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

Becoming A Spiritual Badass

I think a problem with many modern spiritual movements is that they lack a certain intensity. They oftentimes lack what I like to refer to as the “warrior spirit”. The warrior spirit, to me, is the intensely overwhelming drive to have a cause, to have a foundation of values and beliefs that you are willing to fight for, and ultimately die for. Nothing is more important than your mission, your divine purpose upon this Earth. That is, to clarify the collective aura of human consciousness, to uplift the masses to a space of transcendence, to a space of enlightenment. It is the eradication of conflict, of evil and unconscious transgressions. It is the evolution of all beings to a space of wholeness, oneness and love. Unified connection with all living beings upon this Earth and connection to the life-giving essence which breathes itself into all of existence.

To me, this is not something which should be passively prayed to or meditated upon, but something that must be actively fought for. This spirit and intensity is brilliantly articulated in Dylan Thomas’ famous poem “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night”. In it, he uses the saying “Rage, rage against the dying of the light.” This is the essence, the embodiment of the divine masculine, the warrior spirit within.

Now is the time to reclaim the warrior spirit, to take the knowledge and wisdom of our ancestors, the fierceness and pioneering will of the indigenous peoples of this planet, and to wield it on the path of personal and collective liberation from suffering. This is not a time for sitting around or floating about like a leaf in the wind. We need direction, we need action, we need movement. We need massive shifts taking place on this planet right now. The foundation has been lain, and now is the time to build!

The warrior harnesses all the trials and tribulations of human existence, all the pain and challenge and struggle, and uses it as the fire to fuel his mission. It is the heat that melds the metal into a perfect instrument, the proverbial pressure that molds diamonds from dust. It is not viewed as an obstacle or detriment, but rather as a divine gift. Too many people yield to the challenges presented to them, they fall down in the face of great opposition, and give up far too soon. Many quit when they were just centimeters away from the finish line and they didn’t even know it.

So find the thing that you are willing to die for and make it your mission to spend every waking moment, every breath, thought and action toward developing yourself on the path to your highest goal. When one fully commits and has the audacity to follow through with their mission, seas will part, mountains will move, and all manner of synchronistic events will line up to support you on your path to enlightenment. So be the wayshower, take the action, and watch the miracle unfold!

Divine peace and love,

Bodhi

Honor Your Subjective Experience

We live in a reality that is, above all, a subjective experience. Sure, there may be objective truths which we all agree upon, yet still these objective truths are observed through a conglomeration of subjective points of view. You are you, I am me, and though the awareness which is the essence of your experience and my experience may be the same, the experience itself varies greatly. No matter how often spiritual teachers preach about oneness and unity, there is no escaping the relative truth of this Universe; it is, for all intents and purposes, a subjective experience.

Subjectivity is a beautiful thing. It results in uniqueness, nuance and variation. It gives rise to an infinite expanse of experiences for one to behold. Were there only one point of perspective in this Universe, there really couldn’t be any experience at all. The same way that there is really no time, space, or movement until two points arise, if there were only a single point of focus, nothing could really happen. There would be no experience, no contrast, no varying sensations and perceptions: there would simply be the isness of I, the only I there is. The I must fragment itself into multiplicity for experiences to arise.

The problem with subjectivity begins when you believe that everyone is experiencing what you are experiencing, and that everyone should know how you feel and what you are thinking at all times. It’s almost like a covert narcissism. You, being the center of your own Universe, believe that everyone around you should cater to your experience, that they should hold your subjectivity above all else, and that you should be the center of their Universe. But this is not the case. So when people do things that make you feel bad, instead of establishing healthy boundaries and being honest about the way you feel, you just expect them to know that they are making you feel bad and to stop what they are doing.

The divine source of this narcissistic and self-absorbed tendency arises from the truth that, in essence, we are all one. We all share the same basic nature which is the awareness or consciousness that experiences our own subjective reality. This universal awareness is what unites us beyond our apparent surface level differences. Yet we still must honor the subjective nature of this Universe, though true only relatively, and we must be authentic with our thoughts and feelings and establish healthy boundaries.

Too often we can get caught up in catering to someone else’s agenda because we wish to help and we wish to experience the love and belonging that comes along with helping others. But many times helping doesn’t actually feel good to us. It feels like self-hate. This is why you must honor your own subjectivity, you must hold tightly to your own personal truth, and you must even be willing to risk others not liking or accepting you in order to honor your own personal feelings and desires. Because nothing is more important than how you feel.

Everything we do is either consciously or unconsciously intended to make us feel better, so why not go straight to the better feeling instead of beating around the bush? Why sacrifice the way you feel now for some hypothetical better-feeling future that never comes? You must honor your subjective experience and do what is best for you. No one can and no one will do this for you. You must do this for yourself. Do what you know is right, and as Shakespeare once said, always “ To thine own self be true.”