Every person who is engaged in spiritual self-development dreams of enlightenment. This is a very difficult path that everyone needs to go through in order to change their worldview, free themselves from prejudices and limits that prevent them from living a free, fulfilling life and loving this world with all their hearts.
If you decide to start this path, here are some recommendations on what to do.
Get rid of habits that interfere with spiritual development
- Resistance
It is worth starting with this bad habit. When we plan something important, and we don’t succeed, we get upset, angry, destroy everything around us - including our dreams. We resist that now might not be the right time. Thus, we send negative impulses to the Universe and program ourselves in advance for failures in the future. Here we need to remember that sometimes certain life circumstances happen that we cannot change at the moment. They are given to us so that we gain experience, realize something and rethink our lives. By breaking this habit, we learn to let go of the situation, learn to wait for the right moment and become stronger.
- Envy
This is a very common habit. Not everyone can admit that he envied a friend or colleague at least once. This is a very nasty feeling that eats us from the inside and greatly slows us down on the path to spiritual enlightenment. Learn to be happy for others and compare yourself only with your previous self, and not with someone else. Each person has his own life path, both success and failure await him. Stop thinking that "Vasya already has a mansion at 35, and I live in a rented apartment" or "Ira got married at 25, and I'm still alone." Cultivate a sense of sincere joy for other people.
— Criticism
Bad habit. Remember how often you criticized other people without really understanding the situation? It is necessary to learn to consider any situation from all angles and put yourself in the place of another person. Why did he do this and not otherwise? So there were reasons for that. Be tolerant and understanding. This is an important step on the path to spiritual enlightenment.
Think about it, analyze yourself. Watch your words and actions. And then you will reach the first stage of enlightenment - this is awareness or smriti.
track states of mind
It is necessary to practice yoga and meditation in order to free your mind from restless thoughts in time, to purify it, to make it more sensitive and sensual. It is not enough to simply allow different states of mind to exist. It is necessary to analyze and observe, weed out unnecessary states and develop useful skillful states. You yourself choose what you think about and what qualities to develop in yourself in order to make yourself and the world around you better. This is the second stage of spiritual enlightenment - dharma vichaya.
Channel your energy in the right direction
If you have a lot of energy, both physically and emotionally, and you use it for unworthy purposes, this can interfere with your enlightenment. Do not direct your energy towards obtaining material benefits for yourself, let this not be your life goal. Direct your energy towards positive emotions and helping people. This is the third stage of enlightenment - Virya
Finding fullness
This is the fourth stage of enlightenment - Preity which means joy and inspiration. You don't need to do anything specific here. This state will overtake you by itself. You feel light in your soul, you love the whole world and the people around you, you feel that you have finally got rid of prejudices and bad habits. Feeling like you are floating in the air like a balloon. This feeling very often arises during meditation.
Finding Peace
prashrabdhi. Fifth step. A calm, steady feeling of pure happiness. Your mind is carefree, your soul is calm, you are happy.
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Mind training: learning to hear silence
Again, meditation and special practices will help us here. Silence also has a sound - beautiful and filled with happiness and peace. You are no longer disturbed and annoyed by extraneous sounds, you are always in a good mood. You know how to concentrate and collect thoughts together - this is called one-pointedness of the mind. One practice: focus on one thing, like when you're doing the dishes. Let go of all thoughts, think only about this action. Listen to how the water gurgles, concentrate on the movements and on the sound of the dishes.
The final step is gaining impartiality
It is called upeksha. Security, inexhaustible strength of body and spirit. You are like a rock against which the waves and the wind are beating. Whatever life period overtakes you, you do not allow it to influence you. You become unshakable.
In fact, no matter how simple these steps may seem, each of these factors can take years to achieve. But the process itself is also important here: we make ourselves better, we develop, we become strong, wise and happy.
We wish you success on this difficult, but such an exciting path!
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The information that enlightened people live among us has excited, frightened and delighted humanity for several years now. A vivid example of enlightenment is the Dalai Lama.
He, like his enlightened compatriots, differs from ordinary people in that if you look at him with the so-called “thin” (energy) vision, you can see the unusual luminosity surrounding him, not characteristic of ordinary people.
Signs of enlightenment
Enlightened people, according to esoteric researchers, have a very even and clean energy field, giving clean, direct rays (usually multi-colored). It is also known that enlightened people living in big cities have to hide their luminosity so that they are not recognized.
