Just thought I'd post this for a laugh. I'm deadly serious about what happened but you can't not laugh at getting insight from something this ridiculous. I have a juvenile sense of humour, I make no apologies.

The other night I was lying down practicing vipassana on the couch, same as always with the noting, noting, noting when all of a sudden I realised that my dog had farted. In an instant I resolved that I would note the sensations of this appalling smell!

Noting smell as just a "sense" free from the content of the scent pervading my nostrils, following this separation between the two and chasing the sensations back to the observer showed the attraction/revulsion mechanism in action and how, if left to it's own pre-programmed devices, the observer makes a choice between them. The choice is based on learned reactions, but reactions which can be altered given enough work (but that's psychological territory). What was interesting was being able to choose to experience this normally nauseating smell as just a cluster of vibrations, neither good nor bad, and 'watch' them dissipate into the vibrations of the air like a dissolve wipe on a video.

It got me thinking.....If the truth lies in the moment by moment awareness of all sensory phenomena and if, by seeing clearly and truly understanding things as they are, this leads to enlightenment then what is the most bizarre or hilarious situation in which a being has become enlightened?

Enlightened while watching an Elvis impersonator?

I probably sound like I'm being flippant about the prospect of enlightenment. I am.

Hope you've got a laugh from this.

lol. this is one of my favorite practice posts ever.

it's really important to have fun with practice and keep the sense of humor.

happy chuckle belly rising cheeks tingling happy

Ha! Thanks Steph, humour is integral to everything for me so it's nice to know others share that love of laughter.

Heh it is a great post! You really can use any sensation.

Hmm what would the best one be... becoming enlightened while watching a video of a lizard trying to mate with a bottle?

Enlightenment by Macho Man Randy Savage.

If dog farts are an object of meditation, I have a 95 pound American Bulldog who can be quite enlightening.

Do it.

Su Dung-po (1037-1101), a famous Chinese poet, wrote the following poem to describe a state he had experienced in meditation:

"I bow to the god among gods;
His hair-light illuminates the world.
Unmoved when the Eight Winds blow,
Upright I sit in a purple-gold lotus."

He sent the poem to the Great Master Fo-yin (1011-1086), and the Master's reply was two words: 'Fart, fart.' As soon as Su Dung-po saw the Great Master Fo-yin's criticism, he couldn't get it out of his mind, and he rushed across the Yangzi--he lived on the south side of the river and Great Master Fo-yin lived on the north side--to find the Master and scold him. He wanted to tell the Master that he had written an enlightened poem, and so how could the Master possibly have replied, 'Fart, fart?'

"In fact, when Great Master Fo-yin criticized him, not only did Su Dung-po fart, he blazed forth and wanted to scorch Fo-yin to death. And so he rushed across the river and burst unannounced into the Master's quarters and shouted, 'How could you possibly scold someone and slander him that way by writing "fart, fart"?'

"Fo-yin replied, 'Who was I slandering? You said that you were unmoved by the Eight Winds, but just by letting two small farts I've blown you all the way across the Yangzi. And you still say that the Eight Winds don't move you? You don't have to talk about eight winds; just my two farts bounced you all the way up here.'

"Then Su Dung-po thought, 'That's right. I said that I'm unmoved by the Eight Winds, but two words have been enough to make me burn with anger.' Realizing that he still didn't have what it takes, he bowed to the Master and repented. . . .""

HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

Jeff that's going cause a few fruitions, thanks so much for posting it!