Different religious movements and philosophical schools have different understandings of this difficult issue. They contain people’s attempts to understand what a person is and why he exists on this planet.
What is enlightenment?
In everyday life, enlightenment is understood as revelations that a person has received, a different view or a new understanding of familiar things. In philosophical schools and spiritual practices this phenomenon has a different meaning. In them, enlightenment is directly linked to the meaning of life, so it receives a primary role in the life of every person. From this point of view, enlightenment is going beyond the ordinary, realizing oneself as part of the universe, higher wisdom, higher existence.
Enlightenment in Christianity
The concept of enlightenment in Christianity differs significantly from the interpretation of this concept in Eastern practices. Enlightenment in Orthodoxy is an attempt to understand the Divine essence, to get as close to God as possible and to fulfill His will. Enlightened men of faith include the following saints: John Chrysostom, Simeon the New Theologian, Sergius of Radonezh, etc. Thanks to a deep understanding of the will of God and humility, these saints were able to achieve enlightenment, which manifested itself in the form of healing the sick, resurrecting the dead and other miracles.
Enlightenment in Christianity is inseparable from baptism and is associated with the cleansing of a person from all sinful things and the filling of his essence with Divine love. According to Orthodox spiritual fathers, only the Almighty knows when a person is ready to become enlightened. In this matter, one must completely rely on God and not try to achieve this on one’s own. The fact that a person has become enlightened can be recognized by his actions: they will be humble and aimed at benefiting people.
Enlightenment in Buddhism
Unlike the understanding of enlightenment in Christianity, enlightenment in Buddhism is associated with the individual. According to the Buddhist tradition, this state is accompanied by a feeling of unimaginable happiness, next to which ordinary earthly happiness is felt as suffering. The state of enlightenment is difficult to describe in human language, so it is spoken of only through parables or metaphors.
Buddha Shakyamuni's enlightenment was the first in the history of Buddhism. Shakyamuni was able to achieve liberation and go beyond the usual world. The Buddha's main strength on the path of enlightenment was meditation. It helps to translate spiritual thinking from logical understanding into personal experience. In addition to meditation, Shakyamuni pointed out the importance of such methods as knowledge and behavior for enlightenment.
Enlightenment in Islam
As in other religions, at the center of Islam is enlightenment - fana. Allah himself chooses the person on whom he will bring enlightenment. The criterion for readiness for fana is a person’s desire to reach a new stage of his development and readiness for this. A person’s heart, open to the influence of Allah, allows a new world into itself. An enlightened person with whom he is ready to serve people, and super-love for all living things.
Enlightenment myth or reality?
Enlightenment from a scientific point of view is the discovery of something new or a different perspective on familiar things. From this position, enlightenment has nothing supernatural in itself and is a normal work of our mind. In spiritual practices, enlightenment has a different meaning and content. It is associated with higher powers and helps people find and realize their purpose on this planet.
Enlightenment is a reality for many religious people who devote themselves to serving God and people. Using the example of enlightened spiritual teachers, you can learn to expand the scope of your consciousness and open your heart to the influence of higher powers. For people who are not interested in the spiritual side of life, enlightenment may seem like a myth. This view may be due to conservative thinking and lack of knowledge regarding this issue.
Psychology of Enlightenment
The path to enlightenment often begins with dissatisfaction with life and one's place in it. Reading smart books, psychological lectures and seminars on self-development, conversations with wise people can help a person get closer to answering questions, but all this is just the beginning of the journey. A personal constant search for one’s life vector one day leads a person’s brain to a new understanding. The road to enlightenment often takes a long time, and sometimes a lifetime. The reward of this path is a renewed mind and harmony with the world.
Enlightenment or schizophrenia?
No matter how strange it may seem, spiritual enlightenment and schizophrenia have three similar features:
- Depersonalization- getting rid of one's own self.
- Derealization– perception of the surrounding world as unreal, blurry.
- Mental anesthesia– reduction in the strength of emotional experiences.
To differentiate between these two phenomena, the following components should be analyzed:
- Cause. The cause of schizophrenia is often negative. The reason for enlightenment is the desire to make the world a better place, to become a more spiritual person.
- Vote. With schizophrenia, a person hears voices calling for aggressive or inappropriate actions. An enlightened person hears a voice from above calling for goodness or improvement.
- Mission. In schizophrenia, a person's interests revolve around his own self, even if the patient sees himself as someone else. An enlightened person strives to help others.
Signs of enlightenment
Buddhists say that it is impossible to describe in words what happens at the moment of enlightenment. This is due to the fact that the emotions and feelings experienced during the process of enlightenment are incomparable to the emotions we are used to. Among the signs of enlightenment are the following:
- spiritual priorities begin to dominate over material ones;
- periodically altered consciousnesses appear, in which new truths or their depth are revealed to a person;
- unusual abilities for creation, creation, and healing appear;
- character changes, bad habits appear, go away;
- an enlightened person sees divine wisdom in everything.