According to a certain group of mystics, enlightenment has nothing to do with the arguments of logic. To be enlightened means to transcend the boundaries of physical and mental possibilities. The physical body, not adapted to changes of this kind, often cannot withstand the load, and the phenomena that a person has to face are so powerful that they provoke mental and physical health disorders. Enlightenment has a particularly strong effect on the quality of sleep: a person becomes so meaningful that sleep cannot take over his body.
What is he, an enlightened person? Signs that cannot be confused with anything
In Tibet, facts of absorption by light have been recorded many times, but such cases are a common thing there. Through years of meditation, Tibetan lamas learn to separate the mind from the body. As a result, the body becomes unnecessary: the mind takes it with it to eternity in the form of absolute energy.
In the 60s of the 20th century, one Tibetan lama - a man with an awakened, enlightened consciousness, turned to his relatives with a request not to disturb him and retired to his hut for a week. After this period, rainbow light “poured” from all the cracks of his house, and the lama himself disappeared without a trace.
Can "negative characters" achieve this state?
Adolf Hitler, who, according to some research groups, possessed the skills of a psychic, had no doubt that there was a place on the planet called the hollow Earth. The idea of the existence of a hollow Earth inhabited by creatures that cannot be called people has indeed been discussed more than once among esotericists. This statement fully coincides with the guesses of the Russian researcher of the occult magic of the German fascists Sergei Zubkov.
The reason for the racial purges that Hitler so loved to carry out in the Third Reich, the scientist considers the attempts of the Nazis to attract the attention of the underground "masters" who were supposed to take part in the reorganization of the world familiar to us.
Did Hitler have a chance to become an enlightened person? According to authoritative esotericists, the presence of paranormal abilities is not yet enlightenment, but rather a continuation of the game invented by the mind and ego. True, sometimes the game goes to a new level, that is, it becomes more refined (but does not cease to be a game).
But this is not the peak yet - it is the mind that builds beautiful obstacles in front of the one striving for the True Reality, making him think that he is almost at the goal. But if there is no real mentor next to the “player”, there will be no one to warn him that he has played too much.
All these games and levels, stages of awakening and enlightenment from the point of view of the Unconditional Reality are the fruit of human imagination, since on the way to spiritual heights there are no players, no sleepers, no lost ones, no Absolute or relative reality. The information about the stages of enlightenment is used by the mind only to calm the ego. And the most massive ways to approach God all come down to gradual and not devoid of duality, hard daily work, which requires many years (or lifetimes) to complete.
Enlightenment does not guarantee physical health
How long do enlightened people live? The answer to this question has been shocking materialistic scientists for several centuries.
Some historians and psychologists who deny the existence of the True Reality admit that an enlightened person may well be socially adapted and successful in the professional and financial spheres. After all, people who are ideal in all respects cannot be unhappy in family and social life.
Most materialists consider the fact that enlightened people, who seemed to be closest to Divine miracles, to become victims of earthly diseases from which they died prematurely, as the main false argument, which does not “fit” in any way into the esoteric picture of the world.
The earthly body is a fragile thing
Indeed, many enlightened teachers have died of cancer and other incurable diseases. The Buddha, for example, died after several months of torment caused by poisoning. His many followers, watching the suffering of their Teacher, expected first a miraculous recovery, and then a resurrection from the dead. But the miracle never happened.
Krishnamurti suffered from a monstrous migraine for almost 40 years, and Ramakrishna suffered from paranoid hallucinations, but died of throat cancer when the subject was 45 years old. Swami Vivekananda was ill with diabetes and died at 38. His weight at the time of death was 120 kg.
Sri Swami Sivananda suffered from diabetes and obesity, while Sri Aurobindo suffered from tuberculosis and nephritis. Carlos Castaneda died of liver cancer when he was 73.
There are several opinions explaining the facts of the untimely departure of the great Teachers. Two explanations, which will be considered below, are considered to be the most relevant to reality.
Not warned means disarmed
Firstly, the sudden death of all great people is the result of unconditional service to other people. Giving all their strength and knowledge to the suffering, they forgot to take care of their bodies.
Secondly, none of the teachings mentions that enlightenment is a tremendous shock that pierces the brain like a bolt of lightning. Only a few enlightened people find the strength to save their brain from destruction. The “lucky ones”, as a rule, include individuals who have systematically trained and used their thinking abilities: philosophers, mathematicians, physicists ...
According to statistics, an ordinary person exploits his brain to about 5% of its potential. A great person uses about 15% of the potential. And the one who uses 33%, that is, a third of the possibilities, will be able to survive enlightenment.
