What is the enlightenment of the human soul. Who are enlightened people and how to recognize them? How to achieve enlightenment

A practical article will show whether enlightenment exists as an objective reality, how spiritual enlightenment is related to the practices of meditation and conscious breathing, and whether there is another way to achieve enlightenment other than spiritual practices.

Enlightenment of consciousness: what does it mean?

What does “enlightenment of consciousness” mean? The question is not an easy one. Many minds have struggled to express in words what cannot be expressed, because words have not yet been invented for this. The only word that people are accustomed to associate with the state of being in a higher reality in a spiritual sense is enlightenment.

Enlightenment as a state of samadhi or, even higher, as the Enlightenment of the Buddha, where we are finally freed from all suffering and passions; a process of absolute purification and reincarnation, where the ego no longer has power and life situations do not provoke emotional reactions - then this can be called true enlightenment.

Many crave it, even more seek it, but only a few go the long way and finally begin to live in a state of enlightened consciousness.

Does enlightenment exist objectively?

The Diamond Sutra says: “There was never a Buddha who entered this world. And there will never be one who enters this world.” He says: “I taught for forty years and never said anything.” Such a saying implies a general denial of the existence of the phenomenon of enlightenment. There is no Buddha, the whole world is an illusion, there is no you and your ego. Who or what will be enlightened? From the point of view of some philosophical teachings, this concept is completely justified, because in the world there is nothing but emptiness, and therefore our existence cannot be taken seriously.

We will leave philosophical questions for philosophy and consider the practical aspect of the phenomenon of enlightenment.

Yoga and Enlightenment: Human Spiritual Enlightenment

Yoga and enlightenment are directly related to each other. By practicing yoga, you open the way to states of insight and enlightenment. By performing breathing and meditative practices, you are primarily working with your energy, increasing your spiritual state and level of development.

In the teachings of yoga, enlightenment plays a special role - this is the final stage of Ashtanga yoga, an 8-step system. Achieving enlightenment - samadhi - is the cornerstone of yoga. All stages of yoga lead to one thing - to samadhi. Whether you are doing asanas or pranayama, whether you are practicing focused attention or meditation, you are always doing essentially one thing - approaching insight, and enlightenment, its brief moment, can happen even at the very approaches. You may not be as experienced as other practitioners; here the whole subtlety of the process lies in the implementation of the techniques, in turning off the mind from being absorbed in everyday issues.

When we talk about samadhi as enlightenment, liberation from passions, it would be wrong to say that this is the final stage on the path to enlightenment. This is rather a technical form of gaining enlightenment; the real highest enlightenment is entering the state of Anutara Samyak Sambodhi, the enlightenment of the Buddha. This is the state of a bodhisattva, a saint who helps people. He has learned the truths, is completely free from the power of passions, he is no longer bound by logic, everything is comprehended and everything is known not through the intellect, but directly as receiving revelation.

The only thing a bodhisattva does not do is go into nirvana. His decision is to help people on this earth, so he continues to reside here in the state of supreme Samyak Sambodhi, free from egoism, passions and desires.

If we look at the process of enlightenment from a more practical point of view, we will understand that everyday worries take up a lot of mental energy, and to achieve enlightenment we need free energy, which is why it is so important to stop thinking and making plans at least for a while. You need to renounce worldly concerns, think about the timeless, about what will remain forever - it is eternal. This is the same as devoting one's thoughts to what Brahman is, how it expresses itself in the world and that we are all Brahman.

How to achieve enlightenment

We achieve enlightenment not simply through practicing concentration or self-awareness. Enlightenment is a daily process when you learn new things, change your view of things and the world order. After analyzing the situation and coming to a new conclusion, you begin to perceive reality differently.

You don't just achieve enlightenment (can it be "achieved"?), we are not in the sport of achievement; you come to enlightenment, find yourself in it. This is precisely the formulation of the question: to find yourself, to know your essence, your real essence, your spiritual one. Why are you here, who are you, do you have a mission, do you need it? You are a spiritual being, so why should you take care of missions. If your consciousness wants this, then why not. This means that this is the essence of your life, your enlightenment, you will come to it through your mission.

