So I guess the big question then is (and maybe this is yet another Koan in disguise), is the path of the Bodhisattva one of desire? If desire leads to suffering, then it would be oxymoronic to try to share any sense of enlightenment with anyone at all. It's almost as if the great flow of life is either an engaging path we accept, or a disengaging path of isolation (Pratyekabuddha). I know different disciplines hold the Pratyekabuddha with different esteems. Some look down on the Pratyekabuddha. Others consider it differently.

To me it's the same question as to what to do with yourself during the psychedelic experience. Part of me always feels like I'm on a mission to understand incredible things and bring them back, and I work tirelessly with pen, paper, and recording device. But the best experiences are full immersion with lying back and doing nothing more than listening to music, shared with a friend or loved one (but it feels slightly hedonistic). Or go in while meditating in nature, or next to a campfire.

This reminds of a parable I heard not long ago. A man comes across another man meditating in the forest alone. He asks him, "what are you doing?" The meditator replies "experiencing nothingness," followed by "what are YOU doing?" To which is replied "I'm conquering the world!" They both laugh.

The moral, I have been told, is that both paths are equal and valid. I just hope that's not the popular spin on it to help people that are suffering cope with their pain. Life feels like a great flowing unfolding. What lies ahead could be anything, and I believe we simply have no control over much of anything. Where we point our focus, and our emotional response are possibly the only things we have much say in.