What is enlightenment to you?

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.

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!!!

3. The end of "seeking".

But I don't think enlightenment has anything to do with the above. In fact I don't think there is even such a thing as enlightenment or the end of suffering.

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. 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.

Or am I missing something? 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?

Lol... I even recall one guru claiming that he operated in "samadhi" 24/7, 365 days a year.

Ha ha ha yeah right.

[shadedragon]

Personally, I'll share my bit, just bc it may offer something. When you become enlightened... it's this incredibleness that everything is One, that all are United, that all thoughts are not your but belong to all, you no longer become a single individual in realization but all at once, you become able to be anywhere, become anything you wish, change the world, make a difference, and control your life. It's a transformation of person, radical and huge.. it's like someone hit you over the head with a brick initially, then it numbs out and the realization of Everything kicks in. You realize your potential, who you are, what you are, and why you're here. The mind part of things doesn't come back bc it never existed. You open up to all minds, you become one with everything consciously. Your answers become answered bc you have the answers in your grasp. My mind barely thinks as a unit alone. Most times I am getting messages from others or using the unfocusing methods to explore places and learn new things. If you want the unfocusing method pm me. It's a big step in realizing Everything. Silence? the universe is bubbling with information, others are calling out, many are out there, what you experience is you not being tuned into this, and silenting your mind. Try to listen up to what's going on around you.
plus that state of mind, samadhi, is not to far off from where most people are after a few years of being hit by enlightenment. I can claim I am there occationally, but recently I've been a little more into it with school being finished

Are you asking me what I personally regard as enlightened, or what Buddhists or other spiritual traditions see as enlightened?

To me, enlightenment has nothing intrinsically to do with loss of selfhood, non-identification with mind, or an end to seeking. That is merely one sort of enlightenment, specifically of a Buddhist (perhaps Zen) sort.

Enlightenment to me is any transformative epiphany. It is a realization that changes the way one relates to one's existence.

In my spiritual path, I regard personal growth as a series of generally small epiphanies. I don't particularly aim at a big epiphany, though I grant that they might be possible. I try not to delimit what such epiphanies may entail. That is an individual matter.


eudaimonia,

Mark

Hello Dr.Truth,

Okay, now in my opinion this is a very important question as it gives us some sort a vision to strive for.

In some schools of thought enlightment is thought of as acceptance. which involves no striving at all. contentment rests easier within me in the absence of targets and aspirations which can create stress.

I'd vote for Number 3 on your list.

3. The end of "seeking".

we may be approaching this from two perspectives and arriving at the same thing with two different lables though. Realization to you , acceptance to me.

Originally Posted by Eudaimonist

Are you asking me what I personally regard as enlightened, or what Buddhists or other spiritual traditions see as enlightened?

To me, enlightenment has nothing intrinsically to do with loss of selfhood, non-identification with mind, or an end to seeking. That is merely one sort of enlightenment, specifically of a Buddhist (perhaps Zen) sort.

Enlightenment to me is any transformative epiphany. It is a realization that changes the way one relates to one's existence.

In my spiritual path, I regard personal growth as a series of generally small epiphanies. I don't particularly aim at a big epiphany, though I grant that they might be possible. I try not to delimit what such epiphanies may entail. That is an individual matter.


eudaimonia,

Mark

Thankyou.

I think alot of people have just become carried away with second-hand knowledge and they're taking alot of things based on faith.

So yeah, just the idea of chasing some ideal that isn't even possible or remotely realistic... its no wonder so many on the path end up feeling frustrated!

But hopefully they will eventually come far enough to see through it as I have.

Greetings..

As it can be seen from the responses and the question itself, there is no consensus for what enlightenment is.. and, from my experiences, the pursuit of what one believes is 'enlightenment' is very likely to distract from the experiences that would result in achieving that goal.. as one of my mentors would say, 'the most enlightened person he had met, had no idea what enlightenment was'..

Be well..

[Squatchit]

I'm with Nev on this one.

Hi Neville,

you said:

In some schools of thought enlightment is thought of as acceptance. which involves no striving at all. contentment rests easier within me in the absence of targets and aspirations which can create stress.

I'd vote for Number 3 on your list.

I don't think number 3 is possible. How can one realistically go through life without seeking to make things better?

I understand the value of being the "witness" as it can help us to let go of negative emotions. But you've gotta ask yourself: are you really in COMPLETE ACCEPTANCE OF EVERY AREA OF YOUR LIFE - BOTH INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL AT ALL TIMES or do you merely wish you were?

Even something really basic like having a cold house - you'd start thinking about getter a heater right? And if you couldn't afford one you'd start thinking about saving up the cash right???

Namaste

[shadedragon]

rather than worrying constantly about something you can become the change. Through exercises, you can warm the home, through healing, you can help many including yourself.
My opinion on it is only one, but there are many. I agree with all of the points though. But I also must add that through our lives, we slowly become enlightened, and sometimes we go forward or backwards in it. Then one day, after we're prepared, it all goes Boom, and hits us. Or not, sometimes it slowly comes to us, other times it never reaches us in this lifetime, but we had decide this beforehand with ourselves.
Honestly, I'd just apply your basic laws of attraction to bring on those things. Once you slow down your thoughts and occationally analyze the important questions, you get answers, from inside yourself (that's the problem with he Internet, it keeps us from thinking for ourselves ) and it doesn't become so hard to think that you can be completely at peace with yourself on a pretty regular basis. Once you begin to strive for it, you'll notice your life improves significantly.

Originally Posted by shadedragon

rather than worrying constantly about something you can become the change. Through exercises, you can warm the home, through healing, you can help many including yourself.
My opinion on it is only one, but there are many. I agree with all of the points though. But I also must add that through our lives, we slowly become enlightened, and sometimes we go forward or backwards in it. Then one day, after we're prepared, it all goes Boom, and hits us. Or not, sometimes it slowly comes to us, other times it never reaches us in this lifetime, but we had decide this beforehand with ourselves.
Honestly, I'd just apply your basic laws of attraction to bring on those things. Once you slow down your thoughts and occationally analyze the important questions, you get answers, from inside yourself (that's the problem with he Internet, it keeps us from thinking for ourselves ) and it doesn't become so hard to think that you can be completely at peace with yourself on a pretty regular basis. Once you begin to strive for it, you'll notice your life improves significantly.

Its like we're all on this treadmill searching for "IT". But what if there is no "it".

We're always trying to get "there". [When I finish school, when I get a girlfriend, when I get this or that...] But life never feels complete. We're always searching. The search never ends. I give up on it. There is no enlightenment.

I could say that my life would improve if I were able to enter "samadhi" whenever I meditate. That sounds like a reasonable goal. But I'd probably still have problems to deal with.