From Lewis Richmond's 'Going Nowhere' Leaving all those practices behind, Gautama recalled a time when, as a child, he sat under a tree and spontaneously felt ease and joy. Remembering this moment, Gautama sat down under a tree againâ€"the Bodhi Treeâ€"and reentered the natural childlike state of pure awareness. And that was the practice that led to his enlightenment. The traditional life stories of the Buddha always include this moment of returning to a child’s experience. A young child doesn’t think much about gaining something, about being different or better. The child just rests in her immediate experience. That’s the point of another of Dogen’s zazen instructions: “Do not desire to become a buddha.” Don’t try to get somewhere, to do something. Instead, be like a little childâ€"naturally joyous, naturally aware.