The unspoken statistics are no less inexorable: sudden death overtakes 90% of people who managed to survive enlightenment. And the enlightened people of our time, the survivors (their 10%) will never tell anyone anything about their experiences, because their brain is no longer subordinate to them, which means they cannot be used as a speech mechanism.
These shocking details, which have been going on for many centuries, have never been mentioned by anyone. But nobody asked...
Side effects
The “best qualities” of an enlightened person make his further stay on Earth impossible. A large number of enlightened ones die at the same moment - from the experience gained, the heart stops and the breath stops. Only a few remain alive, and almost all of them in the past were either dashing adventurers or owned life-threatening professions. Having received some doses of exciting experiences during their previous lives, they were able to cope with a stronger shock. But even if their hearts did not stop after what happened, then the bodies, having changed, will undergo suffering.
The human body can function normally when it is within its limits. But since enlightenment is going beyond, everything that is poorly developed breaks down. The body also breaks, which, fortunately, will never be useful to the enlightened.
Real Masters are silent about their achievements
Observant people have noticed that disputes about the essence of enlightenment and the methods of spiritual practices are the lot of beginners or those who have not even set foot on this path. Experienced mystics call this behavior a game of religious practicality based on the desire to show off.
What is the reason for such discussions and conflicts? Experienced esotericists argue that, consciously or not, the debaters thus express their uncertainty: "Have I chosen the right path?" Beginners, chatting about "high", do not suspect that it is their lack of experience and uncertainty about the correctness of their life choice. The eyes of an enlightened person radiate calmness and leave no doubt about the strength of his faith. As for the faith of a beginner, any example of someone else's negative experience can weaken it.
Trying to prove to others (and first of all to themselves) that they are on the right path, many beginners begin to doubt even more, and this doubt gives rise first to aggression, and then to fanaticism. And then what? Protecting one's faith becomes a matter of honor and requires more and more drastic measures, such as burning "heretics" and "witches", intimidation by sects, "jihad" and so on.
What does "enlightened" mean? A person who wants to find a good teacher, at least once, asked himself this question. How to distinguish a real, enlightened master? By his silence. An enlightened guru will never get involved in an argument about “whose faith is more correct,” because he knows that all paths of enlightenment lead to the same God, and therefore to the same result.
Theory and practice of enlightenment
Each of the ways of enlightenment provides for the possibility of obtaining secret signs and consists of certain stages of awakening. As for the secret signs, inexperienced students receive them from the guru, and people who have been practicing the spiritual path for a long time are guided by them to determine if they are lost in the illusory "wilds" of their mind.
The secret signs of different schools differ from each other, so it is pointless to compare them. These are just a kind of "notches", seeing which, the walker will understand that he is on the right track.
People engaged in various practices receive many different, blissful states (of which experience is formed), as well as the opportunity to see and hear what is hidden from ordinary people, go to the subtle worlds and meet saints. Many beginners are tempted to believe that they are already enlightened and get stuck at one of these stages, fascinated by their own sublime experiences and revealed abilities.
Those who know about practical and Vedanta (Vasistha) also know that a person following the path of development can reach the state of a completely Enlightened, semi-enlightened or unenlightened being.
Ordinary beings (including humans) who, in relation to Absolute Reality, are "strongly asleep" are called unenlightened.
Absolutely Enlightened Yogis are those who, based on personal experience, have known themselves as the Absolute Reality or have taken root in it, having achieved self-consciousness. People who feel themselves merged with God and see reality as it really is are called samadhis. The samadhis were Shiva, Krishna and Allah. It is to this state, indescribable by words, that all yogis aspire to.
Sahaja samadhis are people who live ordinary lives while in samadhi. Sahaja Samadha is forced to release part of the attention and direct it to the performance of daily duties and the maintenance of life in the physical body.
Perfectly enlightened people realize the Absolute Reality even during the night's sleep. In dreams filled with Divine radiance, they are able to travel through the subtle worlds inhabited by gods.
Semi-enlightened people are people who have touched the Absolute Reality for only a short moment and returned to their normal state. Some semi-enlightened ones are able to perceive and understand the Truth absolutely correctly, despite the fact that their consciousness is not yet completely cleared.
There are also such individuals who have accepted the Truth and understand its essence, but they failed to survive the necessary experience and experiences. Not knowing that the consciousness will not be purified until the mind is still, they are busy speculating on the sayings of the enlightened masters. According to some mystics, this is also a good start. By saying the correct statements an unthinkable number of times, they thereby bring the purification of consciousness and calming the mind closer.
