|
|
|
YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED: F.A.Q. 7
|
|
ENLIGHTENMENT QUESTION: What is Enlightenment? ANSWER: As the word itself implies, Enlightenment
is about Light. Writing in the third century of the current era (CE) the
Christian Saint Hippolytus of Rome says: "There are some among the
Indians who say that God is Light, not like the light one sees, nor
like the Sun or fire, but like the Light of Knowledge whereby the secret
mysteries of Nature are perceived by the Wise" (Philosophumena XXI- The
Brahmans). Of course, Indian Yogis are not alone in saying that God is
Light. Says the Bible: "God is Light and in Him is no darkness at
all" (1 John, 1:5). Long before the Bible was written, God was
worshipped among many nations on Earth as Light in its various manifestations
of fire, lightning, sunlight, etc. Indeed, God was known throughout the
Ancient World by different titles which denoted Light such as Dyaus, Deva,
Deus. This Supreme Light is the Light of Consciousness. It is
the Power whereby all living beings know, perceive, think and live their
life. In short, the Light of God is the Life Force of the Universe. Enlightenment
is the condition or state of living in the Light of the Supreme. In the same way as sunlight descends to Earth where it is
absorbed by plants and converted into green leaves, so also in Creation, the
Supreme Radiance of God (the Light of Consciousness) becomes more and more
obscure as it descends into material existence and finally manifests itself as
solid, physical objects that are devoid of their original brightness. The process of Enlightenment or Illumination is the activity
whereby embodied Consciousness returns to its original state of boundless
radiance. An inkling of what constitutes this return to the original
condition of Light may be gathered from Shri Somananda's writings: "God
appears to, or is perceived by, each Soul according to his individual
development and Spiritual receptivity. Yet at the same time He remains
eternally the same Infinite, Unlimited and Unqualified Reality. Therefore,
though God may at times descend into our small World and appear to us in
visions and dreams, His true intention remains to elevate us to Higher Planes
of Existence where we really belong to, because That is our True Home. "One day, I had just finished my Spiritual practices and
was standing before an Image of Lord Shiva, when suddenly a huge wave of
energy hit me from behind blowing my heart and body-centred being to pieces -
or this is what it felt like - and lifted me up into an infinite Sphere of
Dazzling Light. The whole World seemed to have disappeared without trace.
Even my physical body had gone and all that was left of it was a barely
perceptible feeling that it was still there somewhere in the remotest corner
of my life, like a bar of soap that slips out of your hand in a bubble bath
or an object dropped in the dark which must logically be still there but
escapes entirely your faculties of perception. "This faintest of feelings was my only link with habitual
reality, quietly following into oblivion body, World and all. The same
feeling was also what subsequently was to remind me of the fact that my work
on Earth was not yet done. But in the meantime, I was a Light in a “Gradually I took conscious possession of my body again that,
as if by a miracle, was still standing there - as if nothing had happened.
Despite an overwhelming feeling of attraction to and desire to remain in that
World of Light, I returned to my normal life without regret and with a firm
knowledge that it had a clear meaning and purpose.” This Elevation to the Luminous World of Spirit is described in
the Scriptures of the West as "being baptised with the Holy Spirit and
with fire" (Bible, Matt. Is
Enlightenment sudden or gradual? The experience of becoming or being Enlightened may sometimes
appear to occur unexpectedly yet in reality it represents the culmination of
a gradual Spiritual Process. On a moonless night, though we cannot see the Moon yet we know
that she is still there in the sky. Similarly, the state of Enlightenment is
always and already there, deep within our being even though we may not
consciously know it. In the same way
as the moonless night is followed by the first crescent which then gradually and
imperceptibly grows into Full Moon, the Dawning of Supreme Reality takes
place gradually. Enlightenment, therefore, is a gradual process. A being who has attained this state is called Enlightened
or Awakened (Buddha). Enlightened Beings occupy various positions in
the Universe according to the degree of Enlightenment or Awakening they have
attained. Thus they may enjoy the state of a Buddha (Awakened One), Prabuddha
(Well-Awakened) or Suprabuddha (Fully Awakened). However, whichever degree of
Enlightenment they have attained, they all are clearly distinguishable from
the unawakened Souls (Abuddha) by certain unmistakable signs or powers which
qualify them as Enlightened Beings. It will be remembered that Enlightenment is the condition of
being in the Light of God. In that condition "there is no
darkness", that is to say, there is no shadow of doubt, ignorance,
weakness or fear. A Fully Enlightened being is truly omniscient and
omnipotent. An Enlightened Yogi, that is, a being who lives in Unity with the
Supreme will therefore have the following characteristics: 1. He will have
unlimited Knowledge and Power which he will use in absolute Unity and Harmony
with Universal Will. 2. He will be immortal
and fearless. 3. He will be always
aware of the Supreme Truth and never deviate from the Truth as laid down in
the Original Scriptures. 4. He will have thorough
knowledge and understanding of all Scriptures. 5. He will speak and
understand all languages. 6. He will have the
powers of clairvoyance, telepathy, etc. 7. He will have
control over all elements. 8. He will be able to
assume any shape or form and travel to any place and distance in time and
space. 9. He will need no
food though he may occasionally consume human food if he so chooses. 10. He will be able to
elevate other Souls to his own status and power. These, in short, are the main characteristics of an
Enlightened Yogi as described in the Scriptures. A person who does not
present even one of the above traits cannot qualify as Enlightened, properly
speaking. Apart from the absence of these characteristics, there are two signs
whereby impostors may be immediately recognised: 1) They will claim to be
introducing a new faith on spurious grounds such as "Truth must change
according to new realities", "Consciousness evolves hence a new
Revelation is needed", etc. Truth, of course, cannot be changed to fit
man-made realities but man must adapt himself to Truth. Nor does the
Universal Consciousness "evolve" but man must learn to live in
Unity with It. This he can only do by following the Original and Eternal
Revelation. And 2), contrary to what one might have expected had they been
rooted in higher inspiration or revelation, their teachings are never
spontaneous but the product of their own or others' thought constructs. A Fully Enlightened Yogi, on the other hand, will always
adhere to the Truth as revealed in the Scriptures. Indeed, he will exhibit
all ten characteristics plus another two: he will always be compassionate
towards other beings and he will abide in a perpetual state of bliss. The objection that is often raised at this point is why does
not an Enlightened Yogi, who is omnipotent, compassionate and can elevate
others, remove all the suffering in the World? To this we reply that, as a
being who lives in absolute Unity and Harmony with the Supreme, an
Enlightened Yogi will never engage in any actions that are contrary to
Universal Law (Dharma). If a Soul is meant to undergo certain experiences,
however painful, according to Karma, Divine Will or Universal Law, then it
will happen exactly as it is meant to happen. Suffering in any case is
temporary when compared to the eternity of the Soul, it affects solely the
body and the mind, never the Soul himself, and serves the purpose of making
man stronger, wiser, more humble or whatever correction is needed for the
ultimate perfection of the Soul. What must be beyond doubt is that
Enlightened Yogis do help other Souls when and to the extent that help is
required or permitted according to Universal Law, with or without the
knowledge of the person or persons concerned. It is, after all, due to this
very fact that Enlightened Yogis have been held in the highest esteem by
common people from the beginning of human life on Earth down to the present
day.
|