What is Enlightenment? 1. The evidence that the operation of one's individual intelligence is directly linked up to the intelligence governing, conducting, superintending everything else in the universe. It means that one experiences that one's personal intelligence is cosmic. This is a radical awareness of something impersonal determining the personal expression of one's intelligence.
2. The evidence that one's personal desires cannot be enacted independently of the will of this universal intelligence. 3. The evidence that the personal context of one's consciousness holds within itself (or rather is itself held within) the context of the entire universe. 4. A perfect kind of spontaneity in one's actions, and the experience that one's actions are inspired or are always sanctioned by the intelligence running the universe. 5. The perfect ability to always respond appropriately to another human being. One discovers in a completely unknown way (never anticipating how one is going to respond) what to say, what to do. It is the experience of a kind of perfect improvisation, but always effectual, meaningful, purposeful. 6. An immense increase in one's self confidence, since the experience literally is that one's small self has been absorbed into a larger Self. The Self. 7. A discrete and relentless and involuntary sense of destiny, which gets acted out in each momentespecially in the presence of another person, or group of persons. 8. The sense that the context of one's consciousness is always objectively larger, deeper, and more inclusive than any other person's consciousness which is not enlightened. 9. The awareness of what is going on at the deepest level of reality, where every moment is a kind of theatre of evolutionary action, always dramatic, always intrinsically meaningful. 10. The best sense of humour that is possible to conceive of. Best sense of humour meaning, constant awareness of how, at any given moment, to exploit every situation for its utmost humour. 11. Lack of fear, anxiety, concern when it comes to action, when it comes to challenges, especially with regard to other persons. There is a confidence in enlightenment, born of the awareness that one is being protected by, and inspired by, the intelligence behind the existence and activity of the entire universe. 12. A extraordinary increase is one's ability to do things that no one else can do. 13. Actions are choiceless, whereas before enlightenment they are existential. 14. The awareness that one's consciousness has become literally unbounded. And this is observable by others (if they are applying the same technique that you did in order to become enlightened: TM and devotion to MMY). 15. Eventually, however, enlightenment proves itself to be a hallucination; but since it was created by the Devas, the "impulses of creative intelligence", and is sustained by those same Devas, and impulses of creative intelligence, it is a bloody wonder while it goes on. And it is the worst thing one can conceive of, the realization that one must come out from under these Devas and impulses of creative intelligenceand oppose themin order to become normal and sane and real (to oneself) once again. The methodology of de-enlightenment will of course vary from individual to individual. In my case it was painful, humbling, and at times downright terrifying. But I am glad to be back in ordinary waking state consciousness. Still suffering from the vestigial remains of Unity Consciousnessbut re-established(!) in my ignorance. (Or the natural, fallen, and contingent reality of being a created and unnecessary being.) --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, turquoiseb <no_reply@...> wrote: > > What is your personal definition of "enlightenment?" Where did it come > from? I would suggest that these two questions are inexorably linked, > and some thought can be productively given to that link. > > In another spiritual tradition, albeit a short-lived one, the definition > of enlightenment given to students was "The ability to manifest golden > light, and be funny." Not coincidentally, the teacher who proposed this > definition was capable of producing the reality of or the subjective > impression of golden light, and was pretty damned funny. To this day > many of his students consider these two qualities to be THE definition > of enlightenment. Some of them throw into the mix, "Does he drive a > Mercedes?," but the two biggies are golden light and funny. > > This has always struck me as being similar to Barry Bonds declaring that > enlightenment is defined by the ability to hit 762 home runs during > one's career as a major league baseball player. Bzzzzzt. > > Maharishi was a big one for definitions. He proposed many such > definitions of enlightenment. Were they true, or were they him parroting > what he'd been told by his own teachers? I personally don't think we'll > ever know, but it has not escaped my attention that many people believe > that his definitions of enlightenment were 100 percent accurate, because > -- of course -- he was enlightened, and thus knew fersure. Some former > Rama students feel the same way. > > I am less than convinced, which makes me somewhat of a heretic with > regard to their teachings. Both of them. I have no earthly idea what > "enlightenment" is fersure, and I certainly don't take either of their > definitions as to what it is as gospel, or as truth. > > These days I don't even CARE very much about the buzzword > "enlightenment," or about assigning it to anyone. It's just a buzzword, > a pseudo-definition of something I am not convinced can ever be defined. > Does that make me a Bad Person? >