How to achieve enlightenment?
A person who wants to achieve enlightenment must go through the following steps:
- Wishing for enlightenment with all my heart. To do this, enlightenment of consciousness should be made a top priority.
- Trust in the matter of enlightenment to higher powers. Only God knows when a person is close to enlightenment.
- Try to give your life under the control of divine forces. Draw closer to God through humility and deepening contact through prayer or meditation.
- Engage in self-development, work on your character. A pure heart helps one to be more receptive to the influence of the Spirit.
Paths to human enlightenment
Spiritual teachers of various religious movements believe that enlightenment techniques are only a tool that does not provide any guarantee of success. Enlightenment is individual, it comes unexpectedly and has no exact reason. The following techniques can help you find a direct path to enlightenment:
- prayer;
- fast;
- relaxation;
- meditation;
- self-knowledge techniques;
- purification of consciousness;
- yoga nidra technique;
- getting rid of the negativity of the past;
- repetition of the names of God.
How to live after enlightenment?
Enlightened people are not transferred from this sinful planet to another. They have to continue to live among the same environment in the same area. Only a few spiritual teachers who have achieved enlightenment go to desert areas, but often this is done only for a while. The mission of enlightened people is to bring new knowledge and a new understanding of life to the world. After enlightenment, new abilities may open up that need to be used to help other people.
Enlightened people note that after their spiritual experience, it becomes much easier for them to live in this world. Their Ego and desires cease to control all actions. All necessary things are done without laziness and apathy. Life becomes more harmonious and understandable. A person stops worrying and being nervous, as he begins to realize the essence of his life and his mission.
Books about enlightenment
Many books have been written about enlightenment and how to achieve it. They all help you find your personal path in this matter and rise to a new level of your development. The top 5 best books about enlightenment include:
- Hawkins D. “From despair to enlightenment. Evolution of Consciousness". The book describes practical methods on how to come to an awareness of the meaning of your existence.
- Eckhart Tolle "The Power of Now". In this book, a person who has gone through the path of enlightenment talks in simple and interesting language about the path to enlightenment he followed and what awareness of life includes.
- Jed McKenna "Spiritual Enlightenment: A Nasty Thing". The book debunks many of the myths that have grown up around enlightenment. The author tries to help people seeking awareness find the right path and start moving along it.
- Nisargadatta Maharaj "I Am That". The author pushes a person to think about his true purpose. It makes you look deep into yourself and realize the need to study your inner world.
- Valery Prosvet “Enlightenment in half an hour”. The author invites readers to pay attention inward and engage in self-development. To do this, the book describes various techniques, methods of self-knowledge and work on oneself.
Gautama Siddhartha is considered the main spiritual mentor - a man who exchanged a carefree life in a luxurious palace for beggarly wanderings in search of truth.
The thirty-year-old monk chose the pseudonym Buddha, the enlightened and awakened one. He sought to achieve a state of enlightenment of consciousness because he could not come to terms with the difficulties and trials that befall the common man. Buddha could not accept the fact that every person encounters illnesses in his life, grows old over time, and the most important thing is that he has to.
After he left a wealthy and comfortable life, the Buddha deliberately practiced ascetic practices for a long time, exhausting himself with hunger and cold. However, he could not achieve humility and peace of mind. When Gautama almost died from exhaustion (he was miraculously saved by local residents), he realized the first truth. It lies in the fact that you should not rush to extremes: in everything you must adhere to the principle of the golden mean.
The name Siddhartha, which his parents gave him, means “one who achieves the goal.” Indeed, Gautama once decided that he would not move until he achieved enlightenment.
He settled down under a huge tree, and after several days of calm contemplation of the surrounding nature, a state of enlightenment came to him. Before his eyes the creation and structure of the Universe took place, the secrets and laws of human existence were revealed. After Buddha became a wise man, he began to preach a new religion and gained many followers.
Principles of an Enlightened Person
The Buddha encouraged his disciples to individually search for the path to enlightenment and awareness of the truth. However, he described a “righteous path” that will help you quickly achieve a state of peace, dispassion and bliss.
To do this, a person must give up criticism and bad thoughts, do good deeds and come to terms with the idea that suffering is inevitable in everyone’s life. An enlightened person can end suffering by entering a state of dispassion and detachment.
Meditation helps a religious person to clear the mind of unnecessary thoughts. When passions fade away and attachments to people, values and comfort disappear, a person becomes calm and serene. In this state, he achieves spiritual enlightenment - a lifetime state of peace and grace, and truths are also revealed to him.
In various spiritual and esoteric circles, these two phenomena - enlightenment and spiritual awakening - are often confused, interpreted differently, identified and generally not understood. Because you can understand this only in one case - by truly experiencing it.
Any explanations are only descriptions, concepts, and they do not convey the Truth, but only point to it in one way or another, from one side or another. It's like a road sign with the name of a city written on it and an arrow showing where it is. Or it can be compared to a map, which shows the outline of a city in a two-dimensional plane. Many spiritual seekers equate a pointer with what it points to, or a map with territory. Because of this, disagreements, confusion and pointless disputes arise.
