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Why Not Enlightenment?
When I ask my clients for their spiritual development goals, I often hear that they would like to more fully embrace their Soul’s purpose, or develop a closer relationship with their Divine Self. These are wonderful goals … but, surprisingly, no-one has ever told me: “I would like to become fully enlightened.”
Enlightenment is the goal of spiritual development. And yet, very few of us on a spiritual path seem to openly aspire to this goal. Why are we not reaching for enlightenment? Why are we not setting enlightenment as an intention for our path?
Here are some of the reasons you may be selling yourself short by aspiring to less lofty spiritual goals:
I’m not special enough.
Surely enlightenment is reserved for those very special Souls, for those individuals that show amazing psychic ability and great wisdom from an early age! Who are we to think that we could ever hope to become enlightened?
Of course, if we believe ourselves undeserving of enlightenment, it will forever remain elusive. If we do not conceive of this goal, if we do not ask for spiritual assistance in becoming enlightened Beings, then we will also not receive it. But really, who are we to judge ourselves as unworthy of enlightenment? How can we diminish ourselves, say that we are “less than” others on a spiritual path? All spiritual teaching uphold that we are equal, that we are One. Who are we to argue? Enlightenment is available to everyone at all times.
I’m not spiritually advanced enough.
So we haven’t been meditating since we were six years old. Maybe we just began our path a few years ago. We might feel that we don’t have enough time to accomplish our goal in this lifetime.
This assumes that the path of spiritual development is a linear progression. In fact, we can make incredible leaps and shifts in our spiritual evolution in a very short period of time. When we ask for assistance towards enlightenment, doors will open towards that goal. The spiritual realm is not limited by linear time.
I would no longer be who I am.
Who would we be, if we became enlightened? Would we have to give up who we are? Would we have to give up our family, our friends? Could we still go to the movies, or have a few beers on a Saturday night?
This is perhaps the greatest fear we have, a fear that our ego upholds. The ego is afraid that it would cease to exist, that our physical life circumstances would suddenly mean nothing to us. Our ego would like us to believe that enlightenment means we would have to leave our life, our family, and our bank account behind and sit on a mountain top meditating for eighteen hours a day.
Enlightenment does not mean eradication of the ego! It does not mean that we leave the physical plane behind. First of all, we need our ego self in order to manage the practical aspects of life on the physical plane. Secondly, we still have a life on the physical plane – and that life includes everything it does now! As we move forward on our path of spiritual evolution, our physical life circumstances begin to express the creativity of our Divine Self more and more. Life therefore becomes more satisfying and fulfilling. Enlightenment does not force us to give up what we hold dear.
Enlightenment does mean that our identification completely shifts from the ego self to our Divine Self. The ego becomes a tool, a helpful aspect of ourselves that is completely subjected to the will of our Divinity. Enlightenment is the complete experience, the full ownership of our Divinity. Our ego does not like this idea very much, and so it creates fear and doubt that enlightenment is a desirable state!
Are you ready to set a greater spiritual goal for yourself? Are you ready to ask your spiritual Guides and helpers to show you the path to enlightenment?
Blessings,
Andrea
April 2nd, 2008 at 11:32 am
I think my issue with at this point, of being “fully enlightened’ as a stated goal, is that is seems really vague…
would this be the Zen experience of Satori? - or being both fully in spirit, and physical form as a resurrected being?
As teleological (goal setting) beings, it’s really helpful to have a clear sense of what that goal would be, in crystal clear sense - only then will we be able to truly realize it. I have been recently chewing on the following koan ” When you are who you are meant to be - the doing is effortless” … and as such have been working on those aspects of myself that I know I need to be changed, in order to get to where I need to be.
While it is true that spiritual progression can happen quickly, I’m not sure that it’s possible to be enlightened, if, for example, one’s in-box is cluttered with several feet (relatively) of paper that one needs to go through (which is the case for me). That being said, the motivation for me to do so, is very tied to my life purpose:
To help people find connectedness with themselves, others, and the universe, Through my presence, creative works of all kinds, and contributing strategically to organizations working towards the above - in ways that are congruent with how the world should be.
While full enlightenment will come eventually, for right now I content myself to try and live fully in the present moment - and taking advantage of the opportunities that present themselves, to learn and grow.
(I am very much looking forward to taking your Soul Realignment Course, when the time is right, BTW)
Many blessings!
