What is Enlightenment? A Definitive Statement

HEADINGS

The concept ‘Enlightenment’

Views on Enlightenment

Our Potential for an Enlightened Life

From the Viewpoint of Conventional Truth

From the Viewpoint of Ultimate Truth

Claims on Enlightenment

Can We Taste Enlightenment?

 

The Concept ‘Enlightenment’

An enlightened life serves as a summary for the primary goal for the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha for the past 2600 years.

As servants of the Dharma, we have the responsibility to offer teachings and practices that contribute directly and immediately to an enlightened life.

The Age of Enlightenment refers to the historical switch in the West to a scientific/rational view of life and away from the view that God created the world and rewards and punishes people according to their beliefs and behaviour.

The Buddha’s enlightenment refers to a range of profound liberating insights that vanquish suffering.

No word has an inherent meaning. So what does ‘enlightenment’ mean? This essay explores the question from the perspective of the Dharma (teachings and practices to know an enlightened life).

We should not forget though hat the meaning of any word arises due to common consent.

The word ‘wicked’ means ‘evil, vile, wrong’ in one contact and ‘wicked’ means ‘mischievous, awesome or cool in another context.

The teachings spell out the meaning of an enlightenment life. We can use our experience and way of life to see if we measure up to such a fulfilled way of life.

Views on Enlightenment

Some consider enlightenment a single experience, others consider enlightenment an impossible task in today’s society. Others make claim to enlightenment through a particular insight. Some see enlightenment as an outcome of a particular path or technique while others have doubts about enlightenment.

Some claim to have experienced enlightenment and then lost it. Some say enlightenment is an outcome of meditation, techniques and forms. Others say any kind of path or method gets in the way of enlightenment.

Since such a concept as enlightenment has no inherent meaning, then those deeply interested in enlightenment might conclude that every definition and claim has equal value. This is one approach that some take up, agreeable, comfortable and probably acceptable by most. Such a standpoint keeps the one who takes up the view in a state of indecision.

Authentic deep insights and realizations matter. Those dedicated to the depths of the spiritual life need to address enlightenment rather than neglect or reject the concept or similar concepts – such as liberation, awakening, truth, transcendence, emptiness or the infinite.

Please note that I use ‘an enlightened life and ‘the wise’ as interchangeable concepts in this essay.

Our potential for an enlightened life

Readers may feel daunted reading a definitive statement on an enlightened life. If we give the same amount of time to an enlightened life as we give to college, university and making money, we would probably be enlightened or at the very least opening the door to an enlightened life.

We are human beings. We can produce remarkable technology, clever forms of communication and weapons of mass destruction but we remain largely undeveloped in spiritual terms. The transformation of consciousness, depths of realisations and a fulfilled and liberated life may seem far out of reach but we have the capacity for remarkable inner change.

Sadly, we do not make it a daily priority. That’s why the indicators of an enlightened life seem far removed from daily life. Narcissism, selfishness, blame, fears and stress haunt and make up much of the personality.

Do not regard every sentence in the exploration of enlightenment as some kind of absolute statement. The statements below certainly point to a deep sense of profound well-being and realisations of the truth of life on a daily basis. That does not mean to say, for example, one is perfect in every area. Take three examples.

• Circumstances can impact on an enlightened one. He or she may not experience peace in every moment of every day. There is a general and ongoing deep capacity to remain calm and steady in the face of major challenges.
• We will never be mindful in every moment of the day. Yet, there is the potential to develop mindfulness to the extent necessary to safeguard us from accidents, foolish impulses and acting in unhealthy ways in body, speech and mind. We can develop mindfulness to see inner and outer life with clear comprehension.
• We do not have to feel totally free in every moment. There is the direct knowing of a liberated life while attending to what arises that may seem to get in the way for short periods of such freedom. There are a few rare beings who remain steady as a mountain in a hurricane.
  

What is Enlightenment?

FROM THE VIEWPOINT OF CONVENTIONAL TRUTH

Relative truth refers to conventional reality of everyday life – a world of time and space, identity and things, past, present and future, self and other. An enlightened life addresses the way we live in the conventional reality. Ethics, lifestyle, moderation, enviro-mental awareness, right action, reflection on the past, present and future, short and long term, belong to the field of awareness of an enlightened one. Mindfulness and meditation contribute to an enlightened life.