Enlightened people of our time
Many users of the Global Network are interested in: are there enlightened people in Russia? According to the information that modern esotericists have, in the 50s of the last century, the incarnation of highly developed souls on Earth began all over the world (and therefore in Russia). The reason for the "landing" was the need to protect the independent will of enlightened earthlings. The first wave of incarnations (Indigo children) was completed in the 60s of the 20th century, the second was produced from 1980 to 1990 (Crystal children), the arrival of the third wave (the birth of Rainbow children) is currently taking place.
The last two waves are mostly the offspring of grown-up Indigo. Indigo parents create conditions for their offspring in which their innate intuitive, telepathic and develop very quickly. Many children already have the ability to psychokinesis (moving objects in close proximity) and telekinesis (moving objects far away). The next step for them will be the development of technologies of levitation, teleportation and the ability to stay in two places at the same time.
What is the difference between an enlightened person and an unenlightened one? An ordinary, unenlightened person with limited knowledge believes that the universe is infinite.
An enlightened, changed person does not see the Universe and understands the infinity of wisdom and knowledge that he saw with his inner vision. He also knows that the universe has limits and knowledge is limitless.
According to the information recorded in the Vedas, the soul of an enlightened person, having realized himself, leaves the material (no longer needed) body or burns the body in the fire of tejas (life force). According to people following this path, an enlightened person is immediately visible, because he constantly talks and writes that "awakening is beyond the mind."
According to the same source, there are other people who also talk and write a lot about their pursuits of awareness and magic... deliberately false, because they are inside the mind and are not enlightened.
How to recognize an enlightened person? Every school, as you know, has its own methods of enlightenment. But each enlightened master reveals to his students the same Absolute Reality (the highest spiritual realization), which can be achieved in different ways. Therefore, it is not possible for a master of one school to judge in absentia the degree of enlightenment of a master of another school. Only by meeting and talking (or keeping quiet) can enlightened masters answer this question.
Gautama Siddhartha, a man who exchanged a carefree life in a luxurious palace for beggarly wanderings in search of truth, is considered the main spiritual mentor.
The thirty-year-old monk chose the pseudonym Buddha, enlightened and awakened. He sought to achieve a state of enlightenment of consciousness, because he could not put up with the difficulties and trials that fall to the lot of an ordinary person. The Buddha could not accept the fact that every person in his life meets with illnesses, ages over time, and most importantly, this is what happens.
After he left a secure and comfortable life, the Buddha deliberately practiced ascetic practices for a long time, exhausting himself with hunger and cold. However, he could not achieve humility and peace of mind. When Gautama almost died from exhaustion (he was miraculously saved by local residents), he realized the first truth. It lies in the fact that you should not rush to extremes: in everything you need to adhere to the principle of the golden mean.
The name Siddhartha, which was given to him by his parents, means "achieving the goal." Indeed, Gautama once decided that he would not budge until he achieved enlightenment.
He settled down under a huge tree, and after a few days of calm contemplation of the surrounding nature, a state of enlightenment came to him. The creation and structure of the Universe proceeded before his eyes, the secrets and laws of human existence were revealed. After the Buddha became a wise man, he began to preach a new religion, and he gained many followers.
Principles of an Enlightened Man
The Buddha called on his disciples to individually search for the path to enlightenment and realization of the truth. However, he described a "righteous path" that would help one achieve a state of peace, dispassion, and bliss more quickly.
To do this, a person must give up criticism and bad thoughts, do good deeds and come to terms with the idea that suffering in everyone's life is inevitable. An enlightened person can end suffering by entering a state of dispassion and detachment.
Meditation helps a religious person clear the mind of unnecessary thoughts. When passions fade and attachments to people, values and comfort disappear, a person becomes calm and serene. In this state, he achieves spiritual enlightenment - a lifetime state of peace and grace, and truths are revealed to him.
In different religious movements and philosophical schools there are different understandings of this difficult issue. They contain people's attempts to understand what a person is and why he exists on this planet.
What is enlightenment?
In everyday life, enlightenment is understood as revelations that a person has received, a different view or a new understanding of familiar things. In philosophical schools and spiritual practices, this phenomenon has a different meaning. In them, enlightenment is directly associated with the meaning of life, so it receives a paramount role in the life of every person. From this point of view, enlightenment is going beyond the ordinary, awareness of oneself as part of the universe, higher wisdom, higher existence.