In this article, I will try to describe in simple words the difference between spiritual awakening and enlightenment, listing the main signs and symptoms of both, based on my experience. Just keep in mind that this text is just another description, just one pointer, not the Truth. Truth cannot be conveyed in words; no one has ever been able to do this, and never will be able to. Just look in the direction the words point, you should discover the Supreme Reality for yourself.
Source of material - http://pro-svet.at.ua/index/0-146.
What is the difference between enlightenment and spiritual awakening?
I speak solely from my experience. You don't have to believe it, just take it as my point of view and explore for yourself. In my book “Enlightenment in Half an Hour” I insist on exactly this - don't trust anyone or anything, research for yourself. I can only show the direction to the Truth, but you will have to go yourself.
Spiritual Awakening Happens First, this is a much more common phenomenon than enlightenment. Spiritual awakening occurs in various religions, spiritual (and non-spiritual) practices, in various systems of self-improvement and self-knowledge. And sometimes it happens outside of practice, completely unexpectedly and for no apparent reason. There are many descriptions of the signs and symptoms of spiritual awakening, and they are all so different that in general it seems somehow confusing, contradictory and doubtful. I have highlighted the most general points, the most important, universal ones, which I will share here.
Spiritual awakening is awakening from the illusion of being a body-mind-person. There is a realization that I am not a body, not a mind, not a person. This disidentification can happen instantly, or it can last for years until this understanding becomes absolutely clear and obvious.
In spiritual circles they say that spiritual awakening is the awareness of one's spiritual nature. I would say more simply - this is awareness of one’s non-material nature. The word “spirituality” is associated with a lot of misunderstandings, distortions and downright incorrect interpretations. Therefore, I would suggest going beyond religious terminology and calling it awareness of oneself as Consciousness.
The moment (or period) of spiritual awakening can be accompanied by various vivid and unusual experiences, “special effects” and insights, and their range is very wide. This could be the experience of light, divine sounds, visions of angels or Gods, a feeling of overwhelming love, ecstasy, a sense of unity, etc. In my case, it was an exit from the body in the waking state, when I began to see not through my eyes, but in some other, incomprehensible way. This was accompanied by an indescribable “WOW!”, and confirmed what I was already almost sure of - that I am not a body, but a consciousness. Everyone has their own special effects, but the common denominator of spiritual awakening is only one - awareness of oneself as consciousness, not matter.
After spiritual awakening, you already know from your experience that a person is basically consciousness, and the body-mind-personality is just temporary clothing. Identification with these external things disappears. More precisely, this identification is recognized as an illusion. But this is not enlightenment yet. At this level there is still some duality of “I” and “others”, even if these others are also spiritual beings, albeit in shells.
When enlightenment occurs, the illusion of duality (multiplicity) ceases to be perceived as reality. This is even more difficult to explain in words. Yes, there is the appearance of different people, objects, phenomena and events, but at the same time there is an understanding of advaita, awareness of non-duality. And this can also be accompanied by various special effects.
By the way, about special effects. These are side things. You shouldn't rely on them at all. All of these signs and symptoms described online represent a wide range of experiences and are not necessarily associated with spiritual awakening or enlightenment. I periodically come across beautiful stories on the Internet like “Oh, I had such and such an experience, so I am awakening (or awakened, or enlightened).” Most often these are beautiful fairy tales that are so pleasing to the ego. I am giving a simple and reliable criterion for spiritual awakening is awareness of oneself as consciousness, and not as something material. All other criteria can be misleading, and for a long time.
Let's return to enlightenment.
What are the main signs of enlightenment?
After enlightenment, habitual thoughts may still arise that divide the Indivisible into separate parts, but there is an awareness that this division is conditional, artificial, and unreal. The mind is no longer deceived.
Enlightenment is the realization of the Truth, after which all questions dissolve and disappear. And all the answers, concepts, understandings accumulated on the spiritual path cease to matter. Enlightenment is the end of the search. The end of personality. End of illusions. This is sat-chit-ananda - eternity-consciousness-bliss. But life goes on.
Life after enlightenment is like watching a movie in which you are no longer identified with the main character, although you feel him; rather, you are the very space in which this entire film of life unfolds. And this film, in some incomprehensible way, “consists” of the same material as “you.” I call this material the word “consciousness”.
Everything is Consciousness. And just because consciousness takes one form or another, it does not cease to be consciousness. This is the same consciousness.
It's incomprehensible. This cannot be understood with the mind. And this cannot be explained in words.
And only when the mind calms down and stops creating false divisions into “I” and “not me” can sudden enlightenment occur - the realization of Advaita, non-duality.
I wish everyone a quick and joyful spiritual awakening!
A practical article will show whether enlightenment exists as an objective reality, how spiritual enlightenment is related to the practices of meditation and conscious breathing, and whether there is another way to achieve enlightenment other than spiritual practices.
