Being “on the path” is a common phrase, but what is the actual “path”? It is a fairly simple procedure that can include many complexities, such as trying to remove hindering factors that could obscure the possibility of recognizing our Being in the fullness of truth and clarity. The truth of what we are, each individually as well as collectively, is our treasure of which there is nothing more precious. The “path” is the how of the rediscovery of that treasure, and what we require, our only real need in order to attain the goal, is something that can never be acquired – because we already have it, already are it. All we ever needed is our own immediately present awareness. To look for the path anywhere else than our own consciousness would be folly. Our pure consciousness is unconditioned and without any inherent error in it; errors arise in the conditioned mind due to ignorance. Everyone’s real and true identity is this lucidly clear and knowing awareness and there is no other “path” than this. The “how” is the simple recognition (or re-cognition) of this and never forgetting it.
There may be many different ways to “achieve” what is called enlightenment, hence so many different approaches or “paths”. But near the end of the so-called “path” one inevitably comes to the realization that all “paths” are simply aspects of the one real great path. As there are many differentiated elements of the “path” so then there have evolved many coinciding formulas for reaching the understanding which is needed to proceed to the next “stage” along the “path”. Primarily, in the upper extremities of the approaches to the “goal” one discovers there are basically two ways to find the “end” of the “path”. The first way is to introspect deeply into the functions and content of the mind. Finding there the many dysfunctions and obstructions to clear thinking and clear recognition one decides to develop ratiocinative abilities in order to determine the correct next “stage” of the “path”. This probably also includes the replacement of unskillful mental qualities with skillful qualities, which takes much introspective effort. The second way involves a format of analytical thought and meditation whereby one eventually realizes a more obvious “way” or “path”, which is to learn how to detach from the error of motivation for transformation of the sentient vehicles, including senses, body and mind, through “paths” or practices, and instead, at a higher level, re-seat oneself in the original primal Gnosis itself, transcending all motivation to seek by means of a “path” that supposedly goes from dualistic “here” to “there”, and just relying upon the understanding and realizing of one’s essential Gnosis, beyond all pseudo-identity which generates such motivations, and just remaining in the spontaneous apperceptive “seeing” of all there is as-it-really-is.