Enlightenment in Christianity
The concept of enlightenment in Christianity differs significantly from the interpretation of this concept in Eastern practices. Enlightenment in Orthodoxy is an attempt to realize the Divine essence, to get as close as possible to God and to fulfill His will. The enlightened men of faith include such saints: John Chrysostom, Simeon the New Theologian, Sergius of Radonezh, etc. Thanks to a deep understanding of the will of God and humility, these saints were able to achieve enlightenment, which manifested itself in the form of healing the sick, resurrecting the dead, and other miracles.
Enlightenment in Christianity is inseparable from baptism and is associated with the cleansing of a person from everything sinful and filling his essence with Divine love. According to Orthodox spiritual fathers, only the Almighty knows when a person is ready to become enlightened. In this matter, one must completely rely on God and not try to achieve this on one's own. The fact that a person has become enlightened can be recognized by his actions: they will be humble and aimed at the benefit of people.
Enlightenment in Buddhism
In contrast to the understanding of enlightenment in Christianity, enlightenment in Buddhism is associated with man. According to Buddhist tradition, this state is accompanied by a feeling of unimaginable happiness, next to which ordinary earthly happiness is felt as suffering. The state of enlightenment is difficult to describe in human language, so it is spoken about only with the help of parables or metaphors.
Buddha Shakyamuni's enlightenment was the first in the history of Buddhism. Shakyamuni was able to achieve liberation and go beyond the familiar world. The main strength of the Buddha on the path of enlightenment was meditation. It helps to translate spiritual reflections from logical understanding into personal experience. In addition to meditation, Shakyamuni pointed out the importance for enlightenment of such methods as knowledge and behavior.
Enlightenment in Islam
As in other religions, at the center of Islam is enlightenment - fana. Allah himself chooses the person on whom he will bring enlightenment. The criterion of readiness for fun is the desire of a person to reach a new stage of his development and readiness for this. The human heart open to the influence of Allah lets in a new world. An enlightened person, with which he is ready to serve people, and super-love for all living things.
Enlightenment myth or reality?
Enlightenment from a scientific point of view is the discovery of something new or a different look at familiar things. From this position, enlightenment has nothing supernatural in it and is the normal work of our mind. In spiritual practices, enlightenment has a different meaning and content. It is associated with higher powers and helps people find and realize their destiny on this planet.
Enlightenment is a reality for many religious people who have dedicated themselves to the service of God and people. Using the example of enlightened spiritual teachers, one can learn to expand the scope of one's consciousness and open one's heart to the influence of higher powers. For people who are not interested in the spiritual side of life, enlightenment may seem like a myth. Such a view may be due to conservative thinking and lack of knowledge regarding this issue.
Psychology of Enlightenment
The path to enlightenment often begins with dissatisfaction with life and one's place in it. Reading smart books, psychological lectures and seminars on self-development, conversations with wise people can help a person get closer to answering questions of interest, but all this is just the beginning of the path. Personal constant searches for one's life vector one day lead the human brain to a new understanding. The road to enlightenment often takes a long time, and sometimes a lifetime. The reward of this path is a renewed mind and harmony with the world.
Enlightenment or schizophrenia?
Strange as it may seem, but spiritual enlightenment and schizophrenia have three similarities:
- Depersonalization- get rid of self.
- Derealization- perception of the surrounding world as unreal, blurry.
- Mental anesthesia- Decrease in the strength of emotional experiences.
To distinguish between these two phenomena, the following components should be analyzed:
- Cause. The cause of schizophrenia is often negative. The reason for enlightenment is the desire to make the world a better place, to become a more spiritual person.
- Vote. With schizophrenia, a person hears voices calling for aggressive or inadequate actions. An enlightened person hears a voice from above, calling for goodness or improvement.
- Mission. In schizophrenia, a person's interests revolve around his self, even if the patient sees himself as someone else. An enlightened person seeks to help others.
signs of enlightenment
Adherents of Buddhism say that it is impossible to describe in words what happens at the moment of enlightenment. This is due to the fact that the emotions and feelings experienced in the process of enlightenment are incomparable with the emotions we are used to. Signs of enlightenment include:
- spiritual priorities begin to dominate over material ones;
- altered consciousness periodically appears, in which new truths or their depth are revealed to a person;
- unusual abilities for creation, creation, healing appear;
- the character changes, bad habits appear, go away;
- an enlightened person sees divine wisdom in everything.
How to achieve enlightenment?
A person who wants to achieve enlightenment must go through the following steps:
- Wishing for enlightenment with all my heart. To do this, the enlightenment of consciousness should be made a top priority.
