What 'Enlightenment' actually means

It is crucial to understand what ‘enlightenment’ actually means; an actual manifestation of truth, realized by a particular sentient being at a specific place-time. It is for this reason that individual practitioners are instructed in the teachings and methods that recognize the nonduality of ‘practice’ and ‘enlightenment.’ Practice is ‘practice-grounded-in-enlightenment’ and enlightenment is ‘enlightened-practice.’ Again, practice means ‘actualizing (making actual) enlightenment’ and enlightenment means ‘enlightenment actualized.’ Practice does not ‘cause enlightenment’ and enlightenment does not ‘exist independent of’ practice; practice is practice-enlightenment, enlightenment is practice-enlightenment. Dogen calls this ‘distinct’ yet ‘coextensive’ characteristic of practice-enlightenment “untaintedness.”

 

If we failed to recognize the feature of the moment of being in this truth, that might be stupid. That feature, namely, is untaintedness. Untaintedness does not mean forcibly endeavoring to be aimless and free of attachment and detachment; nor does it mean maintaining something other than one’s aim. Actually, without being aimed at, or attached to, or detached from, untaintedness exists.

Yui-butsu-yo-butsu, Gudo Nishijima & Mike Cross