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The Way to Awakening

Enlightenment or awakening, these words sound so cool to me. I heard that this is the ultimate way to end all kinds of suffering and anxiety. So I joined the local meditation group a couple of weeks ago, and I try to practice sitting whenever I have time. Am I walking on the proper path to attain liberation of the mind?

Meditation is one of the essentials for attaining liberation of mind. Yet it is not the only essential. You also need to do other things, like reflecting on our actions and dharma study. Enlightenment is like our inner light revealing itself. It is like a pond when all the ripples disappear and the clear, smooth surface reflects light like mirror. In order to get that tranquil state of mind, thinking about how we act in everyday life is just as important as doing meditation. That’s why it is said that our spiritual practice starts with observing the precepts, or moral code of conduct. Just as when we look into a mirror, we can tell if our face is clean or not, so by reading scriptures we can constantly reflect on our practice and receive guidance. Together with meditation and daily reflection, dharma study is also very important and necessary. In short, we should follow The Threefold Practice simultaneously in order to attain enlightenment.

Reference from The Scripture of the Founding Master

60. The Founding Master said, "From ancient times in religious orders they have said that to find the Mind‐Field is Enlightenment to our true Nature, and to cultivate the Mind‐Field is both Nurturing our true Nature and Utilizing our true Nature. All Buddhas and saints regarded mind training as their destined task, and mind training is the basic element of teaching among all peoples of the world.
Therefore, in order to do this we have established the three essentials - Spiritual Cultivation, Dharma Study, and Mindful Choice in Action - as major courses for cultivating the Mind‐Field. And in order to teach people how to practice them every day, we have given instructions on the method. The course in Spiritual Cultivation is the one that cleans and refines the Mind-Field so that it may be farmed. The course in Dharma Study is the one that gives knowledge of farming and ability to distinguish crops from weeds. The course in Mindful Choice in Action is the one that teaches us how to use knowledge correctly so that the harvest will be great and will not fail.
In the present world, with the development of scientific civilization, people's greed is surging day by day. Hence, if we do not engage in a training that cultivates the mind-field, we will not be able to overpower that greed; and if we do not overpower that greed, it will be difficult for this world ever to find peace.
Therefore, in the coming world, people will naturally seek to cultivate the Mind-Field, and then they will be looking for a true religion which will have special qualities to teach people how to cultivate the Mind-Field. People who practice perfect moral training will be highly respected. You followers, take this chance to make your determination stronger and try to become ideal farmers greatly successful in cultivating the Mind-Field."

from The Scripture of the Founding Master, Chapter 3, v. 60

21. The Founding Master said, "The Threefold Practices in our scripture are explained by different names respectively, but in actual practice the Threefold Practices are interrelated inseparably... For practicing Spiritual Cultivation, both Dharma Study and Mindful Choice in Action are indispensable assistants. For practicing Dharma Study, both Spiritual Cultivation and Mindful Choice in Action must accompany it. For practicing the Mindful Choice in Action, both Spiritual Cultivation and Dharma Study also must accompany it. Therefore, the reason that we practice the Threefold Practice together is to use the integrated power in order to make the most rapid progress in our study. In studying at a monastery, the exchange of various opinions on study is designed to increase, without any harder discipline, necessary understanding for us to attain great wisdom."

from The Scriptures of the Founding Master, Chapter 2, v. 21