Enlightenment of consciousness: what does it mean?
What does “enlightenment of consciousness” mean? The question is not an easy one. Many minds have struggled to express in words what cannot be expressed, because words have not yet been invented for this. The only word that people are accustomed to associate with the state of being in a higher reality in a spiritual sense is enlightenment.
Enlightenment as a state of samadhi or, even higher, as the Enlightenment of the Buddha, where we are finally freed from all suffering and passions; a process of absolute purification and reincarnation, where the ego no longer has power and life situations do not provoke emotional reactions - then this can be called true enlightenment.
Many crave it, even more seek it, but only a few go the long way and finally begin to live in a state of enlightened consciousness.
Does enlightenment exist objectively?
The Diamond Sutra says: “There was never a Buddha who entered this world. And there will never be one who enters this world.” He says: “I taught for forty years and never said anything.” Such a saying implies a general denial of the existence of the phenomenon of enlightenment. There is no Buddha, the whole world is an illusion, there is no you and your ego. Who or what will be enlightened? From the point of view of some philosophical teachings, this concept is completely justified, because in the world there is nothing but emptiness, and therefore our existence cannot be taken seriously.
We will leave philosophical questions for philosophy and consider the practical aspect of the phenomenon of enlightenment.
Yoga and Enlightenment: Human Spiritual Enlightenment
Yoga and enlightenment are directly related to each other. By practicing yoga, you open the way to states of insight and enlightenment. By performing breathing and meditative practices, you are primarily working with your energy, increasing your spiritual state and level of development.
In the teachings of yoga, enlightenment plays a special role - this is the final stage of Ashtanga yoga, an 8-step system. Achieving enlightenment - samadhi - is the cornerstone of yoga. All stages of yoga lead to one thing - to samadhi. Whether you are doing asanas or pranayama, whether you are practicing focused attention or meditation, you are always doing essentially one thing - approaching insight, and enlightenment, its brief moment, can happen even at the very approaches. You may not be as experienced as other practitioners; here the whole subtlety of the process lies in the implementation of the techniques, in turning off the mind from being absorbed in everyday issues.
When we talk about samadhi as enlightenment, liberation from passions, it would be wrong to say that this is the final stage on the path to enlightenment. This is rather a technical form of gaining enlightenment; the real highest enlightenment is entering the state of Anutara Samyak Sambodhi, the enlightenment of the Buddha. This is the state of a bodhisattva, a saint who helps people. He has learned the truths, is completely free from the power of passions, he is no longer bound by logic, everything is comprehended and everything is known not through the intellect, but directly as receiving revelation.
The only thing a bodhisattva does not do is go into nirvana. His decision is to help people on this earth, so he continues to reside here in the state of supreme Samyak Sambodhi, free from egoism, passions and desires.
If we look at the process of enlightenment from a more practical point of view, we will understand that everyday worries take up a lot of mental energy, and to achieve enlightenment we need free energy, which is why it is so important to stop thinking and making plans at least for a while. You need to renounce worldly concerns, think about the timeless, about what will remain forever - it is eternal. This is the same as devoting one's thoughts to what Brahman is, how it expresses itself in the world and that we are all Brahman.
How to achieve enlightenment
We achieve enlightenment not simply through practicing concentration or self-awareness. Enlightenment is a daily process when you learn new things, change your view of things and the world order. After analyzing the situation and coming to a new conclusion, you begin to perceive reality differently.
You don't just achieve enlightenment (can it be "achieved"?), we are not in the sport of achievement; you come to enlightenment, find yourself in it. This is precisely the formulation of the question: to find yourself, to know your essence, your real essence, your spiritual one. Why are you here, who are you, do you have a mission, do you need it? You are a spiritual being, so why should you take care of missions. If your consciousness wants this, then why not. This means that this is the essence of your life, your enlightenment, you will come to it through your mission.
For others it will be simply through self-improvement. A person is designed to learn, but it is not necessary to master new arts or skills, you can devote yourself to knowing yourself and your spirit. This truly will be your enlightenment.
How to achieve enlightenment
You can seek and achieve enlightenment in other ways, more indirectly. By changing your lifestyle, abandoning your previous views, tastes and habits, you come closer to a state of insight. You are like a sculptor who cuts off what is unnecessary, mercilessly parting with pieces of stone in order to create an image that has already appeared before his inner gaze.
Remove what has become ballast for you, find new interests in life, and start creating your new reality. If you changed something in one of the areas of your life and it led to radical changes, this is gradual enlightenment. You discover life in a new way, its hidden aspects, esoteric knowledge. There is no need to understand esotericism as strange voodoo magic or something like that. Esotericism is knowledge that is hidden from the inexperienced eye, but it contains the essence of things.
Once you lift the curtain, you will understand that life has not only a physical aspect, but also a spiritual and energetic one. You will begin to solve riddle after riddle; Much that was previously incomprehensible to you or interpreted from the position of a purely dense reality will take on a new coloring. You began to see in a new way.
