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| The Spiritual Magic Quadrant (see below in this article) |
The answer of this question is simple : Yes, every human being is already enlightened ! There is nothing lacking in his being. But the real question is “have you Realized your Enlightenment ?”. Of course, very few persons in all history of this planet have realized their enlightenment. So, this article is about Enlightenment Realization. It first tries to define in general terms this state of human consciousness. Then we will see the process leading to the realization of her or his enlightenment. In the conclusion, we will discuss The Light Criteria. These are questions meant to help us having an insight into our own state of consciousness. There is no problem when you realize you enlightenment, you will know it for sure. But the danger is before this realization. You can stuck somewhere in the path. You may also have beautiful and realistic dreams. So the Light Criteria can help us avoid these pitfalls.
This article is divided into two parts and a conclusion, as follows :
Table
of Contents
1- What is enlightenment ?
1.1- The Light Being
An enlightened person is a human being who has attained to clarity of Mind. He is no more darkened by any thought. All his being is crystal clear. There is no dark corner in his body-mind. A dark corner is a poetic image to describe some hidden patterns located deep down in the layers of mind and acting from there. So from time to time, these hidden patterns take possession of the human being who starts acting unknowingly and accordingly to these hidden mind blue prints. An enlightened being never acts like an automaton from learned memories or embedded thoughts or emotions. Instead he responds freshly to any situation. So he is as unpredictable as Life is.1.2- The Hollow Bamboo
The great curse in human being is their ego. But the ego has no real existence; it is just the process of continuous thinking. And human beings are deriving their personality from thinking, from mind : their story, their family, education, beliefs, etc.In the other hand, an enlightened human being has no more compulsive thinking. His mind is quite. He is using his mind when needed, otherwise, there is no need. So an enlightened person has no ego. He has disappeared as far as the individuality derived from mind is concerned. He has died to the past and never projects himself in the future. The psychological time has stopped for him. He lives in the present moment.
In this state of no thinking, the enlightened being becomes a hollow bamboo; in total tune with the Universe. And when the Universe, or God wants to express himself through this person, there is no hindrances. God can sing any song through him. The enlightened person is no more a doer. God's light shines through him.
1.3- The Consciousness Flower
The science can trace Life Evolution from the Big Bang with its tremendous, inconceivable and undifferentiated Energy to the richness and complexity of Life on Earth today. Human beings, on Planet Earth seam to be on the top of this evolution of Life. But the majority of humanity as we know it is not the last stage of evolution. Some rare individuals has attained the next step of evolution : the consciousness aware of itself. As human being we are conscious of the outer world. We can also direct our mind to observe itself, to analyze itself. But this is not a real self awareness. In fact when the subject (observer) and the object (observed) merge and become one, there is the self awareness of consciousness. And this the ultimate flowering of Life as we know it.1.4- The Religious
All prophets are enlightened persons. All prophets tap in the same source. Of course when expressed in human languages and in different circumstances their teachings take different and often contradictory forms. But in fact the contradiction is just on the surface. Moreover, sometimes it is hard to bring some experiences to people with limited understanding. So the enlightened prophets use parables to facilitate the understanding or use them as signposts to the Truth. Later, these parables are interpreted literally and this one explanation why there are so many religions despite their unique source. Only an enlightened person is really a religious since he is all the time in tune with the Universe. We can also access this dimension temporarily. During these moments we are religious. True religion is not the practice of a ritual. No, rituals are just devices created by enlightened persons to help human beings accessing religiosity. They are not the goal but a mean.1.5- The Eternal
An enlightened person realizes and knows first hand that his is not his body/mind, he is not the form Life has taken in him. His body is born and will die but he know that he is Life. He is never born and will never die. Time has stopped for him. He is in the eternal present moment witnessing the unfolding of his own life situation. An enlightened person realizes that his real being was always here and now, without any beginning nor any end. He realizes also that he is not separate from Life itself. So he has always enjoyed all life forms.1.6- The Blissful
You can be happy, but happiness passes. You can enjoy experiencing an object, but this joy will subside when the object is no more or has lost its novelty. But blissfulness is out of emptiness. It is not a by product of any thing of this world. It is a flowering of meditation, of nothingness. Bliss comes out of the realization of his oneness with the whole Universe. The joy of Life bubbling everywhere in the Universe is simply felt in the core of the enlightened being.Also the transcendence of Life itself and the communion with the Beyond is probably the real source of bliss.
