Monday, May 17, 2004
Reflections on Enlightenment
I am going to be very bold in this reflection, for I am going to speak from the perspective of the enlightened being. It may seem (indeed is) strange, even a mark of extreme hybris, to assume such authority. Yet, for the moment, this is what I propose.
I make no claim to be enlightened, but I think I have in fact had a taste of this wondrous state, and that provides a starting place. I also draw upon whatever I may have gained from having lived in this world and both experienced and witnessed it in its many manifestations for over seven decades.
I use the question and answer format, touching on issues which concern all of us who pursue this topic.
Anything I say is, of course, personal speculation, based on private intuition and inner reflection. It is a foray into the mysterious, an experiment in exploration of the unknown, and hence fully subject to revision and restatement.
Q. Why does enlightenment take many lifetimes? Why can't we simply leap to that peak of knowing quickly, effortlessly, in the present moment?
A. Enlightenment involves the complete evolution of the entire being. All levels must be dealt with, emotional, psychological, mental, physical, as well as spiritual. All emotional issues must be resolved, whether major or minor. Abuse feelings must be healed, ego inflations and self-rejections likewise brought into balance. Such full self-understanding, correction, and acceptance can occur only over many lifetimes of immersion in the world, in a variety of circumstance, and diverse milieus. One travels the razor's edge, where one shifts too far now this way, now that, seeking a balance which seems eternally elusive.
Q. Why do so many encounter extremes in their incarnations--horrific suffering of self or loved ones, or else seemingly unmerited wealth and ease of circumstance?
A. Extremes of suffering are not necessarily karmic retribution for past misdeeds, nor something bargained for ahead of time. They often seem unjustifiable within the framework of a benevolent universe. But they do serve a purpose. That purpose or result is to yield insight into circumstances well beyond the "norms," the safe parameters of ordinary existence. One who has suffered deeply is significantly more able to empathize with the pain and sufferings of others. This in itself is an important advance toward enlightenment. This is true compassion--to know at the heart level what is happening to the victim, the patient, the innocent captive of circumstance and not turn away.
Such extremes of painful experience do indeed carry us more swiftly toward the final goal, and some may actually choose this path before birth to speed the process of spiritual development during incarnation. These too are fully deserving of sympathy and help for the pain they endure is real.
As for those born to a life of ease, if they remain in their comfortable niches, and never sally forth to face the challenges or ordinary life, they forfeit their chances for progress in this lifetime, and prolong their overall process of spiritual evolution.
Q. What does it mean to say someone has had a "taste of enlightenment?"
A. It means that the person has had a glimpse, has entered temporarily into an awareness that all things are but minute parts of a dynamic whole, and that individual identity itself is an illusion, since nothing exists apart from the cosmic reality. We can never know the latter in its fullness, for that would kill us--we dare not look God directly in the face, even in moments of high transcendence. But we can experience this divine presence in exquisite moments of stepped down expression--small bits and fragments of the totality itself.
However, no one can live permanently in that exalted (yet diminished) state on earth unless he/she breaks all ties with common reality as we know it. The world of practical affairs and the planes of transcendent truth are not compatible, though they do impinge on one another and occasionally interfuse to some extent.
Further, at this time particularly, there is great need for persons willing to act for the benefit of society at large, and forego desires for personal enlightenment. Service itself becomes their vehicle for progress. They are the true bodhisattvas, who put the needs of others ahead of private goals.
Q. Must one sever all personal connections (as with lover, family, friends) to enter such advanced states?
A. At some point, one must experience these relationships, with all their complexity and frustrations, in order to encounter and transcend the emotional toll they exact. One must experience them in order to go on. One must not prematurely reject such human experiences, for then the feelings themselves become frozen, and the person is like a icicle frozen in the snow. The point is to open to such experiences, savor their fruits, and then go on to other levels, either in this or another lifetime.
Q. How does one know whether one is progressing or nearing the goal?
A. As one moves forward, the center of personal gravity shifts--one is less absorbed on the egoic, personal level, and more attuned to the needs of others, whether large groups or individuals. One seeks not to take from this world, but to discover what one has to give.
Q. What is the role of ecstasy in all of this?
A. Ecstasy is one of the final tests. It, too, must be received with joy and enthusiasm. However, the more susceptible one is to rapture, the more open one is to pain. They may follow one another in swift succession, often in intense manifestation. Again, the purpose is to bring the self into balance, to endure one or the other without being overwhelmed, to maintain balance and equanimity even in the grips of extremes.
