What Is Enlightenment? By Dr. Harsh K. Luthar
Posted by: Harsha • Jan 24th, 2009
What Is Enlightenment?
“The state we call realization is simply being oneself, not knowing anything or becoming anything. If one has realized, he is that which alone is, and which alone has always been. He cannot describe that state. He can only be That.” Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi
What is Enlightenment? Did you know that it is simply the state of being your self. Does this sound too simple to you?
There is so much talk about Enlightenment these days. Gurus, teachers, self-help experts, and personal development specialists go on talking about the wonders of Enlightenment. Well why not? They are selling something, a vague but an attractive idea of bliss and happiness; and there are plenty of buyers.
My friends, where is the glamor in being one’s own Self?
That is all what Enlightenment is. But we run from this simplicity.
There are many extraordinary Samadhis, visions, and powerful mental experiences on the spiritual path.
These can be captivating. Ultimately, all these things are transient. That is why there is no point in being attached to such phenomena and pursuing it. These cannot add an iota of substance to your natural reality.
Beyond all the imagination, there is only who you truly are. In face of your own Self, all the glamor of visionary experiences and mental states become zero. You are the ground on which all the experiences play out.
Ultimately, you are going to have to introduce yourself to yourself. The reality at the core of your Being turns out to be simply you.
Indeed, Self-Realization is the ordinary state. That is why it is called the Sahaj or the easy and natural state. What could be more natural than simply being yourself?
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3 Responses to "What Is Enlightenment? By Dr. Harsh K. Luthar"
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March 15th, 2009 at 7:36 pm
I believe the term enlightment does not have a standard meaning and there are different forms of enlightment. I am enlightened after having watched the discovery channel wide eyed for an hour while Buddha received his enlightment after years of meditation in the forest with his eyes closed! Perhaps one common thread in all definitions of “enlightment” is that it typically has to do with something positive, although that too can be debated.
In any event, I found this article enlightening nonetheless.
March 17th, 2009 at 8:23 am
Dear Insprofess,
Thank you for your very enlightening comments. The Enlightenment we speak about on this site refers to Self-Realization.
To “Know Thyself” fully is possible when the mind has been transcended and absorbed in the Self.
How do we see the world? We see it by the power of consciousness. It is consciousness that lights our perceptions. When this light of consciousness turns inwards upon itself, and merges with its source, that is called Enlightenment.
Namaste
April 23rd, 2010 at 8:10 pm
Dear Divine Soul,
Your thoughts on self-realization are a simplistic and holistic view of a phenomenon to which everyone is an aspirant.Each of us want to know the truth of existence and we travel both literally and figuratively world wide ,only to find it within. The sahaj yoga that was expounded here is simply knowing thyself which though ultimate in the process of realization but it may sometime lead to an inward looking personality to develop which is at best a metaphor for introvert thinking which brings no enrichment to the soul.To put it briefly somewhere the concept of gyana and bodha have not been touched ,may be to make tje matter simple . But in my opinion these are the pillars on which this realization is based , for it to be fruitful.I invite counter views also.
with regards