Jeremy
April 2nd, 2008 at 12:22 pm
Hi Jeremy,
Thanks for your very insightful comment! I have to say I’m not sure about “Satori” - that’s not the spiritual lineage I come from. The yogis call it samadhi. However, your description of being fully in spirit AND physicality works for me, anyways!
I’d like to say, though, that we can never have a really clear sense of what the goal would be, unless we’ve been there. Whether our goal is enlightenment, or to run our own business - can we truly know the goal without ever having been there? Not really. We can imagine it somewhat, perhaps quite vividly. But we cannot know.
When we set our intentions towards enlightenment, like anything else, the “how” isn’t up to us, is it? We will be guided through the process - and if uncluttering is part of that process, then we will be guided there, too! But I think most of us don’t even set that intention, and so are not moving forward as powerfully as we could. What do you think?
I’m thrilled you’re contemplating making Soul Realignment part of your journey!!
Blessings,
Andrea
April 2nd, 2008 at 1:16 pm
Hi Andrea,
Great article, I like what you said. BTW unless we are enlighten, try to define Enlightenment without first hand experience is kinda like learn to play guitar by read a book and no need to touch a guitar. One thing I do know that many Guru said Enlightenment can not be obtained by yourself, it’s must be given. Your intention does invite that opportunity.
Many blessings
Tuan
April 2nd, 2008 at 1:27 pm
Bravo, Andrea, for bringing up this essential topic. Essential, because it is THE real purpose of our lives.
I think one reason people shy away from the goal is because they think it is unattainable in this life. Understandably, we see our faults, and think, “This much is beyond me in this life, let me take a more bite-sized chunk.” But what we don’t know is how much we may have accomplished in the past. We may be here simply to tie up some loose ends, and–Voila!–a bit of effort and the goal is reached. This much is sure: if we have attained a human birth, enlightenment is possible.
Regarding loosing our “identity”, we have already accomplished that. We think we are something which we are not, and have forgotten the “Real” us. Rather than loosing our identity, through enlightenment we regain who we really are. We are now in a state of ignorance with a capital I, and see everything falsely–we have no idea what is really out there, or within. Through the quest for enlightenment, we regain our knowledge of what IS, and who we really ARE.
All we cling to in this temporal life pales in comparison to even the shadow of what we regain when we “come home.” There, nothing is lost.
April 2nd, 2008 at 2:30 pm
Hey Andrea,
My favorite topic… cool. There is nothing else worth chasing, and if you are chasing anything else but enlightenment, then enlightenment is not going to be yours. Great article.
Cheers,
Anmol
April 2nd, 2008 at 3:14 pm
Why not indeed?
Too lofty?
Too extreme?
Too out-there?
Too perfect?
Too blissful?
Enlightenment
Step back for a moment and watch the thoughts and feelings that arise when you ponder that word.
Watch with fascination and curiousity and amusement.
Look, there goes another thought.
Anther feeling.
Wow.
What a wonderful world we live in of thoughts and feelings.
Enlightenment.
What a wonderful word.
En
Light
En
Ment
State
of
Spirit
April 2nd, 2008 at 9:24 pm
I’m thrilled to read this article and the discussion in comments.
At first, I was going to say something similar to what Jeremy said — the idea of enlightenment is so vague even though (or because) there are so much talk about it. (BTW I believe the Japanese word satori is the same with samadhi in Sanskrit) But then, Andrea, you have a point. . . who knows exactly what it is until we get it? Hmm. . . I still feel I’d like some kind of image to walk toward it. Like, even though I haven’t built successful business yet, I have an idea and an image, which I am shooting for.
I don’t think I have the excuses you listed in the article, and I know spiritual awakening takes split second (or years), yet I don’t I have been reaching for “enlightenment”
I’ll start thinking about it, and ask my guides for assistance.
April 3rd, 2008 at 11:59 am
Tuan - Thank you! A fabulous analogy, I really appreciate you adding this insight to the discussion!
ReddyK - I’m so glad you agree that enlightenment is available to us all. I love your comment regarding our “loss” of identity. You’re so right - the ego-based “identity” we perceive ourselves as having is nothing but illusion. It is a powerful illusion many of us have collectively bought into - and this is what enlightenment is about, to dispel the illusion and return to our truest, Divine Self. Thank you so much for bringing this perspective into the discussion.
Anmol - Thank you! I know from your blog that this topic is near and dear to you!
KL - You rock! That was just beautiful … I still miss your blog, so I’m always so delighted when you leave such delicious comments here!