1.7- The Miraculous
The enlightened person is no more as an ego. He is no more a doer. He is just a witness. And the miracles happen around him. He is attracting divine energy and dispatching it around him. The ego creates a barrier and no ego create a natural low potential energy attracting the Energy of Universe. Life is a miracle. Creation is an ongoing miracle. And an enlightened person is co creator with God. Not by doing. Just by being. Since he is available, vulnerable, Life uses him as a vehicle for its creations, its transformations.1.8- The One
As human mind is concerned, we are not one but many. Our mind is a flux, a set of contradictory thoughts, each pulling us in its direction. But an enlightened person is one. He is no more identified with any idea, how can any thought pull him any more ? He is self centered and one. He has also a knowing, a realization that his is one with the whole Life, the whole Universe. This oneness is not an idea in his mind but his own realization.2- On the Path to The Realization
2.1- The Awakening
The awakening is the most important milestone in the lifetime of a human being. Awakening simply means that the human being is no more totally identified with his mind. There are now breaches in his ego, aka identification with mind. He knows that he is not the content of his mind. The enlightenment is instant but the awakening is a process. During this process there is more and more dis identification from mind, but the human being can fall again and again in his sleep or his dream like life.The awakening is a great blessing since the experience of life is far more better during the awakening process. The awakening is the real start of spiritual search. Many so called seekers are just in an ego trip. They are still identified with the content of their mind. But a real spiritual seeker don't believe any more what happens in his mind. Even when he is trapped in his mind, a moment later he is again aware of this trap. By this awareness he is no more fueling thoughts in his Mind. One day, when the natural conditions are there he will realize, instantly, his enlightenment. It is like heating or cooling water; when pressure and temperature are at the right amount, the water evaporates or crystallized instantly. The equivalent of heating/cooling is awareness. The more you are aware and dis identified from your mind the more you are nearer to “natural conditions” of enlightenment realization.
2.2- The Spiritual Magic Quadrant
The company Gartner has devised a technique for classifying businesses in information technology domains, called Gartner Magic Quadrant. I would like to use a similar presentation in spiritual matter, with the following picture : |
| The Spiritual Magic Quadrant |
The vertical axis is about Separateness and Happiness. When you go to the top you feel more oneness and more blissfulness.
So the four categories defined by this Spiritual Magic Quadrant are as follows:
- The Happy Ignorants : they are all the living and
creatures below the man consciousness. They are not aware of
themselves and the world as the man is. In the other hand they have
no ego, so they feel the oneness with the Universe and its
consequence : blissfulness. In this category, animals are more aware
then plants but the latter are less suffering.
- The Unhappy Ignorants : this is the worse category :
almost as ignorants as the animals but because of their ego, they
are feeling separate from the Universe with its consequence :
feeling threatened, unhappy and suffering. In the bottom of this
category there is the Egoic Man : he suffers the most and
can't see reality as it is. He looks through thick clouds of
thoughts, judgments, knowledge, scriptures, etc. He misses completely
the reality. The Spiritual Seekers has less and less ego. The less
is his ego the more is his happiness and the more is his knowing of the
reality without Egoic Mind Distortion.
- The Unhappy Knowers : all spiritual seekers attain to
this category sooner or later. Their Mind become almost quite. They have
clarity in their vision to reality since their Egoic Mind is almost
nil. But there is still a slight ego giving the seeker still a
feeling of separateness. He has not disappeared utterly. He is
happier than the former category but he don't know real bliss. This
state is very dangerous since the seeker has progressed tremendously in
his path but he is still in the horizontal time line. He can still
regress to the lower category. Many seekers stay stuck in this category
for many lifetimes. They have not yet realized their enlightenment, even if they are far
more advanced than the previous category. Here, the help of a master
is needed to take the last jump.
