Thrill seeking
Remember playing peek-a-boo with a child? That moment of surprise and delight when your face reappears, followed immediately by their eagerness to experience it again. That same pattern shows up in spiritual seeking - chasing after moments of revelation, always wanting another hit of clarity.
These peak experiences can be captivating. A sudden sense of expansion, a dramatic falling away of the familiar, a moment of crystal clarity that leaves you stunned. The contrast between these special states and ordinary experience creates a kind of spiritual high. Like any high, it leaves you wanting more.
Soon you're treating these experiences like achievements, collecting them like trophies. Each dramatic insight or profound state becomes evidence that you're getting somewhere. You start seeking out conditions that might trigger another one - deeper meditation, longer retreats, stronger practices. The ordinary moments in between become just empty waiting rooms for the next big event.
But chasing these peaks is just another form of addiction. You're not interested in what's actually here - you want the thrill of the extraordinary. The excitement of the shift becomes more important than what it's pointing to. It's like focusing on the fireworks instead of what you're actually celebrating.
These dramatic moments can actually become obstacles. While you're waiting for the next big experience, you're missing the simple recognition that's available right now. While you're comparing this moment to past breakthroughs, you're overlooking what's already here.
What if there's nothing spectacular to achieve? What if this ordinary moment, with all its apparent mundaneness, is already complete? Not as some profound state to maintain, but as the simple, obvious nature of experience before you start looking for something special.
The invitation isn't to collect more experiences or achieve permanent amazement. It's to stop overlooking what's already here in favor of another spiritual high. Reality isn't hiding behind the next peak experience. It's right here, in the simple fact of this moment, whether it feels ordinary or extraordinary.
