4 Ways to Enlightenment
Truth by experience.
There is a huge collective misunderstanding concerning Enlightenment out there. Because it needs effort, courage, and the power to transcend — many people these days just say that it’s an illusion to think someone can be enlightened. Or that we don’t need to do anything because we are all enlightened at this moment anyway.
But what does Enlightenment mean? Philosophically it means to know what something is, the true knowing of existence.
Traditionally through the legacy of the prophets and saints like in the Vedic scripture of the Upanishads, Laotzi, Krishna, and Buddha,
»Enlightenment means: Knowing eternity.«
This is the original definition that has been forgotten in the crowd.
But the sad thing about this oblivion is, that also the trust in the own ability to really experience eternity got shuttered down.
I’ve heard so many people saying: »How to know infinity as a finite being?«
And because most people have given up the possibility of experiencing the eternal source, they rather believe in something they don’t really know.
Mention this: Because we are a living part of the FIRST existing source energy of the cosmos, we definitely carry this divine legacy of eternal existence within us IN THIS MOMENT!
Being is stronger than nothingness up to this date. And we are also eternal beings within our essential core of existence, please never forget that.
We have the power to search, to experience, and to know eternity in our lives.
If we have experienced the eternal source of energy, the so-called »God«, then, we’re no longer depending on a book or other people’s sayings. We’re no longer depending on a belief system and we’re not manipulatable anymore.
Our own experience of eternity makes us free from every human opinion about existence because existence itself has revealed its truth to us. Maybe some straight religious people don’t like this, but, in the end, everything that we can claim as a truth in our lives, has to be a living experience, and not only suggestions.
If you want to read something about my experience of the eternal source, you can check out my article here:
Here I want to mention 4 Ways that are essential to make this experience possible for all of us:
Desire for eternity
One of the most important prepositions for experiencing eternity is our true desire for it. It’s not enough just to say it once or twice and to think that it would be nice to experience it.
This is why at this point it is really important to ask oneself: Do I really want and need this experience in my life to have more bliss?
Because maybe it’s not the right time or you don’t need this experience for your actual soul evolution.
See, you have to be starving to make this experience. In every moment you shall have such a tremendous awe for the mystery of life, that you can’t sleep, be awake, or breathe without a burning truthful desire to experience eternity.
It is not enough to think that you want it, you have to feel this longing within your whole being. Every cell in your body and every particle in your soul has to say: » Come! Source of creation, I want to connect with you consciously! Make me ready and reveal yourself! «
Then, you are willing to do so.
Transcendence of names and forms
The next very important step is to transcend names and forms. O my dear reader, this is so important to do! Because the reality of the eternal source is MUCH bigger than words and forms could ever express. At the beginning of the Tao it’s said:
»The Tao which can be named is not the eternal Tao.«
Yes! Eternity can never express itself totally through names and words, because names and words are just a part of eternity, not vice versa.
And THIS is the reason why someone should not claim one religious scripture to be the ultimate truth about the source, because no scripture can ever be.
Eternity pierces through every existence and dimension, so, we can’t just think or believe in it, we really can experience it. And this experience is way more truthful than anything else because it’s made with our whole being and not just with a small part of it.
Words and forms can be inspired by the source, they can be guided and surely pierced by the source, but they are not the ultimate expression of it. We can’t press the wholeness of existence within limited human words or any forms. To think that we can is just an illusion.
In Buddhism, it’s said that we shall cultivate a »non-conceptual-mind«. This means, that whatever we think or believe about ourselves or creation, is not its real existence, it’s just a concept of it that is made by ourselves.
But eternity means eternal existence. So we want to transcend mortality as an existing being. We can’t rely upon a concept existentially, because it will fade away and will get resolved within the true overall existence.
It is important to transcend names and forms about eternity because then we are more open to experiencing it originally and are not limited by our own imaginations about it. Even to understand we don’t need names and forms because we will know very existentially through our whole being.
Knowing eternity also means knowing our existence within the wholeness of existence. And the wholeness of existence is always bigger than names and forms. This truth shall help us to cultivate a »non-conceptual-mind«, to be free and aware of our essential existence.