- The Blissful Knowers : This is the category of
Enlightened Persons. In fact we are here in another dimension of consciousness which
can't be depicted in a picture. Here the Man, fully aware and
awakened, Knows Himself. He is also blissful. When arriving to this
category, it is a vertical transition, we can't fall to a lower
category. It is impossible. So An enlightened person can't any more
“downgrade” himself to the unhappy man. But amazingly, because
of the realization of oneness, he can express himself through a wind
breeze, a cloud in the sky, a shining star, a blade of grass or
even through a horse, a dog or a cat. He can shine through them, but
he can't pass the layers of an egoic mind. This is perhaps the
meaning behind parables of mystics coming as dogs or other animals.
2.3- Satori and Samadi
The Samadi in eastern traditions means the realization of one's enlightenment. It is like an explosion of consciousness who becomes aware of itself. It is self awareness. With his first Samadi a human being becomes an enlightened person. He can't regress to a lower level of consciousness. He is no more of this world. He can't any more be identified with any Mind or any Body. He is one with the source of Life. An enlightened person can have many Samadis. With each Samadi he is accessing greater levels of consciousness.In Sufi tradition the equivalent of Samadi is “Al Fath الفتح” or “Opening”. A human being who has attained to “Al Fath” becomes “Aref billah عارف بالله” or “A Knower (of God)”. The enlightened person knows God. Knows Himself.
Satori in eastern traditions is a glimpse of Samadi. Sometimes when the conditions are there, the seeker realizes a silent mind. Realizes the blissfulness. Realizes the Oneness. In short, he accesses momentarily the Samadi or Enlightenment state. Even if it is not permanent, when a seeker has his first Satori it is a great event in his path. With Satori he knows what does it means Samadi. So he is confirmed in his search.
In Sufi tradition the equivalent of Satori is “Al Hal" or "الحال" which can be translated as “State” or “Situation”. The word “Al Hal” has the meaning of impermanence like in the word Satori. So each seeker, becoming more and more aware of his being, he can have one or many Satoris. Each Satori is longer and deeper that the previous one. When he is ready, he has his Samadi. He is enlightened.
All enlightened persons don't have Satoris. They can have directly their Samadi and become instantly Enlightened.
2.4- Enlightenment Pitfalls
There are many pitfalls which can prevent a seeker from realizing his enlightenment. Here are some of them :- blissfulness and silence : when the mind becomes more
and more silent, there is a moment where almost no thought arises in
human mind. This is a moment of great bliss, great peace. Very
pleasant. And the seeker can stay there enjoying but his ego has not
utterly disappeared. There is still a very slight ego. This is the
trap : the seeker has to go ahead, to move, not to stay in this state.
Since if he don't continue to the ocean, his calm and beautiful
lake will soon loose his freshness and become rotten. Which means
that the ego can again return to the command of his being.
- Fear the take the last jump : when the Samadi is there
it is a total annihilation, an utter disappearance far more deep
than any previous death. At this moment, the seeker can lack the
guts to make the last jump... he will miss. Osho put this in a
beautiful image when he said “That is the ultimate death. It
appears like the ultimate death. Even the Ganges shudders, trembles
before it falls; even the Ganges looks backwards, thinks of past
days and memories, and the beautiful time on the plains and the
tremendous energy phenomenon in the hills and the glaciers. At the
last moment when the Ganges is going to fall into the ocean, it
lingers a little while more. It wants to look back, think over
memories, beautiful experiences. That has to be also watched. Don’t
linger. When the ocean comes, allow: merge, melt, disappear !”
- Miracles doer : when the seeker starts having Satoris,
many miracles can happen around him. He can also have new
capabilities. Of course, he is not a doer. It happens because his
ego is no more there to prevent what the Universe wants to do. But
if the seeker think that he is a doer, that he can “use” or
“exploit” his new capabilities, he is lost. He can still for a
more little time “do” miracles, but he is fueling again his ego,
and one day he will become again fast asleep with a new “spiritual”
ego far more dangerous than the previous “materialist” ego.
