What is enlightenment #3? Drawing threads together

 

 

I’ve had a couple of goes at this topic before – first back in April 2023 in https://herethewaking.blogspot.com/2023/04/what-is-awakening.html where I was mainly encouraging people away from the idea that it is very difficult, if not impossible, for ordinary people to awaken. The next time was in https://herethewaking.blogspot.com/2024/05/what-is-enlightenment-and-how-do-we.html where I wrote a bit about taking the process further and mentioned shifts in self-identity and a tiny bit on the nature of awareness.

In this blog I look at some of the many and varied definitions of awakening and enlightenment, and suggest that they may be drawn together through a unifying experience. I have tried to keep it relatively brief so that it is hopefully an accessible suggestion that people could explore and try for themselves.

There are many ways of defining awakening and enlightenment. Below I have summarised a few of the main ones. In addition, although I have sometimes used the words ‘awakening’ and ‘enlightenment’ interchangeably, here I use the word ‘enlightenment’ when referring to awakening experiences that have become a long term or permanent change of perspective.

Although there are many differences between these definitions and the perspectives behind them, for the purposes of this blog I will be highlighting parallels and similarities as I work towards a way in which they can come together in the experience of the deepest meditative states.

I have chosen religious and spiritual perspectives about which I have at least some knowledge and experience! Obviously there are many more perspectives than these, but I think my ultimate aim of bringing them together through experience still holds.

Buddhist Perspective
In Buddhism, enlightenment is usually defined as one or more of:
    • Awakening to the truth of how things are
    • Liberation from the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth
    • A state marked by the absence of desire or suffering, having eradicated the three defilements of greed, hatred and delusion
 

Hindu and Yogic View
In Hinduism and yogic philosophy, enlightenment is often described as:
    • A divine, transcendent experience
    • Transcending suffering and desire, thus obtaining spiritual liberation
    • A state of awakened understanding and spiritual peace
 

Christian Perspectives
The closest Christian perspectives that I am aware of are:
    • Salvation through faith in Jesus Christ leading to eternal life with God
    • The Eastern Orthodox perspective of Theosis, or transformation to be more like God and participating in the divine nature
    • A mystical union with God, as described by Christian mystics such as Meister Eckhart, St. Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross
 

General Spiritual Perspectives
More broadly, awakening and enlightenment may be characterised as:
    • Awakening to life's deeper realities and truths
    • Gaining clear-sightedness that transcends ordinary experiences and perspectives
    • Experiencing the oneness or unity of all things
      
Many perspectives converge on the idea that it involves a profound transformation of perception and consciousness, leading to a deeper understanding of reality and one's true nature.

Despite their apparent differences, many of the above definitions come together when seen from the perspective of the deeper meditation states, such as those I have experienced through jhana meditations or ‘ground of all being’ meditations, which I had a go at describing in https://herethewaking.blogspot.com/2024/07/ground-of-all-being-exploring-deep.html  

Other people describe accessing such states through prayers, meditations, mantras, yoga and other spiritual practices, while others have experienced them spontaneously through Near Death Experiences (NDEs), traumatic experiences, immersion in nature and more.

In these deep states:

    • None of what Buddhists call the three defilements (greed, hatred and delusion) exist and there is neither desire nor suffering.
    • In the Hindu sense, one has reached a state of awakened understanding and spiritual peace.
    • In the Christian sense, there is a transformation, as described in the Eastern Orthodox concept of theosis, or of Divine Union.
    • Within a broad, spiritual perspective, there is an experience of the oneness or unity of all things. Some even say that, at least for a while (given that it is a timeless place!), one IS all things.

In other words, I am proposing that, in these very deep states, the definitions and perspectives of the awakened or enlightened state, as described by these different approaches, are fulfilled. 

For those who are drawn to exploring such deep meditative states, you may find that they are not simply rewarding in themselves, they also have the possibility of drawing people together because, in such states, we deeply experience that which unites All and Everything.

By the way, I’m not the first to propose something like this. For an accessible and wide-ranging take on this and related topics, I recommend Larry Dossey’s book, ‘One Mind’. I have put the reference to this below and added a couple of other interesting and useful sources.

So, to end where I began, perhaps experience of the unity that is the source of all that exists can bring both people and perspectives together.

Sources

Dossey, L. (2013). One Mind: How our individual mind is part of a greater mind, and why it matters. Carlsbad, CA: Hay House

Smith, D. (2024). Doug’s Dharma. Uploaded 13th May 2024. Is enlightenment possible? [video] YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmQq9VrTyMU&list=WL&index=6

Sørensen, K. (2024). Let’s talk self-mastery podcast. Uploaded 24th September 2024. Unveil the conscious 'I': Tap Into pure awareness beyond thoughts and emotions [video] YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x51aOG7a7-I&list=WL&index=9

Key words

awakening, awareness, Buddhism, Christianity, consciousness, defilements, enlightenment, God, Hinduism, meditation, One Mind, oneness, practice, Psychosynthesis, spiritual, yoga

Image

The endless knot represents unity or wholeness

Link

https://herethewaking.blogspot.com/2024/10/what-is-enlightenment-3-drawing-threads.html