Q. If one achieves enlightenment, what purpose will have been served?
A. One will have returned to or joined with one's true nature. One will have come home and know at last who one truly is. One's final longing will then be fulfilled.
I make no claim to be enlightened, but I think I have in fact had a taste of this wondrous state, and that provides a starting place. I also draw upon whatever I may have gained from having lived in this world and both experienced and witnessed it in its many manifestations for over seven decades.
I use the question and answer format, touching on issues which concern all of us who pursue this topic.
Anything I say is, of course, personal speculation, based on private intuition and inner reflection. It is a foray into the mysterious, an experiment in exploration of the unknown, and hence fully subject to revision and restatement.
Q. Why does enlightenment take many lifetimes? Why can't we simply leap to that peak of knowing quickly, effortlessly, in the present moment?
A. Enlightenment involves the complete evolution of the entire being. All levels must be dealt with, emotional, psychological, mental, physical, as well as spiritual. All emotional issues must be resolved, whether major or minor. Abuse feelings must be healed, ego inflations and self-rejections likewise brought into balance. Such full self-understanding, correction, and acceptance can occur only over many lifetimes of immersion in the world, in a variety of circumstance, and diverse milieus. One travels the razor's edge, where one shifts too far now this way, now that, seeking a balance which seems eternally elusive.
Q. Why do so many encounter extremes in their incarnations--horrific suffering of self or loved ones, or else seemingly unmerited wealth and ease of circumstance?
A. Extremes of suffering are not necessarily karmic retribution for past misdeeds, nor something bargained for ahead of time. They often seem unjustifiable within the framework of a benevolent universe. But they do serve a purpose. That purpose or result is to yield insight into circumstances well beyond the "norms," the safe parameters of ordinary existence. One who has suffered deeply is significantly more able to empathize with the pain and sufferings of others. This in itself is an important advance toward enlightenment. This is true compassion--to know at the heart level what is happening to the victim, the patient, the innocent captive of circumstance and not turn away.
Such extremes of painful experience do indeed carry us more swiftly toward the final goal, and some may actually choose this path before birth to speed the process of spiritual development during incarnation. These too are fully deserving of sympathy and help for the pain they endure is real.
As for those born to a life of ease, if they remain in their comfortable niches, and never sally forth to face the challenges or ordinary life, they forfeit their chances for progress in this lifetime, and prolong their overall process of spiritual evolution.
Q. What does it mean to say someone has had a "taste of enlightenment?"
A. It means that the person has had a glimpse, has entered temporarily into an awareness that all things are but minute parts of a dynamic whole, and that individual identity itself is an illusion, since nothing exists apart from the cosmic reality. We can never know the latter in its fullness, for that would kill us--we dare not look God directly in the face, even in moments of high transcendence. But we can experience this divine presence in exquisite moments of stepped down expression--small bits and fragments of the totality itself.
However, no one can live permanently in that exalted (yet diminished) state on earth unless he/she breaks all ties with common reality as we know it. The world of practical affairs and the planes of transcendent truth are not compatible, though they do impinge on one another and occasionally interfuse to some extent.
Further, at this time particularly, there is great need for persons willing to act for the benefit of society at large, and forego desires for personal enlightenment. Service itself becomes their vehicle for progress. They are the true bodhisattvas, who put the needs of others ahead of private goals.
Q. Must one sever all personal connections (as with lover, family, friends) to enter such advanced states?
A. At some point, one must experience these relationships, with all their complexity and frustrations, in order to encounter and transcend the emotional toll they exact. One must experience them in order to go on. One must not prematurely reject such human experiences, for then the feelings themselves become frozen, and the person is like a icicle frozen in the snow. The point is to open to such experiences, savor their fruits, and then go on to other levels, either in this or another lifetime.
Q. How does one know whether one is progressing or nearing the goal?
A. As one moves forward, the center of personal gravity shifts--one is less absorbed on the egoic, personal level, and more attuned to the needs of others, whether large groups or individuals. One seeks not to take from this world, but to discover what one has to give.
Q. What is the role of ecstasy in all of this?
A. Ecstasy is one of the final tests. It, too, must be received with joy and enthusiasm. However, the more susceptible one is to rapture, the more open one is to pain. They may follow one another in swift succession, often in intense manifestation. Again, the purpose is to bring the self into balance, to endure one or the other without being overwhelmed, to maintain balance and equanimity even in the grips of extremes.
Q. If one achieves enlightenment, what purpose will have been served?
A. One will have returned to or joined with one's true nature. One will have come home and know at last who one truly is. One's final longing will then be fulfilled.
