Awakening is the central goal of the Buddhist tradition. Buddha means "awake," and the Buddha is said to be the enlightened one. But what does that mean? What exactly is the goal? And where does it all start?
We could think of all the good things we know about and aspire to and pile them all together, every quality we wish we had but we don't. If all of those were realized, if our wish came true, would that be enlightenment? If we were perfect in every way, would that be enlightenment? If you close your eyes and free associate, what images come into your mind when you think of enlightenment? What comes up when you think of awake?
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