Tricycle | Awake in the World

Zen Abbot Bodhin Kjolhede

Do enlightenment and alcohol mix? No. That's the short answer. But let's define our terms. There are many people who might consider themselves "drunks" who haven't touched alcohol in years. But here I take the definition of "a drunk" to be based on behavior, current behavior—someone who consistently drinks to excess. And when you say "enlightened" I take that to mean someone who's fully enlightened. Not just an awakening experience or two, but someone with the goods. Excessive drinking reveals a craving that would not be there if one were fully realized. Enlightenment is about freedom—not freedom to play out one's cravings, but freedom from one's cravings. If one would uproot the dualistic sense of self and other, then he or she would not feel the compulsion to drink to excess. That person would feel complete without needing a substance that is potentially destructive. Excessive drinking is destructive.