Enlightenment: synonyms
By the concept of “enlightenment” we also mean insight, insight, a new perception of life, the emergence of consciousness to a new level. You have grown spiritually, become wiser, rethought your positions - this is what the concept of enlightenment and insight is associated with. You begin to see through the veil, the so-called maya. Finally, glimpses of another reality, other worlds become visible to spiritual vision.
Symbol of enlightenment
Enlightenment not only has a spiritual aspect, but also its symbolic representation in the physical world. Since ancient times, the lotus flower has become a symbol of enlightenment in the East. Its roots are in the ground under water, and its straight stem and luxurious flower rise above the surface of the water surface. If you have seen how rice grows in the fields, then a lotus grows from the same environment - this is a tropical beauty.
The petals of its flower are numerous; It’s not for nothing that they say that its inflorescence consists of 1000 petals, and our upper “crown” chakra is associated with the lotus inflorescence. He is pure, gentle, sublime in the literal sense of the word. The buds of this flower can be seen in all Buddhist temples and are given as offerings to Buddhist monks. A flower is a symbol of insight, purity of thoughts and high ideas. He is the embodiment of spirituality.
Pitfalls of Enlightenment
Enlightenment Traps: Both new and experienced Buddhist meditation or yogic practitioners can fall into these. Even if you do not engage in any of the ancient practices, still even an ordinary person engaged in self-improvement, internal search or knowledge of the secrets of our planet and everything that exists on it, there is a risk of falling into the trap of consciousness, better known as the trap of enlightenment.
Signs of enlightenment: pseudo-lucidation
These are states when it seems to you that you have already broken away from this mortal reality, you really no longer care about the interests that the majority live by, the TV has been thrown into a landfill for many years, the Internet is the only connection with the world, and even then you use it not for the purpose of watching the news, because they no longer interest you, but rather as a means of connecting with like-minded people or finding new information that is adequate to your spiritual development.
A short list of signs of a seeker close to enlightenment:
- understanding of reality and the essence of things;
- getting out of the crowd;
- view from the outside;
- craving for deeper self-knowledge and the process of self-discovery;
- study of spiritual, religious and mystical literature;
- awareness of actions and thoughts.
Although it is sometimes difficult to admit, but when we have become smarter and even more enlightened in many matters of existence, our emotions are still strong. This is, perhaps, the stronghold that is most difficult to overcome - the emotions associated with our attitude towards ourselves.
How can you not notice that we have truly risen above the crowd, that we are smarter and kinder, that we understand others better, that we have developed empathy and a high level of emotional intelligence. We may not even look proud and we are well aware that vanity and pride are the most difficult emotional states to get rid of.
We have driven them underground and are aware of how modest and simple we are towards others, but this awareness itself is a good indicator that the corrosive emotions of an egoistic plan are still with us, living in us. They just changed their role and now act as meek ones, as if telling us: “Look how humble and simple you have become, there are few of those on earth.”
Emotions are the mystery of enlightenment
So, the very awareness of how new, improved we are, with an improved range of interests and much more, is just the other side of the coin. You know that every emotion has a second side; perhaps it looks more pleasant, but turn it around - and the same unpleasant picture will open: behind humility - impudence, behind modesty - pride, behind detachment - involvement in the vanity of affairs.
These are not just comparisons, this is the rule of duality. We just turned the coin over, and the coin is still the same. What to do to truly get rid of even hidden disguised emotions? First of all, you need to understand that as long as there is control, even minimal, then the ego is doing its job. Remove the ego and there will be no emotions left to control. Without the obvious presence of the ego, even the very concept of emotion disappears. What is replaced is a feeling of goodness, unshakable calm, because we cannot say that the enlightened do not have emotions, although in reality they do not exist as we understand them.
The difference between the emotions of an enlightened person and an ordinary person
This kind of calmness is the basis of the “emotionality” of an enlightened person. Nothing can upset him, nothing can upset him, because the ego is finished. Only the ego reacts to external stimuli, which is why we get emotion as an output. Those emotions that we like, we consider positive and do not want to get rid of them, and negative ones - of course, we want to quickly recover, replace them, throw them away.
We again forgot that both positive and negative emotions are part of one whole: a response to stimuli. There will be no “I” reaction to the external - all emotions, including positive ones, will disappear! Yes, and we need to acknowledge this.
We must stop hunting for a positive emotional state, it is such a natural drug: ate something tasty - a positive emotion, ate something bitter, something disgusting - a negative emotion. There is a mechanism at work here, period. In order to become free from emotions, if you really want this, you need to leave all emotional attachments - then the ego will weaken, it will dissolve, and what remains will be a state of peace and bliss.
State of Enlightenment
It is difficult to express in words what will happen, because in our dictionary there are no suitable words for this: after all, most of them that describe a person’s psychological state are associated with emotion. In the case when we have moved away from emotion, only words such as “peace” and “detachment” can at least approximately describe such a state in which there is no “I”. It is difficult to grasp, but when you experience this state for the first time - you cannot say “feel”, you just need to live it - then you will understand what we are talking about.