An ethical way of life

The desire to harm, exploit or abuse another has ceased. There is no justification to cause suffering upon another (s), near or far. An enlightened one has ended identification with the violent policies of the nation state or the organisation.  One has ceased to condone war, the killing and harming of others and supports other means to resolve conflict, such as dialogue, constructive engagement and acts of compassion. One has no desire to mislead, cheat, deceive or exploit others or support and condone corrupt practices.

The end of personal problems.

There is a genuine sense over an extended period of time of being free from personal problems. Unresolved latent tendencies do not drive one along. One is no longer trapped in need for approval and fear of rejection or heaping blame upon oneself or others. Basically, the heart and mind abides with clarity and wisdom. There is the direct willingness and capacity to explore even subtle levels of suffering, the conditions for it, its resolution and the way to resolve suffering. The realized ones remain committed to a noble way of life ensuring concentration on what matters.

Life is understood

Fears, doubts and existential anxieties have no foothold in consciousness. An enlightened one understands life, has addressed the dependent conditions that arise and no longer feels entrapped in any way. The so-called big questions around life and meaning have lost their grip on the mind. Existential issues about the meaning of life, how the world begins and ends and speculative views about life and death have faded away. There is no longer taking up of theistic, atheistic and agnostic standpoints. Seeing and knowing the way things become replaces not knowing, doubts and juggling of paradoxical views. There is deep appreciation for the wonder and beauty of life while addressing the painful face of life.

Application of Wise speech

Speech is primarily directed towards skilful communication. Words have the capacity to reveal truth to others to ground communication in ethics, mindfulness and clarity. The best of words ends suffering and contributes to peace of mind, love and wisdom. One applies mindfulness to words, spoken and written, so communication is truthful, meaningful and useful.

 Non-clinging

An enlightened one sees nothing whatsoever worth clinging to – whether an experience, idea, a desire, a person, thing, belief or metaphysical standpoint. Non-clinging enables a liberated way of life. Knowing the emptiness of the ego, nothing is worth taking up as an identity or subsequent fear of loss of such an identity. The wise cling neither to the past, present or future. There is freedom from identity and all its limitations. Liberation, wisdom and empathy replaces clinging. The mind has the power to concentrate on what matters without clinging to the action or outcome.

Ending of pursuit of sensations

The world reveals itself as sensations – primarily pleasure, pain or in between the two. Having given up the blind pursuit of sensations through the senses, memory and hopes in the future, happiness and contentment reveals itself. Joy comes from the world in natural ways instead of constant pursuit of pleasure and personal gain. The wise share a clear relationship to daily life circumstances, do not exaggerate the utility value of money and enjoy the capacity to share with others rather than maximise self-interest.

Inner Life

There is a pervasive mindfulness, composure and poise in the inner life of the enlightened, free from the need to promote the self or reject the notion of ‘self.’ The wise address the relationship of each of the senses; eyes, ear, nose, tongue and touch, along with the inner world, to the world of sights, sounds, smella, tastes and touch.  The enlightened explore the consciousness/mind/body process. There is a freedom from distortions, projections and painful stories about the process. The wise live mindful lives, abide in peace with life, and appreciate the range of depths of meditation.

Knowledge

The wise discern knowledge that contributes to an enlightened life. One can distinguish healthy, beneficial knowledge from superficial and distracting information that clouds the mind. There is a knowing of the benefit and limits of knowledge. The wise apply discernment to language. Words can reveal truth that changes lives. There is a strong determination to communicate what is true and useful. There is no such thing as a ‘personal truth.’ Truth applies to one and all. Truth can reveal itself in various kinds of knowledge and languages from facts, to poetic insights to fiction. There is also a real sense of going beyond all knowledge free from the functioning of the mental faculties.

Energy

An enlightened one has an abundance of energy,except in times of physical sickness and pain. Diet affects energy. The wise consider what goes into the mouth as much as what comes out of the mouth. Wise application of energy serves the well-being, health and happiness of all creatures and environment. The wise can direct their energy to initiatives, projects and daily life circumstances. There is no wasting of energy on fantasies, projections, unnecessary thinking, desires and fears. Inner peace and focussed attention makes possible a depth of creativity and the capacity to act and the capacity to know when to step back and renew energy.