For others it will be simply through self-improvement. A person is designed to learn, but it is not necessary to master new arts or skills, you can devote yourself to knowing yourself and your spirit. This truly will be your enlightenment.

How to achieve enlightenment

You can seek and achieve enlightenment in other ways, more indirectly. By changing your lifestyle, abandoning your previous views, tastes and habits, you come closer to a state of insight. You are like a sculptor who cuts off what is unnecessary, mercilessly parting with pieces of stone in order to create an image that has already appeared before his inner gaze.

Remove what has become ballast for you, find new interests in life, and start creating your new reality. If you changed something in one of the areas of your life and it led to radical changes, this is gradual enlightenment. You discover life in a new way, its hidden aspects, esoteric knowledge. There is no need to understand esotericism as strange voodoo magic or something like that. Esotericism is knowledge that is hidden from the inexperienced eye, but it contains the essence of things.

Once you lift the curtain, you will understand that life has not only a physical aspect, but also a spiritual and energetic one. You will begin to solve riddle after riddle; Much that was previously incomprehensible to you or interpreted from the position of a purely dense reality will take on a new coloring. You began to see in a new way.

Enlightenment: synonyms

By the concept of “enlightenment” we also mean insight, insight, a new perception of life, the emergence of consciousness to a new level. You have grown spiritually, become wiser, rethought your positions - this is what the concept of enlightenment and insight is associated with. You begin to see through the veil, the so-called maya. Finally, glimpses of another reality, other worlds become visible to spiritual vision.

Symbol of enlightenment

Enlightenment not only has a spiritual aspect, but also its symbolic representation in the physical world. Since ancient times, the lotus flower has become a symbol of enlightenment in the East. Its roots are in the ground under water, and its straight stem and luxurious flower rise above the surface of the water surface. If you have seen how rice grows in the fields, then a lotus grows from the same environment - this is a tropical beauty.

The petals of its flower are numerous; It’s not for nothing that they say that its inflorescence consists of 1000 petals, and our upper “crown” chakra is associated with the lotus inflorescence. He is pure, gentle, sublime in the literal sense of the word. The buds of this flower can be seen in all Buddhist temples and are given as offerings to Buddhist monks. A flower is a symbol of insight, purity of thoughts and high ideas. He is the embodiment of spirituality.

Pitfalls of Enlightenment

Enlightenment Traps: Both new and experienced Buddhist meditation or yogic practitioners can fall into these. Even if you do not engage in any of the ancient practices, still even an ordinary person engaged in self-improvement, internal search or knowledge of the secrets of our planet and everything that exists on it, there is a risk of falling into the trap of consciousness, better known as the trap of enlightenment.

Signs of enlightenment: pseudo-lucidation

These are states when it seems to you that you have already broken away from this mortal reality, you really no longer care about the interests that the majority live by, the TV has been thrown into a landfill for many years, the Internet is the only connection with the world, and even then you use it not for the purpose of watching the news, because they no longer interest you, but rather as a means of connecting with like-minded people or finding new information that is adequate to your spiritual development.

A short list of signs of a seeker close to enlightenment:

• understanding of reality and the essence of things;
• getting out of the crowd;
• view from the outside;
• craving for deeper self-knowledge and the process of self-discovery;
• study of spiritual, religious and mystical literature;
• awareness of actions and thoughts.

Although it is sometimes difficult to admit, but when we have become smarter and even more enlightened in many matters of existence, our emotions are still strong. This is, perhaps, the stronghold that is most difficult to overcome - the emotions associated with our attitude towards ourselves.

How can you not notice that we have truly risen above the crowd, that we are smarter and kinder, that we understand others better, that we have developed empathy and a high level of emotional intelligence. We may not even look proud and we are well aware that vanity and pride are the most difficult emotional states to get rid of.

We have driven them underground and are aware of how modest and simple we are towards others, but this awareness itself is a good indicator that the corrosive emotions of an egoistic plan are still with us, living in us. They just changed their role and now act as meek ones, as if telling us: “Look how humble and simple you have become, there are few of those on earth.”

