The Pali cannon (MN 36) tells the story of the Buddha’s enlightenment.
Before his liberation, the to-be Buddha tortured himself by emaciating himself and restricting his breathing, in his search for ultimate liberation. Past masters had failed him in his ultimate quest, and so he strived to find his own way. But when these efforts bore him to fruits, he considered that not all that is pleasant is harmful. He considered the rapture (piti) and happiness (sukha) that is awakened in the concentrated (samadhi) mind. These states, the state of jhana, are pleasant yet not harmful (although not liberating on their own). But they are also impossible to attain in a mind without tranquility (samatha), as when the body is racked with pain. So the to-be Buddha sought food to (calm his body, to) investigate the jhanas.
At this time five ascetics were waiting for him, wanting to know the fruits of his efforts. When they heard that was breaking his fast and self-torment, they abandoned him, displeased that he was (seemingly) abandoning his search.
Two considerations here.
The individual as sailor into the spiritual unknown
Each of us travels alone. We can only pass messages to passing ships, advising them of our successes and failures and intentions and thoughts.
Each of us must search for ourselves. It is up to us, and no one else can liberate us, although we may be advised by the successes and failures and intentions and thoughts of others.
What we seek is unfathomable, or we would already know the means. This is not to deny the viability of the paths of others, or of the eightfold path. But even within these paths we must find our own way. The maps and milestones laid down by others can only ever be witnessed as categories of approach. Only the traveller can know the nature of their journey, both in the variety of its mundane components, its spiritual drives, and countless and fractal introspective labyrinths.
Be a lamp unto yourself
and learn wisdom.
Free yourself from delusion
and you will light the way. (Dhammapada 236)
The nurturing rungs to liberation
Not only did the Buddha fail to discover enlightenment by route of asceticism, but rather discovered that the middle path is the route to enlightenment. It is taught that asceticism requires an attraction to the body, which hinders liberation. But in this story of the Buddha, asceticism was also a hurdle to jhana. (Note however that there are many stories of Bikkhus achieving liberation in moments of great physical torment. In those cases their liberation was not by way of jhana).
This reinforces this lesson – to get to a goal, one deal and overcome the hinderances that lie in its way. The road is not straight, and there are many tangential concerns and challenges and bypasses along the way.
Get to the place, to get to the place, to get to the place.