Moreover, it is interesting to note that this pure emotionless state is available without performing special meditation practices or breathing exercises. Techniques and methods can help you achieve peace, speed up the process, but this is not the only way. It is quite possible, without constantly engaging in any specific practices, to find inner peace - spiritual peace.
However, it should be remembered that factors such as proper nutrition - plant foods, certain physical activities, looking at the world from a new angle, less focus on your “I” and its needs - are excellent components in order to achieve an illuminated state of mind, even without leaving society.
Remedies on the path to enlightenment
Staying alone and reading wise books written at least a century ago, or better yet, works well in this direction. Back then, authors were much less concerned about remuneration issues, if not at all. They created because they wanted to convey something to the reader, to truly convey knowledge. They created works from an overabundance of experience, a desire to open up something new to the world, it was their self-expression, and therefore, when you read such books, you inevitably become involved in the process, become part of it, and this definitely affects your psychological state.
Books, music, the right films, even feature films, can serve as an excellent means of changing your psychological state and switching your spiritual mode to a higher level.
It may be difficult to imagine at first, but works of art and sources of wisdom, such as books, travel to different parts of the globe, and exposure to the world of art, can serve as a lever for changing your spiritual state.
It is important to remember one thing here: do not make this an end in itself. An end in itself is the work of the ego. It will make purpose and competition out of everything. The process is important to us, so live as if you do not care about issues of self-knowledge and enlightenment, and then it will come by itself.
What does enlightenment give?
Again a question from the “I” position. After all of the above, you yourself understood that posing such a question is not only incorrect - it comes from egoistic ideas: “What will I get from this? What will I end up with? Once I become enlightened, what next?”
Our “I” is never enough. So it longs for enlightenment, and if it seems to it that we have become sufficiently enlightened, then we need to run again to a new goal and achievements. Faster, higher, more illuminated - this is the credo of the omnipotent ego at the hourly Olympiads of the mind.
Is there life after enlightenment?
So how do you know whether you are enlightened or not and what awaits us after enlightenment? When you achieve enlightenment, these questions will not interest you. They simply won't exist. You will live in a state of inner peace. You will stop weighing on your internal scales whether you are satisfied with the life you are leading and what it is like in comparison to the past. A new life will come for you, where there are no comparisons with the past or with the expected future.
At this moment, which many mystics and teachers talk about, you will find everything for yourself. This doesn't mean you shouldn't make plans for a vacation or trip. It is necessary, since these are real gradual movements that need to be performed in physical reality. But while taking actions, you will be in agreement with yourself: the conflict of parts is over. What you do in the moment, what you devote your time to in life, will be for you the only and best activity that you could ever imagine for yourself.
You will find harmony within yourself, and it will be reflected in the world around you. You will stop wondering whether I live for others or for myself. You will live both for yourself and for others, because even the concept of “others” will merge with yourself for you. You will still understand that there is Masha, Vasya and Kolya, but you will not think of them as separate and independent beings from you. Much will take on a new meaning for you, you will understand that your action has an energetic response in the world, one does not exist without the other; you will understand that spiritual and energetic connections rule the world.
The information that enlightened people live among us has been exciting, frightening and delighting humanity for several years now. A striking example of enlightenment is the Dalai Lama.
He, like his enlightened compatriots, differs from ordinary people in that if you look at him with the so-called “subtle” (energy) vision, you can see an unusual luminosity surrounding him, not typical of ordinary people.
Signs of enlightenment
Enlightened people, according to esoteric researchers, have a very smooth and clean energy field, producing clean, straight rays (usually multi-colored). It is also known that enlightened people living in big cities are forced to hide their luminosity so as not to be recognized.
According to a certain group of mystics, enlightenment is not connected with the arguments of logic. To be enlightened means to go beyond the limits of physical and mental capabilities. The physical body, not adapted to changes of this kind, often cannot withstand the load, and the phenomena that a person has to face are so powerful that they provoke mental and physical health disorders. Enlightenment has a particularly strong effect on the quality of sleep: a person becomes so meaningful that sleep cannot take over his body.
What kind of enlightened person is he? Signs that cannot be confused with anything else
In Tibet, facts of light absorption have been repeatedly recorded, but such cases are commonplace there. Through years of meditation, Tibetan lamas learn to separate the mind from the body. As a result, the body becomes unnecessary: the mind takes it with it into eternity in the form of absolute energy.
In the 60s of the 20th century, one Tibetan lama, a man with an awakened, enlightened consciousness, asked his loved ones not to disturb him and retired to his hut for a week. After this period, rainbow light “poured” from all the cracks of his house, and the lama himself disappeared without a trace.
Can “negative characters” achieve this state?
