Alexander Hipple<\/p>
If you do encounter such states, it\u2019s a sign that your practice is off track. The practice of the Buddha’s s\u0101sana is wholesome at the start, the middle, and the end. Missteps indicate a lack of understanding between kusala and akusala. It means you are still wrestling with skeptical doubt about the correct method, and perhaps holding the view (or belief) that transformation isn’t possible in this very moment, regardless of the circumstances you face. This attachment to strong opinions or personality (sakk\u0101ya-di\u1e6d\u1e6dhi) can also lead to reliance on rites and rituals (s\u012blabbata-par\u0101m\u0101sa), hoping they might protect you from some imagined future suffering. This is magical thinking, which has no place in the practice of the Buddha’s path\u2014often referred to as Buddhology, the science of awakening. The Buddha\u2019s teachings are the cure for magical thinking, or superstitious beliefs, what we might call Sleepology, the science of being asleep.<\/p>\n
If you are still searching for guidance, know that books and beliefs won\u2019t provide the answers. Worldly knowledge, rites, and rituals won\u2019t lead to awakening either. Instead, I encourage you to stop worrying about labels and titles and instead focus on associating with nobles. This association is an essential factor for attaining the path and fruit of stream-winning. And remember, the most important text you can study is the one between your ears.<\/p>\n