Picture Without a Frame

Man understands everything and communicates about things using frames. Without them, they’re a bit lost. You can’t discuss anything without describing its class, definition, etc… which means its frame.

Western ideals prefer everything to be in its frame, focusing on the ‘material world’ as a collection of abstractions.

But thinking of everything too precisely in terms of frames limits our understanding of the world.

Maya: To know the universe in terms of nothing but frames is what Indian philosophy means by maya—the idea that all such knowledge is an illusion.

We trick ourselves into thinking we can understand everything (even that which cannot be understood), and thus create problems for ourselves.

Seeking awakening only takes you further from it.

Even the task of not seeking (or non-doing) can become an attachment, a form of doing.

The desire to understand, too, can become an attachment.

The “buddhas” did not preoccupy themselves with being awakened, or even with being buddhas.

Awakening is not a prize, it’s closer to a failure, but it’s not a failure either. It’s not yet-another-thing to be achieved.

If we become too antagonistic with worldly achievements, then we are moving away from awakening, because it is like a bondage to the thing you despite / hate.