Monday, September 11, 2017

What Is Enlightenment REALLY?

We have this false notion that enlightenment is a state of perpetual bliss. It is the complete transcendence of all negative states/feelings and the abiding in a state of constant love, peace and happiness. It is the eternal ecstasy of some heavenly nirvana. This could not be further from the truth.


Enlightenment is not found in removing oneself from the ups and downs, the highs and lows of daily existence, but instead it is found in learning how to ride these waves with ease, grace and effortless flow. Instead of trying to become free from something, you become free with the very thing you were trying so desperately to escape. You recognize the underlying freedom that was always your inherent truth, your essential reality beyond the surface level of constant change, of gain and loss, birth and death. And thus you are able to transcend suffering, which always stems from a resistance to what is in the here and now.


Enlightenment is not about reaching a finish line, but instead it is about committing to a process, it’s about improving 1% every day, it’s the small steps that lead to great strides and shifts within oneself and the collective. Yes, enlightenment is found in the here and now, as this is all there ever is, but at the same time, the here and now is perpetually expanding, at least in terms of its manifested aspect, and so your degree of enlightenment is perpetually expanding as well.


You could look at presence, the awareness of the eternal now and the recognition of yourself as pure formless consciousness, as the foundation of a building. With this foundation, you are free to build the actual structure of the building in whatever way you so choose. It is like the parable given by Jesus, of the man who built his house on the sand and the man who built his house upon the rocks. Yet the foundation is only one aspect of the creation itself. The building can always be improved upon, it can always be refined and reformed, made more beautiful, more magnificent, more perfect. There is no end to its expansion into greater levels of divine brilliance. The process is eternal, it is infinite.


Enlightenment is a receding horizon. The closer you get, the more you realize that there is still further to go. It is a reflection of the divine paradox, being that you are already whole, complete and perfect in this moment, yet simultaneously you can always improve, learn more, do more, better yourself into an even more perfect reflection of the most high. There is no end to the infinite potential that you are.


Enlightenment can also be found in all areas of life. There is enlightenment in art, in music, in health, wealth, fitness and relationships. This enlightenment comes from gaining a greater understanding and awareness in these areas of life, both informationally and experientially. It is the path of mastery. Like the old christian term gnosis, meaning knowledge. This divine and sacred knowledge was recognized as the key to salvation. Knowledge of one’s true identity as the one eternal God Self, and knowledge in all areas of human existence in which one wishes to thrive.


So enlightenment is not some elated retirement, it is not the party after arriving at the finish line, instead it is a dynamic process, it is a flow, a surrender to the expression of life force energy emanating from the One, allowing divine grace to carry you where it will, wherever is in the highest divine order for your greatest enlightenment.

Much peace and love,
Bodhi

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