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I admit it. I am Enlightened. (If I was going to take the Zen approach, I might say I am Enlightened because I know there is no such thing as Enlightenment.) I’m not afraid to admit that I have “reached” Enlightenment. I think far too many people shy away from talking openly about being Enlightened because it’s such a taboo subject. After all, isn’t Enlightenment something reserved for sages and mystics?Enlightened people aren’t simply sages though; they’re people like you and me. We wear regular clothes, we work regular jobs, we eat, drink, sleep, and go to the grocery store just like everyone else. You don’t have to be a celibate monk living in a monastery to be Enlightened. Placing Enlightenment beyond yourself just perpetuates the idea that you will never reach it.
I think part of the allure (and taboo aspect) of Enlightenment is the fact that it is so mysterious. Ohh, he’s enlightened, he must be above everyone else, seems to be a commonly held superstition. People think that becoming Enlightened brings you further away from reality. You completely transcend it and dematerialize. Poof. He was enlightened. And then, he disappeared. (Sounds more like David Blaine to me)
Just the word “Enlightenment” sounds mysterious, doesn’t it? Part of the problem is Enlightenment can mean many things. Bringing light to dark places, bringing clarity, and perceiving the truth are a few different interpretations. But ultimately, Enlightenment is understanding your true nature. It’s the realization that you are not a separate ego, you are the eternal, unbounded energy of the universe.
That’s is a pretty powerful realization. And while I wholeheartedly believe in the value and merit of attaining Enlightenment, I think in some ways it is vastly overrated. That’s because people think Enlightenment means the end of their problems, the end of the struggles of living.
People want their mystics and masters to be free from the same struggles that make them want to escape life. They want Enlightenment to be a panacea for their problems. They don’t want their masters to have the same troubles they have, they want them to be beyond them. They see Enlightenment as some grandeur state where the struggles of life no longer exist.
The great Enlightened masters (Christ, Buddha, Moses, Lao Tzu, and many others), did not become Enlightened and retreat into a cave. They did not merely transcend their egos. They became great big egos. They engaged life completely and fearlessly and shook the earth from its very foundation. They did not seek Enlightenment as an escape from life, but as a means to live more completely.
Many people seek Enlightenment as an escape from life. And while Enlightenment can do many things, there are some things it cannot do:
Reaching Enlightenment will not turn you into an invincible ball of energy high above the world and all its troubles. It will not make you immune to the sometimes callous and careless words of others. Perceiving the truth of the Yin and Yang, the Diamond Sutra or the Bhagavad Gita will not make all of your problems go away.
Despite all the things that Enlightenment can’t do, there are certainly many benefits to “achieving” it. Most importantly, it will help you understand your true nature and help you find peace in your heart.
While Enlightenment can’t solve all your problems it certainly can help you realize:
With these realizations you can:
Reaching Enlightenment doesn’t mean your soul shoots out of the top of your heart and you become omniscient. Enlightenment can help solve some of the toughest problems of life. But it is not a means of escape from life.
In reality, enlightenment brings you into a deeper, more intimate relationship with life.
Rather, Enlightenment means dropping into your body more completely. It means living life more fully, passionately and fearlessly.
"Transcending your ego will not make your ego disappear. You will still have to deal with ego-based desire and suffering." -- thanks for the honesty here. It almost always sounds more egotistical when people admit to finding enlightenment - the ego may appear to be displaced, but I think that the enlightened ones still need to own up to its ultimate power over the human condition.
PS. Have you read Kerouac's "Dharma Bums??" Reminds me of some of his philosophizing in it....
"I felt like lying down by the side of the trail and remembering it all. The woods do that to you, they always look familiar, long lost, like the face of a long-dead relative, like an old dream, like a piece of forgotten song drifting across the water, most of all like golden eternities of past childhood or past manhood and all the living and the dying and the heartbreak that went on a million years ago and the clouds as they pass overhead seem to testify (by their own lonesome familiarity) to this feeling. Ecstacy, even, I felt, with flashes of sudden remembrance, and feeling sweaty and drowsy I felt like sleeping and dreaming in the grass." - Kerouac
Jen,
That's an awesome quote by Kerouac. I've never read Dharma Bums, but I've heard a lot of great things about it. I think one of my friends has the book, maybe I'll ask her to borrow it.
Thanks, Jon, for posting this. I agree with what you wrote, nice summaries.
I have to admit I was thinking being enlightened *would* mean all my problems would just disappear, like the "ascended beings" on stargate atlantis, or some such.
In the past, some self-development took away a lot of my grief, heartache, and frustration ... at the time. Years later, I see myself still in some ruts, still struggling to stay focused, still fearful sometimes about change ... I thought I must go back, since I obviously missed a class, or two, or three. No. Just because I took some time for myself "back then" doesn't mean I don't still need to take time, now, to keep moving forward.
I think I'm still figuring out what works well, for me. And changing it around, seems to help me, too. For instance vacation time with others, not so much. (I'm an INFJ.) Light jogging ... helps a lot. Therapy helped, years ago (dealing with dysfunctional family.) Now, not so much, as I'm impatient, and like to be out sailing or biking, to really feel what's in my heart, rather than "talking it out."
Anyway, thanks for the encouragement, to keep ... keeping on.
Enlightenment, transcendence, nirvana... to truly be there is be free of desire and fear. I find it's hard to believe that once entered, you would ever be the same person. Once you've truly reached this point, problems at work, buying things, changing people... you don't go back to these ideas and thoughts. These are just my thoughts, though. I really like your posts and your blog. It's not often people are willing to discuss these types of spiritual subjects without and how it fits into the everyday life without it coming over as too new age or hippie-ish.
i am a dissabled vet recentllyafter five years of pushing myself to physical death i was told i must go on disability and iam not able to work any more. that and and a couple of other crushing things divorce ect. had me in darkness and dispare. threw the grace of god and the light of this universe i gave in, let go i should say, now mind you i was not looking for anything. 49 houres latter i awoke from what i thought was a dream but wasnot at all. we are all one light and i have seem the truth that quantum physisists wait there whole lives for, i also am not a spirital person, wasn't but it is clear to me the universe is in perfect alingment and fear is our greatest enemy, second only to doubt and distrust. my wish is for thoues of you who don't belive, don't just let go and belive nothing fearnothing experiance body wholeness and trancend thies things that only feed our distain.
I agree with Smith+Fritzy. If you have truly reached enlightenment, you would have had complete ego death. You have transcended to the highest level of consciousness where humanity blends with divinity. It sounds more like your aware of what enlightenement is, but not have actually reached it. It is far more than just knowing what it is and being aware of it.
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