Enlightenment

Enlightenment is a term that can have various meanings. During the Age of Enlightenment, the Dutch philosopher Immanuel Kant said in 1784 that "Enlightenment is man's emergence from his self-imposed immaturity." In that sense, it is the realization of self-reliance and intellectual freedom. http://www.english.upenn.edu/~mgamer/Etexts/kant.html

In contrast, spiritual enlightenment is a term that means the achievement of liberation from mind and profound spiritual realization. One can arrive at this state of being spontaneously, as in the cases of St. Paul of Tarsus in the Christian tradition, Hui-Neng in the Chan Buddhism tradition, and more recently, Eckhart Tolle. Dedication to practices of various spiritual disciplines within the world's major religions is another, more common, route of achieving spiritual realization. It can mean various things, depending on the spiritual tradition, however there is a commonality of an inner transformation that is not affected by external events.

You will find quotes on this site from a Taoist meditation master, a well-known Catholic monk, and Buddhists, among others. There is further discussion of Buddhist views on enlightenment and thoughts of a philosopher-Buddhist from the United States that bridge both Eastern and Western concepts of enlightenment. More information can be found in the section to the right, links from Google and Mahalo, and sections that contain news and blogs.

In the ancient Theravadan tradition of Buddhism tradition, the achievement of nirvana, or formless consciousness divorced from the world of form was seen as enlightenment. The Mahayana Buddhist Nagarjuna and the Greek philosopher Plotinus in realized another type of non-dual enlightenment, a realization that is not separated from world forms. http://www.enlightennext.org/magazine/j21/gurupandit.asp?page=2

In the Pure Land Buddhist tradition, as illustrated by the practice of Thich Naht Hanh, the practice of mindfulness meditation is focused on developing compassionate enlightenment which affects both the practitioner and his community. Enlightenment, known as salvation in the Christian tradition, may also take on this meaning as an emulation of the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth which occurs in the context of community.

Enlightenment may also mean achieving a mental and/or embodied awareness that remains balanced and focused, and is not distracted by thoughts. In this case, the enlightened can be guided by a heightened development of faith in God, as in the contemplative Christian tradition, or an inner embodied awareness, such as is developed in the Taoist and Indian Yogic traditions.

Ken Wilber, a modern American philosopher and practitioner of Buddhism who bridges both Eastern and Western traditions in his prolific writings, describes enlightenment as the achieving the awareness that there is only one self. His writings cover the evolution of conscious awareness that integrates the several layers of being. He believe that people achieve temporary states of non-dual awareness. that that they need "to evolve through the stages of purifying the vehicle, in the realm of form, so that it can ecstatically, permanently, continuously embrace these higher states." http://www.enlightennext.org/magazine/j21/gurupandit.asp?page=3

Buddhist:

1. "The Fundamentals of the Middle Way" by Nagarjuna
2. "The Platform Sutra" of Hui Neng.
3. Buddha Mind, Buddha Body: Walking Toward Enlightenment, 2007 by Thich Naht Hanh
4. The Miracle of Mindfulness: A Manual on Meditation, 1999 by Thich Naht Hanh
   
   

Christian:

1. Seeds of Contemplation by Thomas Merton
2. New Seeds of Contemplation by Thomas Merton
3. "Open Mind, Open Heart" by Thomas Keating
   
   

Taoist:

1. Relaxing Into Your Being by Bruce Frantzis, (a meditation guide)
2. Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu
   
   

Other:

1. The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle
2. "Fools Crow. Wisdom and Power." by Thomas E. Mails (Native American Spirituality)

• Bruce Frantzis:
• --"Taoists commonly look at spirituality and meditation in terms of spiritual health, rather than a super-ordinary condition called "enlightenment." ....both spiritual and physical health benefit from ongoing maintenance and upgrading of the individual's Chi.'' From "The Great Stillness. The Water Method of Taoist Meditation Series," Vol. 2, p. 15. B. K. Frantzis. 1999. The Great Stillness. The Water Method of Taoist Meditation Series. Volume 2. Clarity Press. Fairfax, CA. p. 15. http://www.amazon.com/Great-Stillness-Method-Taoist-Meditation/dp/1556434081#reader_1556434081
  
  

• Eckhart Tolle:
• --"The greater part of human pain is unnecessary. It is self-created as long as the unobserved mind runs your life."
• --"Become conscious of being conscious." http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/4493.Eckhart_Tolle
  
  

• Thich Naht Hanh:
• -- "The Seven Factors of Awakening are mindfulness, investigation of phenomena, diligence, joy, ease, concentration, and letting go."
• -- "There is no enlightenment outside of daily life."
  
  
• Thomas Merton, Benedictine monk:
• -- “Faith is a light of such supreme brilliance that it dazzles the mind and darkens all its visions of other realities, but in the end when we become used to the new light, we gain a new view of all reality transfigured and elevated in the light itself.”
• -- "We have what we seek, it is there all the time, and if we give it time, it will make itself known to us."
  
  
• Tao Te Ching - Lao Tzu
• -- "He who knows others is wise. He who knows himself is enlightened."
  
  
• Anonymous
• --"Before enlightenment - chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment - chop wood, carry water". ~Zen Buddhist Proverb