Adolf Hitler, who, according to some research groups, had the skills of a psychic, had no doubt that there was a place on the planet called the Hollow Earth. The idea of the existence of a hollow Earth inhabited by creatures that cannot be called people has indeed been discussed more than once among esotericists. The guesses of the Russian researcher of the occult magic of the German fascists, Sergei Zubkov, completely coincide with this statement.
The scientist believes that the reason for the racial cleansing that Hitler loved to carry out in the Third Reich was the Nazis’ attempts to attract the attention of the underground “masters” who were supposed to take part in the reorganization of the world as we know it.
Did Hitler have a chance of becoming an enlightened person? If you believe authoritative esotericists, the presence of paranormal abilities is not enlightenment, but rather a continuation of the game invented by the mind and ego. True, sometimes the game moves to a new level, that is, it becomes more sophisticated (but does not cease to be a game).
But this is not the peak yet - it is the mind that builds beautiful obstacles in front of those striving for the True Reality, making him think that he is almost at the goal. But if there is no real mentor next to the “player,” there will be no one to warn him that he is playing too hard.
All these games and levels, stages of awakening and enlightenment from the point of view of Unconditional Reality are the fruit of human imagination, since on the path to spiritual heights there are no players, no sleepers, no lost ones, no Absolute or relative reality. The mind uses information about the stages of enlightenment only to calm the ego. And the most widespread ways to get closer to God all come down to gradual and not devoid of duality, hard daily work, the implementation of which requires spending many years (or lives).
Enlightenment does not guarantee physical health
How long do enlightened people live? The answer to this question has shocked materialist scientists for several centuries.
Some historians and psychologists who deny the existence of True reality admit that an enlightened person may well be socially adapted and successful in the professional and financial spheres. After all, people who are ideal in all respects cannot be unhappy in family and social life.
Most materialists consider the main false argument, which does not “fit” into the esoteric picture of the world, to be the fact that enlightened people, who seemed to be closest to Divine miracles, became victims of earthly diseases from which they died prematurely.
The earthly body is a fragile thing
Indeed, many enlightened teachers died of cancer and other incurable diseases. Buddha, for example, died after several months of suffering caused by poisoning. His numerous followers, watching the suffering of their Teacher, expected first a miraculous recovery, and then a resurrection from the dead. But the miracle never happened.
Krishnamurti suffered from terrible migraines for almost 40 years, and Ramakrishna suffered from paranoid hallucinations, but died of throat cancer when he was 45 years old. Swami Vivekananda was diabetic and died at 38. His weight at the time of death was 120 kg.
Sri Swami Sivananda suffered from diabetes and obesity, and Sri Aurobindo suffered from tuberculosis and nephritis. Carlos Castaneda died of liver cancer when he was 73.
There are several opinions explaining the facts of the untimely departure of great Teachers. Two explanations, which will be discussed below, are considered to be most consistent with reality.
Not warned means disarmed
First, the sudden death of all great men is the result of unconditional service to others. Giving all their strength and knowledge to the suffering, they forgot to take care of their bodies.
Secondly, not a single teaching mentions that enlightenment is a shock of enormous force that pierces the brain like a bolt of lightning. Only a few enlightened people find the strength to save their brain from destruction. As a rule, the “lucky ones” include individuals who systematically trained and used their thinking abilities: philosophers, mathematicians, physicists...
According to statistics, an ordinary person uses his brain at about 5% of its potential. A great man uses about 15% of his potential. And the one who uses 33%, that is, a third of the possibilities, will be able to experience enlightenment.
Unspoken statistics are no less inexorable: sudden death overtakes 90% of people who managed to survive enlightenment. And the enlightened people of our time, the survivors (10% of them), will never tell anyone anything about their experience, because their brain is no longer subordinate to them, and therefore cannot be used as a speech mechanism.
These shocking details, which took place over many centuries, were never mentioned. But no one asked...
Side effects
The “best qualities” of an enlightened person make his further stay on Earth impossible. A large number of enlightened people die at the same moment - from the experience gained, the heart stops and the breath stops. Only a few remain alive, and almost all of them in the past were either dashing adventurers or had life-threatening professions. Having received some doses of exciting experiences throughout their previous lives, they were able to cope with more severe shocks. But even if their hearts did not stop after what happened, their bodies, having changed, would be subject to suffering.
The human body can function normally when it is within its capabilities. But since enlightenment is going beyond limits, everything that is poorly developed breaks down. The body also breaks down, which, fortunately, will never be of use to the enlightened one.
Real Masters are silent about their achievements
Observant people have noticed that debates about the essence of enlightenment and methods of spiritual practices are the lot of beginners or those who have not even set foot on this path yet. Experienced mystics call this behavior a game of religious practicality, based on the desire to show off.
What is the reason for such discussions and conflicts? Experienced esotericists argue that, consciously or not, debaters express their uncertainty in this way: “Have I chosen the right path?” Beginners, chatting about “high”, do not suspect that this is due to their lack of experience and uncertainty about the correctness of their life choices. The eyes of an enlightened person radiate calm and leave no doubt about the strength of his faith. As for a beginner’s faith, any example of someone else’s negative experience can weaken it.