- Trust in the matter of enlightenment to higher powers. Only God knows when a person is close to enlightenment.
- Try to give your life under the control of divine forces. Approach God through humility and deepening contact through prayer or meditation.
- Engage in self-development, work on your character. A pure heart helps to be more receptive to the influence of the Spirit.
Ways of human enlightenment
Spiritual teachers of various religious movements believe that enlightenment techniques are just a tool that does not give any guarantee of success. Enlightenment is individual, it comes unexpectedly and has no exact cause. The following techniques can help you find a direct path to enlightenment:
- prayer;
- fast;
- relaxation;
- meditation;
- self-knowledge techniques;
- purification of consciousness;
- yoga nidra technique;
- getting rid of the negative of the past;
- repetition of the names of God.
How to live after enlightenment?
Enlightened people are not transferred from this sinful planet to another. They have to continue to live among the same environment in the same area. Only a few of the spiritual teachers who have attained enlightenment go to the desert regions, but often this is done only for a while. The mission of enlightened people is to bring new knowledge and a new understanding of life to the world. After enlightenment, new abilities can open up that need to be used to help those around you.
Enlightened people note that after their spiritual experience, it becomes much easier for them to live in this world. Their ego and desires cease to control all actions. All the necessary things are done without laziness and apathy. Life becomes more harmonious and understandable. A person ceases to be anxious and nervous, as he begins to realize the essence of his life and his mission.
Enlightenment books
Many books have been written about enlightenment and how to achieve it. All of them help to find their own way in this matter and to rise to a new stage of their development. The top 5 best books on enlightenment include:
- Hawkins D. "From despair to enlightenment. The evolution of consciousness". The book describes practical methods on how to come to the realization of the meaning of one's existence.
- Eckhart Tolle "The Power of the Now". In this book, a person who has gone through the path of enlightenment, in a simple and interesting language, talks about the path to enlightenment he walked and what life awareness includes.
- Jed McKenna "Spiritual Enlightenment: A Nasty Thing". The book debunks many of the myths that have grown up around enlightenment. The author tries to help people who seek awareness to find the right path and start moving along it.
- Nisargadatta Maharaj "I Am That". The author encourages a person to think about his true destiny. It makes you look deep into yourself and realize the need to study your inner world.
- Valery Prosvet "Enlightenment in half an hour". The author invites readers to pay attention to themselves and engage in their self-development. To do this, the book describes a variety of techniques, methods of self-knowledge and work on oneself.
Enlightenment is the main goal in most spiritual and esoteric teachings.
Enlightenment is the highest insight, awareness of the essence of life as such. Enlightenment eliminates ignorance, the illusions of the mind, expands consciousness, and frees from psychological suffering. A more detailed description is further discussed with examples of direct and indirect methods of achieving enlightenment.
Direct Methods for Achieving Enlightenment
These are the best, simple, instant methods. Direct methods exclude the buffer of mental understanding, reflection and theorizing. Direct methods of enlightenment are not related to learning in schools, sects, seminars, gurus, teachers and mentors. All these are mind games. Direct methods are for those who are 100% honest with themselves. Further, in order, a description of direct methods of enlightenment.
Awareness of the present implies a direct perception of life here and now. The layman, upon becoming acquainted with this method of enlightenment, begins to imagine what he is doing or has just done. This is a deviation from the method.
Present awareness is a continuous, natural perception of what is right now. This is not a search for something, but if there is one, it is the awareness of the search as one of the lines of the drawing of the present moment. Ideally, the object of perception really becomes the present moment itself between the past and the future.
It can be conditionally said that to be in the present moment, to be present is a property of our Higher Self. If you are aware of the present, the focus of identification shifts to .
If awareness of the present moment is uninterrupted, life collapses into itself, and you see that now there is an infinite presence in weightless eternity, where something beyond the future and the past is happening. Now there is being itself, the boundless space of consciousness. This is the primary basis of everything. This being is awareness itself and life itself. All perceived objects and forms occur in it as something deeply secondary and equivalent.
acceptance of the present- essentially the same as the awareness of the present, but with the help of a thin line of "letting in" into your consciousness what is right now. The psyche closes the mind from most of the sensations that eventually form the subconscious.
Acceptance of the present is full disclosure to everything that is here and now. At the same time, one's own consciousness is felt as a pure vessel and conductor of all phenomena. Ideally, you realize everything as a single inseparable phenomenon. And if there is resistance somewhere, it dissolves. Everything just happens.
Enlightenment is total acceptance. Even if something feels like an obstacle, it is only the form of another step on the way.
