Enlightenment is the natural state of our being. It sounds too simple. You may think of asking, why then only a fraction of the human population is enlightened. It is because, we give more importance to the mind and we always work on improving that. The pure awareness could be equated to a plain white paper. The mind is something like a painting on that white paper. When we work on the mind, we give a different coating over the existing coating, trying to create a better mind. The awareness is always pure and no external thing can pollute it. It is the emptiness itself. How could something stick to that emptiness.
Why Don’t You Become Enlightened?
What is Enlightenment?
First of all, enlightenment is not a dirty word. In my spiritual journey I have learned that many people are afraid to talk about enlightenment, as though it is taboo or a mystical state of being that you just don’t talk about. People are not afraid to talk about Buddha, Krishna or the Devil but talking about enlightenment seems to be like talking about some form of weird sex or a plot to kill the President of the United States. Enlightenment or pure awareness, as it is sometimes called, is simply a state of consciousness. Since many people have a problem with the word enlightenment I will use the term pure awareness, henceforth, as a substitute for it. Pure awareness is not really a substitute because they both mean the same thing – the highest state of consciousness possible – total awareness.
You experience different states of consciousness every day. When you are asleep, you are in a state of unconsciousness – a sate of unresponsive to mild or even strong stimuli. When you are awake you may be in a state of waking sleep, attention or some other form of consciousness. Pure awareness is considered the highest level of consciousness that the human mind can attain. Yes, I said attain. It does take some effort to get to the state of total awareness. Some people seek out a guru with which to practice while others may meditate many hours each day for years and years to arrive at the ultimate state of consciousness. Other people who don’t have the luxury of either a guru or time for long meditations may take a more arduous approach through research, reading, practice, patience, and perseverance. This type of approach is often referred to as trial and error; it may or may not work.
Awareness comes from gaining knowledge. Everybody learns. To have total awareness would mean you would know everything there is to possibly know.
Thats a bit of a silly thing to expect of anyone.
"Why Don’t You Become Enlightened?"
I am enlightened!
I have tried to inform my fellow lab rats of my enlightenment, but only a few understand and agree. And so and thus, the experiment continues...
What? No rebuttal?
Am I to assume that we are all indeed lab rats? And that all agree that the mythical entity actually does not care about some/any/all individual(s) (me/you)?
I don't have a problem with the term enlightenment. For me, that's Will Godwin, Mary Wolstencraft etc. Their form of enlightenment was quite specific, offered education and a new way of looking at things. The enlightenment that you refer to, is none specific, hasn't opened any doors for me personally, and is exactly what you say, a piece of paper with your mind spluttered all over it. What exactly, does enlightenment mean to you? What specifically do you have to teach/share with us?
by Amber Lim 9 years ago
What is it like reaching a state of spiritual enlightenment/awakening?How did you achieve that state of consciousness and what does it feel like?
by Daniel J. Neumann 11 years ago
What does ego mean to you?I always think of the Psychoanalytic (Louis Althusser, preferably) definition of the ego (or Imaginary): a self-concept. To me, it has to do with sentience and self-awareness. Emotions cultivate this imagery to fulfill self-actualization—but ego plays a role (using our...
by marinealways24 16 years ago
Do You believe you have reached enlightenment? Yes or No, please explain why.
by BestConcerns 14 years ago
Will you try to figure it out ?!What do u think?
by Linda Rawlinson 12 years ago
Can we be too young to have achieved Enlightenment?Do we have to have a lived a long and 'full' life to be able to say that we know what it's all about? Or can Enlightenment come to anyone who thinks about it long and hard enough, no matter their age?
by johnscott00 13 years ago
The simplest form of meditation we teach here is mindfulness of breathing. The essence of this practice is that we simply bring our attention to the sensations of the breathing, and when the mind wanders, as it will, we gently steer it back to the breath once again. However in the form we teach...
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