I suppose it is to get away from distractions. In order to learn to appreciate or learn to concentrate on the ‘simple acts’ you need to be away from the hustle and bustle and the ‘ooh, look, shiny!’-world we grow up in.
My personnal belief is that this will become one of the great sciences of the 21st century. As they say " Comming Soon"
From how I’ve understood…monastic ascetic lifestyles aren’t a requirement for learning about or attaining enlightenment, they are merely one way of doing so, and are also the most efficient way for those personalities that respond best to dogmatism and ritual. If bowing 37.5 times while reciting verses backwards and wearing a teal scarf helps you focus, then knock yourself out 
I see the koan as a riddle that instructs that attachment to the goal of enlightenment is itself an undesirable attachment. If you are constantly asking yourself “Am I there yet? What’s next?” that can be a source of anxiety, impatience, stress…i.e. suffering.
I compare it to students in school who constantly ask “Is this going to be on the test? Is there extra credit?” and miss the purpose of the elegant lecture the teacher has just given.
I recall three cartoons by Gahan Wilson, all featuring Buddhist monks meditating:
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Two sitting next to each other. One whispers conspiratorially, “Nothing comes next. This is it.”
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One sitting in the meditation-row, furtively whispering into his cell phone, “None of this seems to be doing me any good at all!”
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Two sitting next to each other. The head of each is crowned with a halo of flames. The one smiling and looking smug says to the one gaping and looking astonished, "Now you’ve got it!"
No doubt big pharma is already working on a way to sell the enlightenment experience in pill form.
And, come to think of it, why not?
Enduring suffering for the sake of it is something that I have picked up from my sparse readings of Buddhist literature. It is something that speaks to me personality-wise. I don’t intentionally seek out suffering. But I do think there is value in hardening oneself to it by actively avoiding comfortable paths.
Yes, I could take the bus when it is raining. Or I could walk in the rain and learn how to deal with it. So that not only will I not be afraid of future downpours, but also so that I may be more compassionate towards those who are out in the rain without an umbrella.
Whereas Christians cope by praying and hoping that reality will be altered for their sake, Buddhists cope by accepting reality for what it is and trying not to care too much however it unfolds. The second simply appeals to my internal locus of control and my desire to be a strong person. But there is something to be said for optimism and hope, and the Christian strategy has this in spades. Sometimes I catch myself saying "I hope…"because it is so engrained in me to think positive change is always right around the corner, if I just “believe” hard enough and think “good” thoughts. But I really am trying to train myself to be more accepting of whatever is in front of me. If joy is there, great. If more tedium and pain are there, bring it. The less hope you have, the less you will be disappointed. That sounds so depressing, but I think it is true.
Another thing I am trying not to do is always asking “why” and seeking higher meaning/purpose in everything I do. Not everything can be analyzed and rationalized and understood. Oftentimes, the stories we tell to explain our actions are just that–stories. Made-up narratives that distort reality for our own benefit. So I have taken to embracing the beauty of the nonsensical. Don’t know how this relates exactly to Buddism, but it feels very much like a Zen experience to me.
Monstro, I liked your post. I love what little Buddhist philosophy that I am familiar with. I also modify my version a bit. Most of the stories make some good points for life lessons so I appreciate them also.
A serious answer: Because that’s completely missing the point or what enlightenment is supposed to be. Talking about an “enlightenment pill” is like talking about a “violin playing pill.” I think that this is one of the messages the OP was asking for: Buddhism says that being aware, being conscious is something you can practice and become good at. From a neurological perspective this means forming pathways, in other words learning.
If anyone’s interested from a neuro-science view on Buddhism and is not afraid of slogging through a relatively massive brick, I’d recommend Zen and the Brain, though it might be a bit dated now.
Yes, we do a lot of rationalising after the fact.
We make a decision and make up, or rather formulate, excuses later.
I’ve found that a lot of the time we are formulating our actions into language.
What my impression of Zen is is that those moments are …errm ‘accompanied’ by
an absence, not of thinking per se but of thinking in language. Formulating the thoughts.
Of late I’ve been trying to do a lot of normal, daily things without formulating them into language in my head.
While not the total Zen experience, like a perfect golf-swing or a well loosed arrow, it does touch on the emptying of the mind, but not ‘stop thinking’.
What I am trying to do is to catch the pure thought, the one that comes before it is wrapped into language.
that might be a misunderstanding. There is self-induced suffering we can do away with but there is also the sadness of an occasion. All experiences become “more” real, but once they are thoroughly experienced, it is done and does not linger on for a lifetime.
!!
it has been done. Soma from the Vedic culture was the first. a lot of the older zen practitioners came out of the drug experiences of 60(s) and 70(s). The “enlightenment experience” seems to be an ongoing process, not necessarily a single event plus most drug experiences come with negative side affects.
From “The Pocket Pema Chodron”
Bolding mine.
This passage pissed me off when I first read it. Virtue in suffering sounds like something an evil person would come up with to justify why others should be oppressed and impoverished. An excuse to do nothing.
And this may still be true.
But I also that there is some truth in that last sentence.
My first experience with this was when I was a kid and it was very cold with a hard steady wind. I took my shirt off and went about my business. It was exhilerating. To this day 45 years later I stll go out winter and sumer shirtless and barefoot to walk the dog for his 4am pee. I love it.
Say hello to nirvana for me. I’ll be nice and toasty in my bed.
There is also some truth in the proposition that pot helps immensely in the process described.
Only in the sense that it is part of a person’s history. I do not know any serious (that is their life) practitioners who still smoke. For me, one of the greatest things about practice, is that it does not depend on anything external.
Buddhism suffers from the same things all religions do: reliance on faith, lack of proof, and wishful thinking.
Take a closer look at Zen.
a little more,
from the beginning you are asked to “Trust Yourself” and that has to be renewed many times.
at some point, you face only that, but you have to engage the process.