Enlightenment, Part 2

I had a mystical conversation with a friend today, which reminded me of two stories. I will be relating the first here and leave the second for another time.

The first is coming from Consciousness Speaks, by Ramesh Balsekar, on page 360, in the section, When the disciple becomes enlightened. Here is the brief, and illuminating passage:

There is no difference at all between the disciple and the guru. They're both in the same state. In India, the relationship continues to a certain extent because of tradition. But I've heard and read that in China, when enlightenment happens in the disciple, the guru looks into his eyes, sees the situation, and they both start laughing. They embrace, they laugh, sometimes they roll on the ground. Both have realized the absurdity of all the efforts that have been made to reach or to achieve something that is already there.

It is being very easy to miss the sheer simplicity of the passage and in particular, the last line. Please be going back, reading it, pondering it, and sitting with it for the week. You are already possessing the truth, but your efforts, meditations and practices (and gurus!) are precisely what are distancing you from it.

Of course, it is great fun to be pretending that we do not have it, for then we can be engaging in all of the wonderful games that keep humanity occupied. Little do we realize that this pretense is totally unnecessary! The game is continuing, regardless of our state of enlightenment! And indeed, it is offering greater pleasures and enjoyment from the other side.