Akemi - You bring up an awesome point! The part of you that wants an image, something more concrete to shoot for, is the MIND. And it’s not possible to wrap our mind around the concept of enlightenment, because the state of enlightenment itself transcends the mind. The mind will always say - well, explain this to me, I don’t understand it, so I can’t get there. This thinking is the mind, trying to get in the way of the goal of enlightenment. The last thing our ego-based mind wants for us is enlightenment, because it would mean we no longer give our mind the same power.
I think we have to reach for enlightenment with our hearts, with our love for our Creator and our own Divinity. What happens if you don’t try to wrap your mind around the concept?
ReddyK, I’d love your input on this!
Thank you all for this wonderful discussion!
Blessings,
Andrea
April 3rd, 2008 at 8:39 pm
Hi Andrea,
Thats a great topic and I like what you wrote. I would like to talk a little about my experience of the process. If we define enlightenment as the experience of living in joy, then the process of acheiving a life of joy has forced me to let go of some of that which I held dear. I had to change the way in which I related to my family, my friends, and the world in general. I had to grieve the loss of those old relationships. I had to grieve the loss of a beautiful dream. I much much prefer my new way of relating to the world but grieving this loss was still hard. Not to mention the fears of making the changes!
Living a life of joy and freedom is living a life of non-attachment. But we cannot live a life of non-attachment without releasing ALL our attachments, i.e. letting go of ALL that we hold dear. Taking the risk that we will lose everything. Jumping off that cliff and trusting that we will fly. Diving into the deep end and trusting that we will swim. Its only when we take the chance do we find that we are given more than we could ever know.
Anyway, hope you are well
Take care,
Andrew
April 5th, 2008 at 8:19 am
My apologies to ReddyK, whose comment somehow got swallowed up by my blog … and I can’t seem to find it! So I’m posting it on his behalf:
Andrea,
I was thinking about sticking my oar in again anyway before you kindly invited my thoughts on this, in response to Akemi and Jeremy’s understandable comments on the vagueness of the Goal. I am enjoying this discussion.
I think the quote from St. Augustine is fitting in this context: “Our hearts are ever restless til they find their rest in Thee.” We may not have a clear concept of the goal, but we intuit that we have a home beyond this world of change. It is our soul’s urge, if you will.
As you said, we cannot clearly conceive where we will end up due to the immensity of God, and our presently deficient capabilties to understand. (Can a cup hold the ocean?) That is why God, The Goal, Nirvana, Enlightenment, however you want to frame it, has usually been described in negative terms (so-called apophatic theology) –invisible, unknowable, inexpressable, etc. The word for God in Greek is Theos, which means “the completely Other”. And in the spiritual approach of India there is the concept of “neti, neti”, that is, not this, not this, til THAT which remains is reached.
Even descriptive terms of the Goal are hints or approximations: Goodness, Peace, Light, Knowledge, Love, etc.. Our earthly experiences of these things are shallow and imperfect, the real things being beyond true conception.
So it is that inner pull toward perfection, and away from the insufficient, the imperfect, the ultimately dissatisfying experiences of this life, that motivates us. Feeling that inner pull often hinges upon our dissatisfaction with the ups and downs of this present world. It is like having the mud and grime scraped off of a magnet, which then can feel the pull of the Great Magnet.
Have my ramblings made some sense? I would like other people’s take on this.
April 6th, 2008 at 5:10 pm
Andrea,
It is such a pleasure to be a part of this wonderful discussion you’ve inspired.
A thought - is enlightenment the constant conscious choice to always respond in the moment with Love?
It sounds easy doesn’t it…
But think about every action you took today - was it motivated by fear or love?
Did you plan your meals based on a Love of Food, or fear of gaining weight?
Did you plan your time based on a Love for your tasks, or a fear of getting fired/losing a client/not making enough money?
Is Love the Way?
April 7th, 2008 at 9:07 am
ReddyK - Thank you so much for your additional insight! I agree that we feel a strong pull … to me, this spiritual development journey is like a speeding train with no brakes. I couldn’t get off the train even if I wanted to - and believe me, sometimes I do think that it would be so much easier if I could be happy doing a nice “normal” job. And then the rest of me says: “Yeah, right!!!” Hah! The further we go on our journey, the stronger the pull of the Divine within.
I agree that we cannot name this process or its goal in a satisfactory way. Enlightenment is an experience. I do know that it takes conscious effort (although I don’t think struggle has to be a part of the process … but that’s another post). If we wish it, we will be guided towards it - the Divine within us will respond to our conscious will.