Contemplation of the mind
The next step to experience eternity is the contemplation of our mind. Now, that we know that we really want this experience with our whole mind and heart and that existence is far more than we can think about; we can start to synchronize our mind energy with the eternal energy.
To get a better understanding of how to witness eternity within our mind, it’s good to ask oneself: In which state of mind do I want to exist forever? Or more generously: In which state of existence do I want to remain forever?
Here I can give you my truthful answer, so maybe you can connect with it or you find another quality of eternity within yourself.
MAY ALL BEINGS EXIST FOREVER.
MAY ALL BEINGS BE FREE (FROM SUFFERING) FOREVER.
MAY ALL BEINGS BE PEACEFUL FOREVER.
MAY ALL BEINGS BE BLISSFUL FOREVER.
MAY ALL BEINGS BE TRUTHFUL FOREVER.
MAY ALL BEINGS BE … FOREVER.
Think about more eternal contemplations within yourself and write them down in the Comments, I’d love to read them!
Feel their power. Feel the truth for yourself. Feel eternity within your whole being!
The very essential part of this contemplation is, that the truth of our own eternal willpower/intention can’t be denied by anything. It will stay true eternally.
Buddha says, that this eternal state of mind will make us aware of an indomitable power within ourselves. And that if we become aware of this world transcending power, we will feel a transcendent everlasting bliss.
Inter-Being
Now, that we’re aware of »some« eternity within us, it’s very important not to remain only within our own mind (even though we are wishing it for all beings). We shall dive into a deeper awareness of our connectedness with all beings. Within eternity, our existence will be resolved within the wholeness. And as much as we exist in a harmonious connection to all beings, we’ll feel our eternal aliveness within everything.
Before we dive into it through the understanding of the saint Thich Nhat Hanh, I want to tell you one very crucial quote from my Professor of philosophy and linguistics.
He said:
Think about this, you think you have developed »your own« thoughts, but in reality, even our thoughts have evolved and are depending upon the human community. You couldn’t think a thought without relying on the whole human process of thinking through history.
What a mind-blowing bomb, isn't it?
So, the understanding of inter-being is also experiencing our interdependence with creation. In this example, we can experience cour thoughts-inter-being.
The knowing of the inter-being of everything was also realized through ancient Vedic scripture like the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, the Tao, and through Buddha's teaching. But also in the Bible and almost every religious scripture it’s said, that everything (good) is a part of God, has emerged from his eternal existence, is connected, and will go back to it.
We are only living on this earth because of the sunlight, air, water, and earth. We could not exist here without the oceans, trees, and bees. To think that we are a separate »I« is just an illusionary concept. Also, our divine essential being is permeated and preserved through the eternal light of the source.
In Buddhism, this truth of existence is called »emptiness«, because nothing exists only for itself.
I AM … Yes! But WE ARE … together … within the eternal wholeness of existence. That’s why Thich Nhat Hanh said:
»To take good care of yourself and to take good care of living beings and of the environment is the best way to love God. This love is possible when there is the understanding that you are not separate from other beings or the environment. This understanding cannot be merely intellectual. It must be experimental, the insight gained by deep touching and deep looking in a daily life of prayer, contemplation, and meditation.«
To know our inter-being through experience will help us to cultivate eternal compassion and awe for all beings. It will help us to free our mind to connect with the feeling of an expanded aliveness. If we value life as an essential part of us, we will treat all beings like ourselves and we will feel a deep connecting love and transcendent existence.
This transcendental compassion and bliss is called »light« within ourselves. So emptiness and light are intertwining with each other. We are not nothing, but we are not only for ourselves, we exist through wholeness.
This is why it’s said that if we are living our lives for the sake of all beings, we will feel a transcendent bliss within ourselves, and I can confirm this experience absolutely.
Try it yourself: Whenever you feel depressed or it seems that your chaotic mind can’t find rest or peace, contemplate the eternal affirmations and witness their effect on you.
I can assure you from my own experience: No thought of this world can shutter down eternity within ourselves.
Then you’ll truly know, that violence and domination in this world is no real power. REAL power exists beyond death eternally.
Delve into it. Feel it. Know it. Be it.
Truth is indestructible within eternity.
May all beings be blissful forever.