What is Enlightenment?

FROM THE VIEWPOINT OF ULTIMATE TRUTH

An enlightened life confirms an authentic sense of freedom of being in daily life. There is freedom from unresolved issues from the past, freedom to be and freedom to act.

We do not have to see such a liberation in absolute terms or as a state of perfection. Clouds may come across at times and obscure this freedom. Unhelpful views and attitude may arise. Such views need examination.

The depth of mindfulness of an enlightened human being ensures that such issues get addressed and dissolved rather than justified.  An enlightened one has no interest to promote or project themselves as superior to anyone else. The ego of I am superior, inferior or equal seems to be an absurd construction consisting of views propelled by an inflated conceit or deflated ego or desire to be equal. Human beings are not all the same and not all different.

Truth sets us free. Truth opens up consciousness freeing us from dogma, jaundiced views and living in small world. Freedom does not mean a freedom to do whatever we want to do – no matter what harm we bring upon ourselves or others.  Such a person lives under the spell of flawed features in the personality in the myth of freedom. Liberation means freedom from impulsive and selfish behaviour.

Ultimate truth sets us free from living in our own little world or imaging someone else really means the world to us. Ultimately, there is no truth in believing in notion of the inner world and the outer world. The world of birth, aging, pain and death have also shrunk to little for the wise.

The wise do not narrowly define the world as the round earth moving in space and time. This consists of one world view. We can live in similar worlds and different worlds.

The rebirth of the ego, the burdens of life, the spell of cyclic and unresolved existence have been cast off.

The wise see no substance to the view of a separate self, a connected self, a true self or a no-self.

There is awakening from sleep walking through existence and freedom from imprisonment to the present moment. The wise see and know things as they become with a liberating knowledge of the emptiness of ‘I’ and ‘my.’ There is nothing abstract for the wise about realising the deathless.

Enlightenment confirms a life without chains. The wise experience an enduring empathy for others and engage in actions to dissolve the problems of others, near and far, without dependency on results to ensure peace of mind.

There is realisation of nirvana (absence of the heat of the reactive mind). The sense of liberation, the vast, the unshakeable and immeasurable reveals itself as clearly as colour to a person with good eyesight.

Claims on Enlightenment

There are enlightened ones who speak and teach. There are enlightened ones of few words.

There are enlightened ones in religious/spiritual traditions. There are enlightened ones who remain outside religious/spiritual traditions.

There are those who claim enlightenment based on the self’s interpretation of a particular experience.

There are those who claim enlightenment not based on any specific experience.

There are those who live an enlightened life who do not claim enlightenment.

There are those who claim enlightenment who do not live an enlightened life.

There are those who show an enlightened life through actions as much as words and being.

We know an enlightened one only through a long association, a variety of circumstances and how he or she handles very challenging situations.

We do not know an enlightened one through a brief contact of hours, days or weeks.

Can we taste enlightenment?

The path and the goal of enlightenment may seem very different. It is not.

The path may seem far from the goal. It is not.

The path may seem near to the goal. It is not.

The path may seem the same as the goal. It is not.

The path may seem different from the goal. It is not.

These are views that arise owing to the variety of conditions, inner and outer, at the time. These views remain subject to change at any time owing to the change in the conditions for these views.

There are times when a human being experiences, even for a few moments, hours or days, a genuinely untroubled life. There is inner peace with clarity of action. One knows wise ways of handling situations. There is no internal stress and no demands upon others. There is a genuine sense of being free, abiding mindfully and not chained in any way.

These periods reveal through first-hand experience the nature of an enlightened life. Human beings can have a real and authentic taste of an enlightened life.

For an enlightened one, this taste is the normal daily experience with rare departures from it.

For others, there is the taste of enlightenment but various hindrances and obscuration constantly cloud over an enlightened life. Dharma teachings and practices explores the essential and dissolves the non-essential.

The wise know a freedom from identification to notions of imperfection and perfection. The enlightened dwell free in all directions for the welfare and benefit of one and all. The wise live a noble way of life. There is no substitute for an awakened life.

May all beings live an enlightened life