One of the most liberating teachings of the Buddha is that en­light­en­ment is not something we attain but something we uncover. It is not a prize to be won after years of effort but the natural state of the mind, obscured by delusion and attachment. This is why the Buddha often compared the process of awakening to uncovering a hidden treasure or cleansing a soiled garment. The treasure is already there; the garment is already pure. We need only remove the layers that conceal them.

This perspective changes our approach to practice. Instead of striving to reach a distant goal, we turn our attention to removing the obstacles that obscure our inherent wisdom. We practise not to become enlightened but to see clearly the ways in which we are not. We notice the habitual patterns of thought and behaviour that keep us bound to suffering, and we begin to let them go.

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