From Knowing to Being: Why the Sacred Needs the Ordinary

We often think of the sacred as something lofty, distant—a luminous ideal that feels out of reach, like a fragile glass ornament we’re afraid to shatter. This idea paints the sacred as an epitome of purity, perfection, and bliss, accessible only through temples, rituals, doctrines, or an elite few. It creates a stark divide between “higher” and “lower,” between the “holy” and the “mundane.” For centuries, this notion has gripped our imagination, fostering a sense that true sanctity must be separate from the “mess” of the ordinary world.

Breaking the Divide: Sacred Beyond Temples and Rituals

Historically, religious institutions reinforced this separation, positioning themselves as essential intermediaries between humanity and the divine. This elevated their authoritative power and created a sense of control, yet this separation has made the sacred feel like an escape from reality, casting it as a retreat into pristine, quiet spaces where mundane life doesn’t interfere. It remains a concept separate from our direct experience, something to pursue and aspire to, not to live.

But if the sacred can’t live in the “mess” of the real world, then what is its value?

Only now we’re beginning to see through this old narrative where the sacred is confined to a pedestal or limited to certain places and practices. In reality, it’s not an exclusive realm above the clouds, nor is it locked within holy buildings or elaborate ceremonies.

Sacred in Simple Presence

True sacredness lies beneath the symbols, rituals, and velvet cushions. Strip away the candles, the statues, the recitations, and at its core, the sacred lives in the presence we bring to every moment, whether glamorous or not. Practicing this connection often comes down to embracing the simplicity of being present in the here and now, even in the most ordinary moments—such as the simple act of paying attention to your breath and feeling the rhythm of life within you. Breathing—an act so ordinary that we often take it for granted, an automatic process that begins the moment we enter the world and requires little conscious thought. Yet in meditation, this overlooked and mundane action transforms into a profound focal point. By consciously directing our attention to something as common as the air flowing in and out of our lungs, we unlock the potential for this simple act to become a source of profound transformation.

In The Words of My Perfect Teacher, a Dzogchen master points to the essence of mind with three simple questions for his student:

“Do you see the stars up there in the sky?”
“Do you hear the dogs barking in Dzogchen Monastery?”
“Do you hear what I’m saying to you?”

The idea that simply being present in every aspect of our experience could connect us to the sacredness of our being is both powerful and, in a way, challenging. Many people instinctively resist this idea, thinking it’s too simple to be true. If it really were that simple, why would only a rare few seem to attain this depth of presence and self-realization?

Enlightenment as Liberation

The story of Milarepa (a Tibetan master, yogi, and poet) and the old man carrying a heavy sack beautifully captures the essence of this truth that we find hard to fathom.

Milarepa, eager to understand enlightenment, had wandered far and wide, searching tirelessly for the key to enlightenment, but he found no satisfying answer. One day, while journeying down a mountain path, he spotted an old man walking slowly, a heavy sack weighing on his shoulders. In that moment, Milarepa sensed that this man might hold the wisdom he’d been seeking for so long.

“Old man,” Milarepa called out, “please, share your wisdom with me. What is enlightenment?”

The old man looked at him for a moment, then smiled. Gently, he lifted the heavy sack from his shoulders and stood up straight, unburdened.

Milarepa’s face lit up. “Yes, I understand! Thank you, thank you!” he exclaimed. “But, tell me—what comes after enlightenment?”

The old man, still smiling, bent down, picked up his sack once more, settled it back on his shoulders, and continued walking down the path.

This story tells us that enlightenment does not give us extraordinary superhuman powers. Enlightenment isn’t about acquiring something new or adding to ourselves, but rather about shedding or unlearning what we have accumulated over time—our conditioning, false beliefs, attachments, and misconceptions. Our true essence has always been within us, but it’s obscured by layers of external influences and mental constructs.