- Mind Projections : this is perhaps the most hidden and
hazardous pitfall. Since the Mind is threatened by the process of
awakening and the Mind is very powerful, very cunning, it can lead
the seeker in false routes, in beautiful ego trips painted with
“spiritual” dreams. If really you “will” attain something,
the Mind will create this thing for you. For example you know that
“blissfulness” is a trait of an enlightened being, so your mind
will make you happy. He will help you to believe that you are in
continuous and eternal bliss. Even if there is sometimes real
sadness, the Mind will help you repressing this sadness and saying to
yourself “I am happy”. Or it can convince you that it is out of
your compassion that you are sad : "You are sad because of other's
suffering, but really your are blissful" ! So instead of taking this
authentic sadness as a hint that you are still in the path, that you
should navigate this ripple on the surface to go deeper in your
being, you are not true to yourself and you prefer following your
Mind Projection. I can't list here all Mind Projections that our
mind can make to delude us, but if we are true to ourselves, if we are
systematically doubtful about any thing we can see, grasp or
understand with our Mind, we can avoid this trap.
2.5- The Master, A Guide In The Path
The master is a must for a seeker. You can't realize your enlightenment without the guidance of a master. The master can help you not to fall in the pitfalls exposed in the previous paragraph. Every seeker is confused since he has no more confidence in his mind. He knows very well that realizing the Truth is far beyond mind, how can he trust the mind ? So confusion is the natural consequence of taking the path to self realization. This is also a good criterion to know if you have not caught a new “spiritual” ego. If you are not confused, if you have crystal clear ideas about your path, then know well that your ideas are simply a newer ego. Be careful of this trap. So it is natural that you are confused as a seeker. The master is always here to send you, directly in your heart some signs to help you to be more confident and trust your heart. Confusion is still there in the Mind but the heart is more and more confident. He knows that he is on the right path.We saw also that enlightenment is a natural phenomenon. It is an evolutionary state of Life which will come sooner or later to every human being. But the natural path can be very, very long. The master's teaching is a shortcut in the path to enlightenment realization. Otherwise the natural course of things can take countless lifetimes before awakening. But when you are awaken, there is no difference if you have realized it in one hundred or one billion lifetimes. When you realize your eternity, time has no meaning. But the master, when he sees our suffering, and he has realized the bliss, he wants to help us by his teaching to shorten our suffering. He is still a human being, he has just extinguished his ego, so he knows very well our problems, our suffering and out of compassion he offers us a shortcut in our natural path to enlightenment.
The great question is how to find a master ? With all fake gurus and false masters in this world, how can a seeker find a real master ? The answer is simple : you can't find a master. The master only can and will find you. There is always a master for a true seeker. The problem is not the fake master but the false seeker. You can be in presence of a real master and miss him. It happens all the time. So the first step to “find” your master is to be more and more aware of your mind, your emotions and listen to your heart. You have to develop the sensitivity to listen to the master present in your own heart. In the beginning the master's voice in your heart will be hardly audible. But by silencing your mind you will be more and more able to hear your master's voice. And when you are really ready to take the jump, the master will be there to guide you. In the Sufi tradition the master who appears systematically to every true seeker who becomes ready is named “Khidr or Khadir”. “Khadir” is not a historical person who guided Moses. No, it is a “generic” name of the master who appears to every seeker when the time is right.
So instead of searching for a master outside, start by hearing you inner master.
2.6- Masters and Frequency Holders
All enlightened persons are not masters. A master is an enlightened person who the Universe or God uses to spread a kind of teaching when the Universe knows it is useful to do so. But many enlightened persons are not known at all. They are persons living an ordinary life in their societies. They have no apparent contribution to humanity. In fact they are a great blessing for all the living on the Planet. Eckhart Tolle used to call them “Frequency Holders” since they are attracting and keeping stillness on Earth. Their light beings is capable, naturally, of pouring God's Love and blessing to all livings beings on Earth. So don't be deluded by the outside appearance of human beings. Some of them are really of the same caliber of great masters like the Buddha, Jesus or Mohamed but they live a simple and discrete life as shop keepers, artisans, farmers, etc.3- Conclusion : The Light Criteria
The following criteria :
- Are not meant to judge other's enlightenment. Since it is none of your business if others are enlightened or not.
