To be without a reference point is the ultimate loneliness. It is also called enlightenment.
In the middle way, there is no reference point. The mind with no
reference point does not resolve itself, does not fixate or grasp. How
could we possibly have no reference point? To have no reference point
would be to change a deep-seated habitual response to the world: wanting
to make it work out one way or the other. If I can’t go left or right, I
will die! When we don’t go left or right, we feel like we are in a
detox center. We’re alone, cold turkey with all the edginess that we’ve
been trying to avoid by going left or right. That edginess can feel
pretty heavy.However, years and years of going to the left or right, going to yes or no, going to right or wrong has never really changed anything. Scrambling for security has never brought anything but momentary joy. It’s like changing the position of our legs in meditation. Our legs hurt from sitting cross-legged, so we move them. And then we feel, “Phew! What a relief!” But two and a half minutes later, we want to move them again. We keep moving around seeking pleasure, seeking comfort, and the satisfaction that we get is very short-lived.
