What ISN’T Enlightenment?

Sometimes the only accurate way to describe a thing is to define what it is not. Enlightenment is one of those instances, as every word to define it is more of a distortion than an accurate portrayal. Therefore, I am going to present the top 3 misconceptions I have found on my spiritual path.

Now, it isn’t a matter of lack of skill from the lexicographer attempting to describe what enlightenment is, rather it is fundamentally impossible to use words to describe enlightenment. The best minds have been attempting to point to this state of consciousness for millennia, and all have fallen short.

Certainly it is a worthwhile enterprise to attempt such an ambitious feat. I myself have been trying to intellectually master enlightenment for a number of years now. But I have come to find that the more I unlearn, the better my understanding becomes.

With that being said, I would like to start with a basic definition of enlightenment so that we are at least referring to the same idea.

Enlightenment is what every religion and philosophy since the beginning of recorded civilization is attempting to describe. Some call it Heaven, Buddha consciousness, the Tao, being one with Brahman, Illumination, and a whole host of other names.

Only by experiencing it for oneself can one truly understand it though. Many saints, sages, messiahs, and prophets throughout the ages have attained this state of consciousness, and they’ve tried to pass down what they experienced. Most of their writings we have today have been so distorted by translations both by benign and maligned intending translators that we have little to go on today.

This is why many traditions only passed this gnostic knowledge down orally by word of mouth. The irony of this is not lost on me as I am writing a blog about something which cannot be spoken of, much less written down.

However, let me now begin to explain what I’ve come to realize enlightenment is not.

1

One common misconception, especially in New Age circles, is that it is all love and light. Once you reach this state of consciousness nothing will bother you, and you will be blissed out for the rest of eternity. This is wishful thinking; you will still encounter ups and downs once enlightened.

While in physical form it is impossible to escape the duality of material existence. Perhaps once out of the body it is possible to transcend good and bad, but seeing-as-how I’m still on Earth, I can’t say with any authority.

2

Another idea people have is that all your problems will be solved once enlightened. All of your money problems, relationship dilemmas, and heath issues will suddenly be solved for you.

Once again, this is not the case. These issues will, however, become more clear and brought to the forefront of your consciousness. They will become nearly impossible to ignore, and you will need to make a conscious choice to live with them or deal with them appropriately.

3

Finally, here is the last misunderstanding: That you can MAKE yourself enlightened. Your ego wants to believe that it can become enlightened. That it will then become some kind of super-ego with special powers, and it will finally become satisfied because it will have everything it always wanted.

The ego is not what becomes enlightened. Rather, the ego is realized to not be your identity. You then realize your true self; this self I speak of is the witness behind the ego. It is the backdrop to the play going on in your mind.

This true self cannot be spoken of, because it is formless and doesn’t exist in time. Nothing out of the time-space continuum can be defined. It can only be experienced, and once your try to pin it down by rational thinking it slips through your fingers like trying to hold on to water.

There is a myriad of other things enlightenment is not, but these are some of the biggest delusions I have had to overcome myself. They are going to be different for each individual, but hopefully my understanding has provided some insight for your personal path toward enlightenment.