Digging the tunnel

They called him Delusion. He was an inmate in a high security jail. Now this jail had a name too: Cycle of Births. If there is freedom outside the jail’s walls, he simply did not know. He did not want to know either. He was born and bred in the jail.

One day, as if in a reverie, Delusion happened to spot a tunnel. ‘The Path’ it read in an obscure language. ‘Discovered by the one who is called Enlightened’, it further read.

Delusion was not interested. He was happily married to another prisoner. She was called Lust. They were hardly happy with the arguments everyday. But at the end of the day he loved her. She bore him children, three in all. They named the kids: Aversion, Lust and Delusion.

There were times Delusion felt bored and depressed. Then suddenly he remembered the tunnel he sighted one day. It is only after getting into it, did he realize the tunnel was quite long and big. There was a handbook too, left by the one who had previously dug the tunnel.

The crawler must follow eight steps, the handbook delivered the instructions, to reach the other end of the tunnel. First step is to have the right view. You got to realize that the prison is suffering and there is a bailout. Then only you can proceed. Though he did not know what lay beyond, Delusion believed that the prison is suffering. Just out of curiosity.

Second step is right thinking. You have to think of letting go. Delusion remembered his wife. His children. Although the tunnel was quite big, only one could crawl at a time. For the sake of reaching the tunnel’s destination, he let go of his wife and children. It was hard, but he did. He wanted to reach the tunnel’s end.

Third, he needs right speech. The tunnel guide said that liars, back biters, those who spoke harshly and even gossip, would disturb the tunnel rats that would chase him back to the cell. Fourth, right action would be needed. If he kills anything, such as those rats, steal or commit adultery, there are snakes in the tunnel who would hear about it and will not let him pass. Even drinking alcohol or taking drugs is forbidden in the tunnel, since he would be too stoned to find the way out.

Fifth, right livelihood is essential. People who are crooked in business will also take wrong turns in the tunnel.

Sixth, says the tunnel guide, right effort is employed. There are times he has to work hard and times to chill out. This was difficult for Delusion to understand. When should he work hard? When should he relax? But he went on digging and got the hang of it. Digging further gave him a hint when to relax and when to relax.

When he idles around too much, Delusion knew, he will just end up midway in the tunnel. He will never see the other end. Relax and work, he learnt the lesson his own way.

Seventh, right awareness is crucial. Delusion has to keep his wits in the tunnel. Daydreaming or dozing off would be fatal to further progress. He has to keep his attention on one of four pointers directing him out of the tunnel: body, feeling, mind and mind objects. Awareness also meant that he would learn quickly from his mistakes and repeat them less often.

Eighth, right stillness was the most important of all. He noticed that the more he progressed along the tunnel, the more still he had to be to keep his balance. His body had to sit like a statue for hours, but that wasn’t so hard. The difficult part was keeping his mind still.

The first time Delusion explored the real nature of tunnel, he did not go far, but he enjoyed it. The deeper he went along the shaft, the happier he became. Soon Delusion had perfected the first instructions for walking the path. He had right view, thought, speech, action and livelihood. Also he knew how to balance his effort. He was extremely aware and focused, and he learnt how to become very still indeed.

Soon, Delusion saw the light at the end of the tunnel. Then he passed through the awesome and glorious caverns. Then finally, he reached the end of the tunnel. Never did he know that there was a thing called freedom. He is no longer called Delusion.

Enlightened, he was now called.

Aravinda refreshed himself with a glass of water, thinking enthusiastically over the story he just heard from Ajahn Brahmavamso. [email protected]