Relaxation in natural presence– essentially the same as awareness and acceptance of the present. On the other hand, this is another fine line of comprehension of life. Rejection of the present closes from the awareness of the present. This rejection arises due to tension at all levels of the psyche. Tension is relieved by relaxation. And this is not a dream, but the cessation of resistance to the present.
At the same time, all bodily sensations are perceived as seals in the emptiness of the space of consciousness. Important . Acceptance and relaxation are two facets of the same enlightenment process.
Defocusing of consciousness- another facet of enlightenment. Everyday attention is focused by the mind in tense illusions of the past and the future. The most refined focusing of the mind creates a habitual self-identification - ours. It is experienced in the back of the head, throat and at a deep level in the chest. Defocusing leads to the dissolution of these intense bundles of psychic energy. And then the painful tensions and the "malicious fidgetiness of the mind" pass.
At first, you feel how in the presence of the familiar “I” a feeling of space manifests itself, against which tensions flounder. Then, as the focus is defocused, the familiar “I”, which seemed to be something impenetrably dense and solid, begins to make a gap through which the refined energy of consciousness seeps. Total defocusing is identical to complete relaxation, acceptance, disidentification and enlightenment.
Awareness of the viewer of life- the subtlest "movement", with which you transfer the focus of attention from the world of forms and sensations to the viewer himself, who perceives life. Being, awareness, observation, presence - all this is a description of its essence, its only property, which is expressed in limited words in many aspects.
Smell, touch, taste, sight and hearing are the instruments of perception. Who is using these tools? Where do these five threads of perception of life join? The one who looks at life right now is the eternal spectator of life. He is always there. Forms are changing. Enlightenment is the awareness of one's essence as a continuous free presence.
Exposing the Choice- another facet of enlightenment. Personality is a set of choices passing through consciousness in the present. Choice is born by rejection of the present. The personality is tense in the present, therefore it avoids it, choosing an illusory future.
dedication- another one facet of enlightenment. You give everything you have. Not in a material sense, but in an essential sense. Self-giving occurs inactively, without efforts and attempts, in relaxation. We can say that this method of enlightenment is the edge of relaxation, in which you let go of the grip on what is happening here and now.
contemplation of the present. As a rule, it begins with the concentration of attention on any object. The method differs from "awareness of the spectator of life" by the emphasis on contemplation as such. The essence of this method of enlightenment is to make the process of contemplation basic and continuous. Then the focus of self-consciousness is transferred to the Higher Self. Perception as such is a property of the Higher Self. When you contemplate what is, the higher “I” is, as it were, “activated”. Enlightenment is a manifestation of the contemplative beginning of life. This is the true one. Ideally, the contemplation of an object occurs without, as something extremely natural.
Awareness of who you are- Ramana Maharshi's method of enlightenment. At the heart of the method is the question: “Who am I?”. You ask a question once, with a clear understanding of the meaning of this question. Then you shift your attention to the feeling “I am”. If "I" is, then it can be somehow felt. What is "I"? Who am I"? A verbal answer means nothing. You have to experience who you really are. The comprehension of "I" is the comprehension of reality.
All these methods are different facets of the same process. Due to the unique experience, different passages to enlightenment open up to different people.
Indirect Methods to Achieve Enlightenment
These methods, as a rule, are associated with changes in energy, purification of the mind, preparation of the body and psyche for a clear consciousness. The division into direct and indirect methods is conditional. Sometimes direct methods become indirect, and indirect methods become direct, depending on the readiness of consciousness.
Energy uplift is the experience of awakening stagnant energy. Can be triggered by energy exercises, and in especially successful cases, removes mental blocks, clears the mind and enlightens the consciousness. This includes the practice of kriya yoga, kundalini yoga, work with energy and other esoteric practices.
Shaktipat, or diksha- spiritual initiation. Typically given by a mentor, guru, or master. In especially successful cases, it gives an instant expansion of consciousness and enlightenment. More often gives the experience of insight, which sows the "seed" of enlightenment. If the initiate conserves energy, the seed germinates and over time the lotus of consciousness opens and blossoms.
middle way. Buddha preached. In my understanding, this path to enlightenment is an intuitive, relaxed finding of balance in every new moment of life. Kastanedov's Don Juan figuratively spoke of how a man of knowledge goes through life "lightly touching everything." This path helps life. Don't stress, don't sleep, let reality happen. At the same time, paradoxically, you gain the ability to make efforts that a vain and tense mind is simply not capable of.