Here’s a question for you - do you think we must affiliate with a specific path or guru? Or can we get there following only that intuition? I have a spiritual teacher to guide me, and I would assume you do, too. A necessary part of the journey or not?
KL - I love your definition, but I agree one more time with ReddyK. I don’t think we can neatly wrap it up in a single sentence. In my book, enlightenment is the experience of being one with the Divine, so I would think that our only response would be Love. I think words fail. However, Love is certainly a way, and a challenging one at that! I think we each find our own road - our Souls each have a map towards enlightenment. ReddyK, what do you think?
Love this discussion! Thank you!!!
Blessings,
Andrea
April 7th, 2008 at 9:55 pm
It seems like there’s alot of emphasis on Me and I here. Isn’t ‘enlightenment’ about losing self, or rather transcending it. Having a goal of ‘being enlightened’ and trying to achieve it is falling into the trap of self.
http://effortless-wealth.blogspot.com/
April 8th, 2008 at 9:11 am
Michael - We have to start where we are. Unenlightened, there is “me” and “I.” That’s our identity for now. And even through enlightenment, we do not “lose” the ego - we need it to do practical things, like make dinner and pay the bills! I think enlightenment is more about seeing everything as Self - not a loss of Self. We are still an individual Soul, connected to all other individual Souls through the Divinity within all.
Many people on a path of evolution become excessively other-centered. But the journey has to start with the “I” because that’s the only journey we can actively create!
Blessings,
Andrea
April 8th, 2008 at 9:20 am
Bravo again, Andrea, for a wise and tempered answer to Michael. Personally I find that the “You are already That so why do anything?” line of reasoning is a mask for choosing to stay stuck in materiality yet sound profound.
Unfortunately, I don’t have any time now to sound profound
in answer to your last comment about Gurus and Love, but I hope to find some time later.
April 8th, 2008 at 1:48 pm
Andrea,
I hope I am not over-doing commenting, but here are my thoughts regarding your last request for input:
Regarding gurus and paths, this is a huge subject, so let me simply say that each person has his own path to follow, and will be attracted to differing expressions of the truth, and to different teachers. (This is assuming we are honestly open to finding the truth.) Yes, we have to learn from those who have walked the path before, and we do well to listen attentively and apply what we learn. But the ultimate responsibility for our spiritual life lies with us. Whether the teacher is God-incarnate with all perfections, or a frail and flawed human with just that knowledge which we need to hear, they cannot walk our path for us.
There are two aspects of following a teacher: Responsibility and Discernment. We have to take the responsibility to discern the truth - is this teaching sensible, is the teacher trustworthy? Has this path produced (or revealed) holiness? We have to learn to tell the difference between sh– and Shinola. (Sometimes colorful expressions describe something best and most memorably
) This discernment (Viveka to you yogis out there) is essential in spiritual life.
And then we must take the responsibility for making the efforts necessary in our spiritual search, and seek out and learn the lesson we need to learn. And the teachings of path or teacher are useless unless we apply them. Jesus said, “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?”
What do you think?
April 8th, 2008 at 2:23 pm
ReddyK,
Your comment above about ‘you are already that’ is the most freeing thing I’ve heard in a long time. The second was the need for a teacher. I have felt and often do feel that pull to be taught and guided, as if it were a necessity. Maybe I’ll find another way, forego necessity.
Much gratitude,
Barbara
April 10th, 2008 at 1:37 pm
ReddyK - Thank you so much for leaving more comments and contributing even more to this discussion! I really appreciate it (comment all you want - really!).
I agree that in following a teacher, we are still responsible for ourselves. Sometimes I think that teachers forget this Truth, also! I do think, too, that as we honestly and seriously apply ourselves to what we are taught, we must still exercise discernment and process the information and practices in our own way. I think there are lots of students that follow blindly - it’s tempting to do, and there are even teachers that expect this. But I think in the end we have to use our intuition to know what will truly serve us.
And at the same time, it’s very easy to think we don’t need to work all that hard … it’s a fine line between not giving in to the resistance of the ego and being self-disciplined, and following another’s teachings blindly. The middle ground between the two is the true discernment.
Thanks again … hmmm, this is a whole other post in the making!
Barbara - Over the last couple of days I find myself pointing out to a few of my clients that they already have teachers. Sometimes the teachers are the people that challenge us or even make us angry. Sometimes these are our teachers in the moment.
Ask for the kind of guidance you want, and it’s sure to appear. But it’s only to guide you back towards everything you already are!
Blessings,
Andrea