Raising your awareness is the key

[ThatMan]

I've come to the conclusion that the key to enlightenment lies within the human awareness.

It's not the carnal nature of man ( his animal nature ) who pushes man to so much suffering and pain, it's his low awareness.

A higher awareness leads to deep peace, deep happiness, deep love and so on, a low awareness leads to suffering.

I think that through meditation ones can increase his/her awareness and that through being "in the world" and acting "like the world" you decrease your awareness.Increasing one's awareness is a very hard thing because you need to change yourself from within, same it goes for decreasing one's awareness, once your view has been expanded, its hard to simply ignore that you can see and know more.

So it's not about that you are not already enlightenment , it's simply about that you are not aware of it, just like I said, you see through some broken glasses that are keeping you from seeing more and knowing more.

I would love to hear your opinions!

[HITESH SHAH]

Sure raising awareness is very much important. If this higher awareness leads you to more activity and leaves deep imprint / positive impact not only on yourself and those around you , it can be very great.

Here's a point I find very insightful. We never raise or expand awareness because awareness is timeless and boundless. We simply connect with or recognize more awareness and on a deeper level. I like the soap bubble analogy.

Blowing a bubble manifests it in space, enclosing a portion of that space. The space within and without always existed and always will exist. The nature of both spaces is one in the same. The bubble comes into the space, is in it for a time and then dissipates.

The bubble cannot exist without that space or alter its nature. Replace space with unbounded awareness and bubble with body-mind or any object, animate or inanimate.

We are mostly unaware of the space within, engrossed in the thin film. Contemplative practice facilitates a connection to that space, and a breakthrough occurs when we start connecting to the space without. We then start to recognize that space in other bubbles.

[Sunshine111]

If a question "what is enlightement" is posed, I am sure we will get many definitions of it, if not a different one from each commentator.

Therefore, what is enlightment for you?.

Self awareness for surely, can save another from lots of unnecessary suffering and misery, if not all of it completely.

Whether that is "the key to enlightment" , I really do not even know how I define enlightment or what is for me so, can't answer the question.

Originally Posted by Sunshine111

If a question "what is enlightement" is posed, I am sure we will get many definitions of it, if not a different one from each commentator.

Therefore, what is enlightment for you?.

Knowing and experiencing one's true nature and experientially perceiving it everywhere. Not to be confused with experiencing direct Unity but to feel it at the deepest core of one's being and to live it. When belief is no longer a factor.

[Sunshine111]

Originally Posted by JustASimpleGuy

Knowing and experiencing one's true nature and experientially perceiving it everywhere. Not to be confused with experiencing direct Unity but to feel it at the deepest core of one's being and to live it. When belief is no longer a factor.

Thank you for your definition of "enlightment". And what exactly is, "experiencing direct unity" for you that is "not to be confused with enlightment".

[ThatMan]

Originally Posted by Sunshine111

Thank you for your definition of "enlightment". And what exactly is, "experiencing direct unity" for you that is "not to be confused with enlightment".

What is the only thing that we are not aware of yet it represents the "ultimate" truth? We are all ONE, there's no separation, even the universe shows it, we are made exactly from the same things as the rest of the universe is made of, we are living within the universe, we are parts of it, you can say that we are the universe which is true.We are all brothers and sisters, everywhere you look you actually see yourself.

What else can represent enlightenment other than this universal and eternal truth?

Originally Posted by Sunshine111

Thank you for your definition of "enlightment". And what exactly is, "experiencing direct unity" for you that is "not to be confused with enlightment".

Witnessing existence in its entirety. Becoming one with The Source. I suppose I would call this transcending. Knowing the Mind of God. I think my head would explode.

As opposed to looking into the eyes of another being and perceiving at a deep and visceral level the witness at the core of your being is one in the same as the witness at the core of the other's being. Knowing and feeling vs. just believing. In essence that's my impression of being enlightened.

[ocean breeze]

Any moment of wakefulness or increase in awareness never ever lead to any peace or happiness. If anything it lead more towards madness and insanity. Often leaving me utterly confused. The most alive and awake i've ever felt. Its like the imaginary line between sanity and insanity slowly disappears inside you.

[ThatMan]

Originally Posted by ocean breeze

Any moment of wakefulness or increase in awareness never ever lead to any peace or happiness. If anything it lead more towards madness and insanity. Often leaving me utterly confused. The most alive and awake i've ever felt. Its like the imaginary line between sanity and insanity slowly disappears inside you.

It's true that it's difficult and this is why I don't recommend people to ask for the "greater" things from the start, do it with baby steps, otherwise you may end up going mad.Look how many people talk on this forum about that "kundalini" thing that brings confusion and sensation of losing one's sanity.

I've been through many crazy things from the moment I started to meditate and I always take breaks when my mind can't handle what I experience, when it's too much, it's too much.I meditate for hours sometimes but this only because I pushed myself harder and I stayed strong in all the moments of confusion, paranoia and so on.My advice, start slowly, at first just minutes, then maybe after some months, you can go for longer period of times.

Do it on your own way at your own pace!