Not-doing- Carlos Castaneda's method of enlightenment. The perception of the world is a subtle effort in consciousness. You habitually make the world in your mind. - this is the cessation of "effort" on. Then habitual phenomena reveal their essence. You begin to feel what is happening, as a play of energy. And on a more subtle level - as pure consciousness.
Overefforts- George Gurdjieff's method of enlightenment. This is one of the most difficult methods on the verge of life and death. Gurdjieff spoke about the fact that in the human body there is something like household batteries. When their energy is used up, the person falls down. But if at this time you make a breakthrough, super-effort, then your consciousness switches to a deep, almost inexhaustible source of energy, and you continue to move.
When mortal fatigue sets in, you make another leap and from a deep source of energy, switch to a causal source. At the same time, the hypersubtle consciousness is activated. The method is extremely dangerous for independent practice.
suffering. Temper and develop the soul. Everyone knows this. Suffering is one of the main stimuli for true detachment. Detachment from transient phenomena leads to truth and enlightenment. Many saints went to conscious suffering in order to cultivate spiritual qualities.
In no case do I call for suffering. One can confine oneself to such an understanding that what has already been experienced was not useless.
Humiliation. One of the powerful incentives for the surrender of the ego and. Humiliation and pride go hand in hand. Neurotic self-identification is based on this pendulum. Again, I don’t call for humiliation - it’s enough to treat your own person easier: and not get ahead of yourself, embellishing reality.
Confession, recapitulation, journaling, psychotherapy are effective methods of clearing the mind. Secular memoirs don't count. To work for enlightenment, it is necessary to sincerely speak out all your own fears, highlight everything that has been suppressed, and.
Thinking about the beyond: about God, about eternity and infinity, about love, about the true "I" - also, it is considered one of the methods of clarifying consciousness and enlightenment. If the meditator tries to feel the theme of his thoughts, his attention breaks away from theories, and touches these deep layers of life in practice.
Karma yoga This is work without expectation of results. The mind is calculating, and if you do something for others without personal gain, the grip of the ego is loosened. Ideally, karma yoga is performed with full immersion of consciousness in the present moment, without goals in the future. Contemplation of the present is one of the direct methods of enlightenment. Contemplation in motion is the pinnacle of enlightenment practice. True karma yoga is, as Swami Vivekananda said, bringing the end and the means together.
Unconditional love considered the best method of spiritual transformation and enlightenment. This method opens, . Unconditional love knows no insincerity and deceit. It is the love of life itself. Ideally, on such a path you sink into bliss, and leaving all divisions, you surrender to this experience without a trace.
Doubts
There is an opinion that enlightenment is impossible to achieve. Some say that enlightenment has to be earned, or "received" from a master. But then it comes to what methods exist for this "receiving". As a rule, it all comes down to transferring their resources and time to schools, where the suffering find themselves dependent on, having served for many years, they seem to have a chance to enlighten.
Another option is to pay a lot of money for initiation, and then, if the mind does not go beyond the mind, again, there is a chance to enlighten "for free."
Some say that enlightenment just "happens" outside of methods and practices. Of course it is. But before that, a person goes through a path. And most often it is this path that is called spiritual. No matter how, no matter in the past or present life. The path includes everything that happens.
Someone says that everyone is already enlightened: there is nothing to strive for, nothing to achieve. But what are these words worth? Why not? A righteous life, or a practical life, is no worse than ordinary life, filled with contradictions and fuss.
Others say that enlightenment is available only to Buddhas who come once in a millennium, or even less often, and mere mortals cannot see the truth. This is how the voice of doubt in oneself and one's strength sounds, the voice of the mind, which is in the fetters of concepts.
People tend to believe that the more seriously they take life, the closer that perception is to reality. However, this seriousness also consists of emotions that project the subjective pictures of the mind onto a reality that has nothing in common with these projections.
In this article, expressing a subjective opinion, I argue that enlightenment is achieved, and there are suitable methods for this. Let everything be relative and the achievement illusory. But there is nothing else to talk about.
I understand that in order to cover the stated topic, it is still necessary to be a member of the worldwide association of enlightened masters, which I am not. Therefore, here, as elsewhere, I act cunningly, and in no case do I insist on the ultimate truth of words and the effectiveness of "methods".
Let everyone believe their own experience, and make sure that there is truth. Let each one personally make sure that he/she IS. Someone will need schools and teachers, someone will have enough personal diligent practice, someone - a simple acquaintance with the topic, and a direct look at what is here and now.
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