peace, Oneness, Unending Happiness, Bliss‘ and the rest of the catch phrases, we experience for ourselves a True Treasure whose value is proven here and now.

We attain a peace while living in a world that sometimes falls all to pieces. We are ‘one with a universe’ that so often disappoints, that frequently stinks to high heaven. We drop all fear of the fact that we will, from time to time, be afraid. We are happy in a life in which we are both happy and sad … we know a timeless state amid ordinary, passing time.