Cutting Through the Illusion of Instant Absorption

Sayings that should be repeated, songs that should be re-sung. Often.

Photo by David W. Levin; Chelsea, Quebec, 2023

In The Diamond That Cuts Through Illusion, his brilliant translation + commentary on the Diamond Sutra, Thich Nhat Hanh (Thay) gives voice to one of my most frequent laments of spiritual learning.

“Why can’t,” my oft-repeated rhetorical question begins, “absorbing and putting into practice new spiritual teachings be like learning 2 + 2 = 4? I learned this one time 50 years ago and it stuck. When I have two apples in front of me and someone gives me two more, I know I’ve got 4 apples. I don’t need to re-read a mathematics book, or watch an insightful mathematician YouTuber to help remind me that I’ve got 4 apples in front of me.” Expressed more simply but just as impatiently: why does it seem to take repeated readings/hearings/watchings for the best spiritual teachings to truly sink in and become active in our lives?

In truth, I know the answer; at least a partial answer that rings true for me. I was very young when I learned 2 + 2 = 4. Precious little had filled the brain at that point. I was a sponge. There was no competing answer in my young mind other than “4.” I didn’t have years of experiences that contradicted “4,” no inner voices constantly telling me “you know, 4 is bullshit.” By sharp contrast, spiritual teachings with the greatest potential to transform often run counter to the way we commonly interpret our lived experiences. I spent decades thinking that I am my body. Decades assuming I am completely separate from everyone and everything else in the universe. Decades believing that God is a giant, judgemental man in the sky somewhere beyond view, and that religion is what you do in fancy buildings every now and then, with little relevance to the brass tacks of living, working, consuming, advancing. With so many years of such beliefs and habit energies, is it any mystery why deep spiritual teachings don’t necessarily lock-in at first exposure?

This notion has been helpful as I’ve endeavored to be more patient with myself and my apparent need to revisit and re-learn core teachings time and again. Yet I must admit that I’ve never been able to fully shake the frustration — the expectation, the judgement — that I should really have the ability to “one-and-done” this stuff: read it, get it, put it into action. This self-judgement hasn’t caused me to lose sleep, but it has been a constant, low-key companion.

Until today.

Today, reading the The Diamond That Cuts Through Illusion, Thay dismissed that unreasonable expectation.

“Reflection is necessary for insight. If we read it only once, we may think we understand all of it, but this can be dangerous. Reading a sutra is like doing massage.

Recitation is a way to water the seeds of understanding that lie deep in the soil of our mind. If these seeds are watered infrequently, they will dry up. But if they are watered often, they will sprout and develop. Occasionally, in totally unexpected moments, you will come to a bright and profound realization. Don’t be put off by the repetitive [teachings]. There are sayings that we need to repeat for ourselves throughout our lives. There are songs that need to be sung often. The more we sing them, the more we are penetrated by their meaning.

— Thich Nhat Hanh, The Diamond That Cuts Through Illusion, pages 121 & 138