Through my work at New Dimensions I've probably been exposed to hundreds of teachers, gurus, lamas, sheikhs, rabbis, ministers, philosophers--you name it--who have talked about enlightenment. In a recent New Dimensions' dialogue we asked spiritual teacher Arjuna Ardagh about it. He said, "I'm not really a big believer in enlightenment. It feels to me that it is a term that people use very loosely, and no one seems to agree as to what it means. So, I'm not so sure there is one state that is universally referred to as enlightenment."

Through the years I've made some peace with what enlightenment means to me. There may be those who have attained "Enlightenment," with a capital "E"-Buddha, Jesus, Mohammed. For mere mortals like myself, enlightenment has a small "e." It is a path rather than a destination. It is being in perfect rhythm with right action and right motivation. Although it is my highest aspiration to be in a constant state of flawless equanimity, I often find the best I can accomplish at this stage of my spiritual evolution is to notice that I've stepped off the path of calm composure before I stray too far into the morass of unconscious habits and reactions. I give myself pats on the head when I'm able catch myself and, with humor and lightness of heart, find my way back into the flow of loving kindness and generosity. I like to think I’m moving in the right direction when I can step back into rhythm after falling off the path.

I'd like to share a story that will illustrate exactly what I mean. I've been interested in drumming and rhythm since I was a little girl, and first played around on my older brother's drum set. Recently I attended a rhythm workshop led by the Austrian master percussionist Reinhard Flatischler. Some of the participants were accomplished musicians and percussionists, and some of us were total beginners. Rather than playing drums, we used our bodies as instruments. We learned to stamp out one rhythm with our feet, clap our hands in a second rhythm, and then join in with our voices in a third--all at the same time. We physically explored the layers of rhythm for as much as an hour or two at a time. It was an extraordinary non-linear way of learning rhythms: Our minds were by-passed, and the information went directly into our bodies.

I never would have imagined I was capable of maintaining three different rhythms at the same time, and I suspect some of the others shared my skepticism when we began. But we had wonderful teachers. We all stood in a circle around Reinhard's partner and co-leader Cornelia Jecklin. She played a Brazilian surdo, a large drum that she had strapped on with a shoulder harness to ease the weight of it. Circling both of Cornelia's ankles were Indian bells that jingled when she stamped her feet in time with the pulse of her hands on the surdo. We followed her lead and used that rhythm to synchronize the movement of our feet as we stepped from side to side: right, left, right, left. We were keeping time with the universal beat, the one that never changes, the pulse that is constant around which all other rhythms are added.

Reinhard instructed us to start with the most basic beat. We marched in place: one, two, one, two. Then he had us clap a second beat: long-short-short, long-short-short. As we started to get used to stepping in a one-two rhythm while clapping in the one-two-three rhythm, he asked us to add a third rhythm with our voices using the syllables Ta-Ke-Ti-Na. It was a simplified version of what many Indian masters practice when perfecting Tabla drumming. But for most of us it was not simple at all. We struggled to concentrate. We'd get our hands going and then our feet would fall out of rhythm. We'd get our feet going and then our tongues would get all tangled in the syllables.

As we gamely tried to get put it all together, Reinhard strolled around the inside of the circle playing a berimbau, which is a Brazilian instrument with African roots. It is a single stringed bow with an attached metal resonator that amplifies the sound. Just to make things interesting, he was beating out yet a different rhythm all together.

Once in a while I got all three rhythms going at once. It was ecstasy. I could hardly believe I could do it. Proudly, I thought, "Soon Reinhard will be opposite me and he'll hear how well I'm doing." But just as he arrived in front of me I fell out of rhythm--I got all flustered and discombobulated. Reinhard burst into a hearty laugh, and I couldn't help but just laugh with him.

And that was the point. Keep it light, relaxed, go back to the basic beat and slowly add in the others. Have fun. Each time we stepped out of rhythm our teacher encouraged us to gently, and with humor, step back into rhythm.

By the end of the day it happened. There we were, maybe twenty-five of us, all swaying and clapping and singing intricate patterns that connected us in a single rhythmic community.

This is what enlightenment practice is for me. I know I will fall out of rhythm. My emotions will swell, negative thoughts will creep into my head. I will feel regret, and shame. I will lose confidence in myself and feel I'm not good enough, smart enough, or brave enough. The real work is to see how quickly I can recover and step back into rhythm.

Enlightenment is not far away and remote from our everyday lives. It is something that we can experience each and every day. We fall in and out of it over and over again. Remembering my experience of the Ta-Ke-Ti-Na workshop, each time I fall out of rhythm I remind myself to go back to the basic beat, the omnipresent beat that holds the entire universe in one inseparable whole, and step back into resonance with the rhythm of Divine Spirit.

"I want to take this moment to say how much I appreciate everyone at New Dimensions! And share a story. Today after listening to the interview I went off to do Qi Gong in the park. I live in Albuquerque and am fortunate to experience this Qi Gong circle on Saturday mornings. Today, as we were waiting for the facilitator, a women mentioned that she had listened to this morning's interview. I said "Yes I had too" and we shared with another woman there some info about the interview and she said thank you for reminding me about listening. It made me feel part of something large. I thank you all at New Dimensions for living in your light. It inspires many. Much love to you all,"

Patricia Cody
Albuquerque, NM