Okay, now in my opinion this is a very important question as it gives us some sort a vision to strive for.
Now, I've read ALOT of info from various gurus as to what enlightenment actually is and there seem to be 3 things which always come up. These are:
1. No "me". Apparently the feeling of a separate "me" is dissolved and is replaced by a feeling of wholeness/unity/emptiness.
Yes...... it is like this~ but "you" don't do it, you don't achieve it.... IT comes to YOU of its own accord.
2. A non-identification with mind. So one identifies themselves only as "consciousness" or "being" and thoughts are not enough to distract them from that peace of beingness. And some even take it a step further and claim that after a while thoughts and thinking STOP ALLTOGETHER!!!
It is the Holy INSTANT, yes it feels as all has stopped yet not because it stopped but that it never was! The moment just prior to "no-thought" is an Awareness of just how preposterous the idea of a "body" moving in space and time is.
3. The end of "seeking".
Yes....but that does not mean an end to learning and growth.
But I don't think enlightenment has anything to do with the above.
Wrong , the reasoning mind cannot comprehend the transcendent experience...... Enlightenment is a process of the old conditioned mind dissolving while at the same time the Divine Truth is growing and resolving.
The term "Enlightenment" needs to be cast aside as well...... because you cannot achieve a state of Enlightenment...... IT comes as a Mystery. Do you try? Yes....but you do not reach it by trying. Do you study? Yes, but you do not get a certificate in Enlightenment. Do you give up? Yes, after you have exhausted all your resistance....this often comes as a brush with death experience.
In fact I don't think there is even such a thing as enlightenment or the end of suffering.
Also wrong. The "thought" that there is not such a thing is a wall you cannot cross or see through. This will be your greatest stumbling block and you will find many willing to support your idea because they unconsciously do not want you to be free while they are bound. Bound by what? Bound by the attachment to there precious ideas.
Its just that after deep meditation one can feel certain things like "silence" or "peace" but the mind always creeps back in. It
has to in order for one to live their life.
This is the little me(EGO) speaking. "My story" does not want to die and so it creeps back in. This is not "wrong" , it simply is a part of the process.
And so what I'm proposing is that the most we can hope for is just the ability to meditate really deeply and be able to do it often so we can feel that nice feeling of bliss/oneness in everyday life.
This will lead no where.
Or am I missing something?
Yes, the reasoning MIND cannot GET IT. You as the Energy field , the subtle Life Force which precedes the limited 5 senses .......... is what your Awareness needs to MOVE into. Thus the term "Centered" ~
Could there be such a thing as a "realization" so profound that one can be thrust into a permanent "enlightenment" that doesn't require any maintanence?
Yes.... but for most it will come in waves and will require greater efforts and a certain growing until all which stands in the way dissolves. The "profound" Realizations will come as one is sincere and pure enough in heart to receive them~ Not perfect but in the process of reaching its prior state of perfection , yet now with an added dimension of experience.
Lol... I even recall one guru claiming that he operated in "samadhi" 24/7, 365 days a year.
Yes.... that is the permanent state. I had no idea what any of this meant until after.......after what? ...... just after. IT washes over you when the old conceptual self begins to dissolve. In my case ..... just after losing most of my blood and closing in on bodily death. I called the state "Grace" and operated in it for the next 30 days. It left as those around were unable to handle it , and I was not yet ready to leave. It returned and stayed for a year after much effort........ and then departed again. Yet it did not depart! The final stages of the old conditioned self is simply dissolving and thus a certain type of growing understanding comes along with this which feels somewhat discomforting at times..... but that is why the Holy Spirit is called "The Comforter" !
Ha ha ha
yeah right.