Trying to prove to others (and above all to themselves) that they are on the right path, many beginners begin to doubt even more, and this doubt first gives rise to aggression, and then to fanaticism. What then? Defending your faith becomes a matter of honor and requires more and more radical measures, such as burning “heretics” and “witches”, intimidation by sects, “jihad” and so on.
What does "enlightened" mean? A person who wants to find a good teacher, at least once, asked himself this question. How to distinguish a real, enlightened master? By his silence. An enlightened guru will never get involved in a dispute about “whose faith is more correct,” since he knows that all paths of enlightenment lead to the same God, and therefore to the same result.
Theory and practice of enlightenment
Each of the methods of enlightenment provides for the possibility of receiving secret signs and consists of certain stages of awakening. As for secret signs, inexperienced students receive them from the guru, and people who have been practicing the spiritual path for a long time are guided by them to determine whether they are lost in the illusory “wilds” of their mind.
The secret signs of different schools differ from each other, so it makes no sense to compare them. These are just a kind of “notches”, upon seeing which the walker will understand that he is on the right path.
People engaged in various practices receive many different, blissful states (of which experience is made up), as well as the opportunity to see and hear what is hidden from ordinary people, go to the subtle worlds and meet saints. Many beginners, succumbing to temptation, force themselves to believe that they are already enlightened and get stuck at one of these stages, fascinated by their own sublime experiences and revealed abilities.
Those who know about practical and Vedanta (Vasishtha) also know that a person following the path of development can achieve the state of a completely Enlightened, semi-enlightened or unenlightened being.
Ordinary beings (including humans) who are “sound asleep” relative to the Absolute Reality are called unenlightened.
Perfectly Enlightened Yogis are those who, based on personal experience, have come to know themselves as Absolute Reality or have become rooted in it, having achieved self-awareness. People who feel united with God and see reality as it really is are called samadhis. Samadhas were Shiva, Krishna and Allah. It is this indescribable state that all yogis strive for.
Sahaja Samadhis are people who live an ordinary life while in Samadhi. Sahaja Samadha is forced to release some of his attention and direct it to performing daily duties and maintaining life in the physical body.
Perfectly enlightened people are aware of the Absolute Reality even during night sleep. In dreams filled with Divine radiance, they are able to travel through subtle worlds inhabited by gods.
Semi-enlightened people are people who have touched the Absolute Reality for only a short moment and returned to their normal state. Some semi-enlightened people are able to absolutely correctly perceive and understand the Truth, despite the fact that their consciousness has not yet been completely purified.
There are also individuals who accepted the Truth and understand its essence, but they were not able to undergo the necessary experience and experiences. Not knowing that the consciousness will not be cleared until the mind calms down, they are engaged in speculating on the sayings of enlightened masters. According to some mystics, this is also a good start on the path. By reciting the correct statements an incredible number of times, they thereby bring closer the purification of consciousness and calmness of the mind.
Enlightened people of our time
Many users of the Global Network are interested: are there any enlightened people in Russia? According to the information available to modern esotericists, in the 50s of the last century, the incarnation of highly developed souls on Earth began all over the world (and therefore in Russia). The reason for the “landing” was the need to protect the independent will of enlightened earthlings. The first wave of incarnations (Indigo Children) was completed in the 60s of the 20th century, the second was produced between 1980 and 1990 (Crystal Children), the arrival of the third wave (the birth of Rainbow Children) is currently taking place.
The last two waves are mostly the offspring of matured Indigos. Indigo parents create conditions for their offspring in which their innate intuitive, telepathic and develop very quickly. Many children already have the abilities of psychokinesis (moving objects in close proximity) and telekinesis (moving distant objects). The next stage for them will be mastering the technologies of levitation, teleportation and the ability to be in two places at the same time.
What is the difference between an enlightened person and an unenlightened one? An ordinary, unenlightened person with limited knowledge believes that the Universe is infinite.
An enlightened, changed person does not see the Universe and understands the boundlessness of wisdom and knowledge that he saw with his inner vision. He also knows that the Universe has boundaries and knowledge is limitless.
According to the information recorded in the Vedas, the soul of an enlightened person, having realized itself, leaves the material (no longer needed) body or burns the body in the fire of tejas (life force). According to people who follow this path, an enlightened person is immediately visible because he constantly talks and writes that “awakening is beyond the mind.”
According to the same source, there are other people who also talk and write a lot about their practice of mindfulness and magic... a deliberate lie, because they are inside the mind and are not enlightened.
How to recognize an enlightened person? Each school, as you know, has its own methods of enlightenment. But every enlightened master reveals to his disciples the same Absolute Reality (the highest spiritual realization), which can be achieved in different ways. Therefore, it is not possible for a master of one school to judge in absentia the degree of enlightenment of a master of another school. Only by meeting and talking (or staying silent) can enlightened masters answer this question.