When Buddha talks about the middle path, does that mean control? Does that mean balancing? Control is quite stressful, and balance is quite difficult. How would a person be at ease and maintain equanimity while he is doing something stressful and difficult? After all, equanimity is at the core of the teachings of Buddha.
When we drive a car on the highway, driving the car too slowly is difficult because the cars behind will blow their horns and will not let us drive slowly. Similarly, if we drive a car too fast, that will be quite dangerous and we will be prone to accidents. It is effortless to drive a car at nearly the speed limit. That's natural. That does not require balancing or control. Similarly, when we have to complete an assignment, by being too slow and lazy, we will not be able to complete the task and waste our precious energy. Similarly, by being too desperate, we will become anxious, and then anxiety will take over, and we will again not be able to complete the task. We just have to be natural, and that brings maximum efficiency.
Similarly, in life, some people choose laziness and decide not to grow. They waste the precious gift of life in laziness and comforts. Some people are too ambitious and therefore always remain stressed. Target after the target, they feel desperate to achieve, and soon stress and anxiety take over, and they are not able to live in the moment, with their minds constantly full of thoughts of the future. Buddha tells us to be fully aware in the present moment. That is possible when we are neither lost in the past nor anxious about the future.
But why do we become lazy or desperate? Normal pace should be the norm of everyday life. After all, trees grow at their regular speed. Fruits ripen at their normal pace. They are neither lazy nor desperate. The reason is probably very simple. Failing to understand the meaning of life, we become restless, and from this restlessness, we hurriedly assign some meaning to life. Our minds can't handle uncertainty, so some people find meaning in repeating what they have experienced so far. They want to eat the same food every day, wear the same clothes they like, be with people they feel comfortable around, and live in the same home among the same crowd. They want their beliefs to be validated daily and their social image to be affirmed. Meanwhile, some, out of desperation to find life's meaning, create meaning through achieving what they lack and join the race. They become desperate to reach goal after goal. Laziness and desperation both stem from lack of awareness. An aware person, who understands the true meaning of life, simply lives in the moment. That's the middle path Buddha talks about. It's not about balance or control; it's about living with awareness. There is no seeking in that state, including enlightenment.
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