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What is enlightenment?

4/3/2017

9 Comments

 
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As spiritual seekers, many of us are on a quest to attain enlightenment. But what, exactly, do we mean by this? There is a prevalent view in Western society that, if we can meditate for long enough, one day we will suddenly reach the ultimate "Aha!" moment which will lead us to transcend our human form. All physical barriers and illusions will seemingly melt away and we will be left in a state of Divine union with the Creator. We imagine a life in which we walk around on clouds, unaffected by the trials and tribulations of ordinary life. However, in our unending quest to transcend the physical world, we are completely missing the point- which is to experience and appreciate our physical existence without any internal resistance to it.

When the Buddha reached enlightenment, the ultimate realization that he came to was actually quite ordinary. He understood that, as human beings on Earth, everyone is faced with the same basic set of circumstances. There really is no escaping the human condition that we all find ourselves in, so we are better off accepting our circumstances rather than trying to escape from them. He recognized that the cause of human suffering was our desire for things to be different than how they actually are. For example, we wish that life was not a terminal situation, that we can go on living forever without the threat of disease or death. We wish that we were perfect beings and that nothing bad would ever happen to us. As a result of our attachment to this desire for perfection, we find ourselves in a constant struggle between the way things are and the way that we wish things would be. 

Enlightenment is not a single moment, faraway in the distant future in which we finally attain spiritual oneness. Rather, it is an everyday process in which we recognize whenever we are in a state of internal struggle against the present moment and then consciously move into a state of acceptance and cooperation with whatever is happening. The illusion of enlightenment is that there is an Ultimate Realization out there  and that, once we are finally able to attain it, life ceases to be difficult. The truth is, you can come to the profound realization that everyone and everything in the universe is One, but you are still going to have to do the dishes once you are finished with dinner. You can understand deeply that time is an illusion and that everything is fundamentally taking place here in the present moment, but you are still going to have to take out the garbage once a week. 

That is why, in the Zen philosophy, they treat the ordinary, every day world with such reverence. Because, ultimately, this ordinary world is "it." This life, this world, this present moment is what is happening. This earthly life is our training ground for spiritual growth. Our goal should not be to escape from our physical existence, rather we should embrace the gift of life that has been bestowed on us. That doesn't mean that we are passive in the face of tyranny or that we stop fighting for what is right, it means that we do so without the presence of internal conflict. We strive to move through life without resistance just as water flows effortlessly down a mountain stream. In this way, every moment becomes an opportunity for spiritual advancement. In any given situation, simply tuning into the breath will let you know whether you are in a state of acceptance or resistance with what is happening. The tendency is to hold your breath whenever you find yourself in a difficult situation. Then you let out a sigh of relief when everything turns out okay. The challenge is to keep a steady flow of breath regardless of whether or not your mind is labeling the situation as "bad." You know you are on the right path when you don't even need to take a sigh of relief because you were conscious enough to not hold onto your breath in the first place. 
9 Comments
Habijimo
4/4/2017 12:46:14 am

Hey there! I'm new to the blog and love thinking about this topic so I thought I'd chine in!

I hate to be a stickler, but as someone who has studied philosophy, with an emphasis on Asian thought, in a University setting for years, I'd have to disagree with some of your comments fundimenatily. Please forgive my grammer and spelling. English is my second language.

Here we go!

Firstly I'm not sure it's prudent to assume a spiritual public is interested in living in this life on this plain, "without the threat of disease." Once a person reaches a basic level of spiritual understanding it immediately becomes apparent that this is not only impossible but an unhealthy outlook. Trying to think about enlightenment in terms of any sort of construct reference from this reality in a human mind is impossible. Daniel Dennett discusses that in depth in his book "Kinds of Minds."

As for the Zen aspect of this, I feel like you are missing the true essence to their idea too. Zen is more of a practaice of mastering nothingness in order to abandon the self rather than a way in which to see and ebrace one's day to day world.

Lastly I want to coment on your 3rd paragraph. I'd have to argue two things based on all of my years of studying this very topic. Firstly, I would have to bring up that many ancient cultures refere to enlightenment as a "moment." Many refere to the "moment of enlightenment." I would have to argue that that monent is very much so "a single moment, faraway in the distant future in which we finally attain spiritual oneness." That is exactly as it is described in the teachings of the Buddha. Random enlightenment with no effort of spiritual work is also widely recognized in India. And the second point I wanted to bring up about that is something I was taught by Sadguru. And that is that there is a reason there are not enlightened men walking the earth and that is because the moment of enlightenment and the moment of death are always the same. When one reaches such a pure and high vibeational state they can no longer retain the body, nor do they have any need for it. This is also widely excepted in India. So in essence enlightenment is not about acheving oneness with this life through flow and ease of understanding as you suggest, but however, the moment in which one can see the entire universe from within themselves, at which point, they become the universe. Perhaps this short video could explain it better. Watch the whole thing.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=o7YFWEJyJhg

Looking forward to reading your reply and having a little chat!

-Habijimo


Reply
Nick Hughes
4/4/2017 07:24:41 am

Thank you for your comments. I am honored that someone with your educational background is willing to engage in a discussion with me. I did not study eastern philosophy in university, instead I studied psychology. My interest has always been about the connection between mind and body.

I want to point out that the title of my blog is: "What is enlightenment?" It is not "What is enlightenment according to eastern philosophical traditions?" I now realize that the title of my blog post should probably have been: What is enlightenment (in my opinion)?

When I spoke about the Buddha and his insight into the human condition, I was referring to the four noble truths that he proclaimed. He speaks of 'Dukkha' which, as I understand it, is the insatiable feeling of dissatisfaction and anxiety that most people feel when faced with the impermanence of life. I am not saying that all spiritual people seek a life that is free from disease and death. I am saying that an important goal in any spiritual path is to recognize the root cause of human suffering. The Buddha discovered that the root cause of suffering is found in the mind itself. It is found in our craving for the 'good' things and 'good' experiences in life and our pushing away of the 'bad' things. This constant craving and rejecting places us fundamentally at odds with the way life really is.

When it comes to Zen, I agree that Zen practitioners spend a lot of their time concentrating on nothingness in an attempt to overcome the self. However, I was referring to a Zen practitioners ability to maintain single pointed concentration on the task at hand. Every activity they perform has their full attention without any internal resistance and without their minds wandering off. In this way, even something as mundane as cutting wood or carrying water can become a practice in mindfulness and awareness.

Finally, I just watched the YouTube video that you recommended. Out of interest, I continued to watch the next three videos in the series by the Sadhguru. In these videos he addresses the question of whether or not enlightenment happens with "bang" or whether it is a result of a process. He says that everything is a result of a process and that nothing in the universe happens, "bang, bang, bang..." He goes on to say in another video that, in order to be enlightened, all that is required is that you simply stop all of this constant "doing." At one point he says that when you are able to just "be here" then you will be enlightened. And that's all I was getting at. Enlightenment doesn't have to be a convoluted mystical experience at the end of your life, perhaps it is just seeing life, and your connected place within the web of life just as it is, without any illusions.

Reply
Meghan Brennan
4/4/2017 08:19:39 am

I love this! Just what I needed to hear. Thank you for writing and sharing ❤❤❤

Reply
Habijimo
4/4/2017 11:08:46 am

Great points Nick!
I'm busy at work at the moment but I'll chime in later on!
-H

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    About The Author

    Nick Hughes is a massage therapist, yoga instructor and co-owner of Well Being. Influenced by the ideas of Alan Watts, Eckhart Tolle, Ram Dass, and Deepak Chopra, Nick presents his unique take on human existence with the goal of helping others live a happier life.

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