Enlightenment, in this sense, is the process of removing these layers, revealing the true core that was always present, but hidden beneath the weight of societal norms, personal traumas, and learned identities. It’s a return to simplicity and truth, a liberation from what we’ve taken on throughout our lives. This liberation emphasizes freedom from the constraints of illusion and ego, rather than a departure from the human experience itself. It is not an escape from the practicalities of life. Even those who reach profound states of spiritual awakening are still bound by the earth’s rhythms, subject to the body’s needs, and shaped by the ordinary aspects of existence. They continue to live within the realm of the mundane. They carry the same burdens, follow the same rules, and face the same human conditions as anyone else.

The Human Condition

Achieving enlightenment does not remove us from the responsibilities and limitations of the world. Rather, it transforms our relationship with them.

The capability of being aware and present does elevate us from what you might call an “instinctual” or “robotic” level, and it essentially marks the difference between reactive, automatic and conscious living. Instead of getting lost in each thought or emotion, in having awareness we create a „gap“ in which awareness observes itself. This shift from “things happening to me” to “things arising in awareness” creates a powerful change in our relationship with reality.

When we’re fully present, there are brief moments where we forget to identify as the “doer” or “thinker.” These gaps, often so subtle that we barely notice them at first, are key. In these moments, the identification with a separate “self” dissolves. We’re simply “being” without a mental narrative about who we are or what we’re experiencing. With practice, these gaps expand in duration, leading to longer periods of non-identification, where the mind relaxes its need to create a story around each moment.

If we can remember, even for a moment, that we are conscious beings, we can go through life deeply committed, deeply involved, facing suffering as well as joy. Realizing that we are spiritual beings in a human body – having human experiences will give us more freedom and also resilience. Openness, curiosity, playfulness, and a willingness to experience the full range of emotions and perceptions are the essence of what it means to feel truly alive. These qualities bring richness, vibrancy, and depth to our lives, allowing us to experience life as a dynamic, ever-changing journey rather than a static experience, transcending the limitations of the earthen realm.

And maybe this is where the sacred truly resides—in the overlap of the extraordinary and the ordinary. The sacred is in the act of paying attention to the details. Like the breath, not because it’s special or different, but because it is so utterly common.

Finding Freedom in Presence

Enlightenment is about becoming fully present to the simplest, most fundamental aspects of existence. It’s about an unfiltered experience of reality, free from the illusions, conditioning, and ego-based identities we’ve layered on over time. Enlightenment isn’t a radical transformation or an escape from life’s imperfections. Instead, it’s a shift in perception—a profound realization of the interconnectedness and sanctity within everyday existence. It’s seeing life as it truly is, without the projections or distortions of our minds.

Enlightenment is like coming home to a state of ordinariness, where the present moment is enough, and where the routine and mundane details of life are seen as expressions of sacredness. There’s no need to reach anywhere “higher” because the true essence of enlightenment is right here, available within the breath, a fleating atmosphere, or even the most ordinary of actions.

It’s in awareness and acceptance of whatever is—in presence to everything—that we find meaning, which becomes fragmented when we chase only grand visions of spirituality. The divine may be found “above,” but if we learn to discover it in the ordinary, we are that much closer to realizing who we truly are.

The notion that comes through is one of integration: that the sacred and the mundane are not separate realms but exist together within each moment, each action. It’s a view that sacredness isn’t about escaping or rising above the human experience; it’s about embracing it fully. The sacred is not some unreachable peak but is woven into life’s most ordinary details—breathing, feeling, carrying our daily burdens.

This view reframes spirituality not as a lofty destination but as an intimate, ever-present reality. The sacred becomes accessible, grounding, and universal. It doesn’t require elaborate rituals or renunciations; it asks only for awareness and presence. In other words, the notion is that enlightenment or “sacredness” is not something that removes us from life’s demands and simplicity but is actually what allows us to find profound meaning in every aspect of it.

The result is a spirituality that feels deeply human, not otherworldly—a spirituality that, rather than setting us apart, pulls us closer to the heart of life itself. It’s as if we’re looking for the extraordinary, when, in reality, there’s nothing more sacred than the ordinary.