- Are not meant either to know if you are enlightened. Since when you will realize your enlightenment, you will know it for sure and you will not need any kind of mind stuff, like this article, to know if you have really realized or not.
- But they can be helpful to know that you have not yet realized your enlightenment !
The following Light Criteria are simply the opposites of the traits exposed in the first paragraph.
- If you are still subject from time to time to a repetitive
pattern of your being triggered by some external or internal
stimulus, then you have not yet realized. No matter if you can
repress this pattern and hide it from others. Be true to yourself.
An enlightened person is aware of the pattern from its birth deep
down in the layers of his being. He is watchful of it from the
beginning and he can choose to play it or not. But he can't be
trapped in a moment of non awareness and find himself playing, then
repressing the mind pattern. In the criterion above I talked about
“external or internal” stimulus. External is clear : an
interaction with others provoke the Mind Pattern. The internal could be a simple thought coming to your mind and automatically triggering an
internal reaction due to a hidden Mind Pattern.
- If there the slightest thought that you are identified
with, you have not yet realized. No matter if the thought is
good or bad, spiritual or mundane. You can't have any mind definition of
who you really are. If, for example, you have a clear idea in your mind of
the “purpose” of your life, then you have not yet realized.
- If there is still in yourself an “observer” and an
“observed”, then you have not yet realized. The Realization
is a strange state beyond conventional Mind where the energy which
usually “shines” from mind to the objects to light them and know them.
Instead of this linear light originating from the mind, in self realization, the light of the mind is turning back to know itself and merge with itself. This
phenomenon is unknown for conventional human mind. So if you still
conceive yourself as an object in your mind, be it a sophisticated
object, be it the ultimate scientific conceptual object, then you
have not yet realized.
- If you are not a total witness of you own life situation,
then you have not yet realized. If you are still a doer, not a
witness of you own life, then you have not yet realized. If, for
example, your body is asleep and you are not there as a witness
enjoying seeing your body taking a rest, then you have not yet
realized. If you are interacting in a usual life situation, for
example talking to somebody and you are not there witnessing both
the other and yourself while they are discussing, then you have not
yet realized.
- If you have not realized your eternity, then you have not
yet realized. If the past and future are more meaningful than
the eternal present, then you have not yet realized. If you can't
see yourself witnessing your true Life beyond your birth and death
of your body, then you have not yet realized.
- If your blissfulness comes not out of emptiness, then you
have not yet realized. If you are blissful because of some
external or internal object, thought, situation, then you have not
yet realized. The bliss of an enlightened person is flowing from
nothing. If there is something behind your happiness, then you have
not yet realized.
- If you do miracles, then you have not yet realized.
Miracles are bound to happen to an enlightened person, but he is not
a doer. He is just a witness. If there is in you the slightest thought,
pride or joy that you are, in some extent, behind some miracle; either in your being or in your surrounding, then you have not yet
realized.
- If you are many, then you have not yet realized. Many
start with two. If you see in this world at least two entities :
yourself and the rest of the universe, then you have not yet
realized. The enlightened person come to realize deeply, not to
understand intellectually, that he is not separate from anything in
this Universe. He realizes deep in his being that he is one with the
blade of grass under his feet and one with the far galaxy in the sky.
When you are one with something you can sense your influence on it
and its actions on you.
- If you pass successfully all the eight criteria exposed
above, it is not a guaranty that you have realized since your Mind
can make a story around all these subjects and make you believe in
this story.
حتى
تفنى فى الله *** ثم
تبقى بالله
which can be translated “Until you disappear (fana) in God, then
you stay (baqa) by/as God”. The literal translation of “بالله"
is “by God” but I added “As God” since the Sufi Poems have
always many layers of understanding. I have the feeling that the
keyword here is “تبقى”
from “baqa بقاء”and
in Islamic tradition “Albaqi” is a name of God since He is the
only Being who survives all other things in the Universe. So when you
disappear, you become “Albaqi”, hence my translation “As God”.
