3.3: The Enlightened Path

Is light a particle or a wave?

Is the electron here or not here?

Am I the most important thing in the universe or am I merely dust and ashes?

Oddly, the best answer to each of these questions is that both of the incompatible alternatives are true at the same time! Because we do not have access to objective truth, our understanding of reality is riddled with paradox. Accepting the paradoxes is the Middle Way. This enlightened path is not available to the young, for it requires a mature perspective. Indeed, enlightenment is not a state of bliss; it refers to the ability to cope with the paradoxes of life.
The Watercourse Way [the Tao]
Water follows the path of least resistance. When building an irrigation system, it is wise to take into account the principles of hydrodynamics. Just as the flow of water is influenced by lawful principles such as gravity, the course of your biography is influenced by lawful principles such as the PIG.

It is not the water's fault that it is influenced by gravity, nor is it your fault that you are influenced by the PIG. You are, however, responsible for taking factors such as the PIG into account in order to produce the outcomes you choose. Knowledge of the bio-psycho-social principles that influence your real-time behavior makes possible responsible action. You are not responsible for having this impulse control problem, but you are responsible for overcoming it and following a more advantageous path.

You have now examined two ways to accomplish this, and soon you will have to design a particular plan for yourself, a plan to which you will have to adhere, despite the crises you are bound to encounter. Should you follow a rigid path impeccably or a flexible path where errors are opportunities for growth?

The Middle Way contains elements of both the Impeccable Path and the OPEN Path. You must honor all commitments without exception, but you must only commit to process, not outcome. You can accept responsibility for what you do, but it would be imprudent to accept responsibility for the outcomes you cannot control. So be careful about committing to improving your life, or to repairing relationships, because you have less control over such things than you think. Instead make commitments about process, such as keeping a log or reviewing your plans every day.

In a sense the Middle Way is an opportunity to apply the scientific method to practical problems. Our understanding of reality will always be imperfect, so we must always be open to disconfirming information and be willing to reconsider our assumptions on the basis of new observations. The scientific method not only allows for failure to confirm a hypothesis, it welcomes such observations as the path to growth and improved understanding.

At the abstract level the scientific method is flexible; at the execution level it is rigid. A good scientist adheres, without exception, to good scientific process ─ you can be confident that [s]he followed the procedures exactly as described in the research documentation.

When executing your treatment plan, you must follow your commitments exactly as described and without exception! Be mindful of this responsibility when you compose your plan. Don’t look for or accept loopholes!

When you view high-risk situations as a contest between your will and the pull of local incentives, you can get a sense of the Psyche by observing how it responds to such provocations. On the Enlightened Path, whatever happens is nature's way of teaching you the lessons of cause-and-effect. Never let neurotic self-evaluations demoralize you and motivate you to abandon the effort. Following this path requires that you rigidly hold yourself to the commitments you make, and have a forgiving attitude toward yourself and a readiness to accept what nature teaches you so that you can modify your plan accordingly. The truth wants to set you free!