Emotions are the mystery of enlightenment

So, the very awareness of how new, improved we are, with an improved range of interests and much more, is just the other side of the coin. You know that every emotion has a second side; perhaps it looks more pleasant, but turn it around - and the same unpleasant picture will open: behind humility - impudence, behind modesty - pride, behind detachment - involvement in the vanity of affairs.

These are not just comparisons, this is the rule of duality. We just turned the coin over, and the coin is still the same. What to do to truly get rid of even hidden disguised emotions? First of all, you need to understand that as long as there is control, even minimal, then the ego is doing its job. Remove the ego and there will be no emotions left to control. Without the obvious presence of the ego, even the very concept of emotion disappears. What is replaced is a feeling of goodness, unshakable calm, because we cannot say that the enlightened do not have emotions, although in reality they do not exist as we understand them.

The difference between the emotions of an enlightened person and an ordinary person

This kind of calmness is the basis of the “emotionality” of an enlightened person. Nothing can upset him, nothing can upset him, because the ego is finished. Only the ego reacts to external stimuli, which is why we get emotion as an output. Those emotions that we like, we consider positive and do not want to get rid of them, and negative ones - of course, we want to quickly recover, replace them, throw them away.

We again forgot that both positive and negative emotions are part of one whole: a response to stimuli. There will be no “I” reaction to the external - all emotions, including positive ones, will disappear! Yes, and we need to acknowledge this.

We must stop hunting for a positive emotional state, it is such a natural drug: ate something tasty - a positive emotion, ate something bitter, something disgusting - a negative emotion. There is a mechanism at work here, period. In order to become free from emotions, if you really want this, you need to leave all emotional attachments - then the ego will weaken, it will dissolve, and what remains will be a state of peace and bliss.

State of Enlightenment

It is difficult to express in words what will happen, because in our dictionary there are no suitable words for this: after all, most of them that describe a person’s psychological state are associated with emotion. In the case when we have moved away from emotion, only words such as “peace” and “detachment” can at least approximately describe such a state in which there is no “I”. It is difficult to grasp, but when you experience this state for the first time - you cannot say “feel”, you just need to live it - then you will understand what we are talking about.

Moreover, it is interesting to note that this pure emotionless state is available without performing special meditation practices or breathing exercises. Techniques and methods can help you achieve peace, speed up the process, but this is not the only way. It is quite possible, without constantly engaging in any specific practices, to find inner peace - spiritual.

However, it should be remembered that factors such as proper nutrition - plant foods, certain physical activities, looking at the world from a new angle, less focus on your “I” and its needs - are excellent components in order to achieve an illuminated state of mind, even without leaving society.

Remedies on the path to enlightenment

Staying alone and reading wise books written at least a century ago, or better yet, works well in this direction. Back then, authors were much less concerned about remuneration issues, if not at all. They created because they wanted to convey something to the reader, to truly convey knowledge. They created works from an overabundance of experience, a desire to open up something new to the world, it was their self-expression, and therefore, when you read such books, you inevitably become involved in the process, become part of it, and this definitely affects your psychological state.

Books, music, the right films, even feature films, can serve as an excellent means of changing your psychological state and switching your spiritual mode to a higher level.

It may be difficult to imagine at first, but works of art and sources of wisdom, such as books, travel to different parts of the globe, and exposure to the world of art, can serve as a lever for changing your spiritual state.

It is important to remember one thing here: do not make this an end in itself. An end in itself is the work of the ego. It will make purpose and competition out of everything. The process is important to us, so live as if you do not care about issues of self-knowledge and enlightenment, and then it will come by itself.

What does enlightenment give?

Again a question from the “I” position. After all that was written above, you yourself understood that posing such a question is not only incorrect - it comes from egoistic ideas: “What will I get from this? What will I end up with? Once I become enlightened, what next?”

Our “I” is never enough. So it longs for enlightenment, and if it seems to it that we have become sufficiently enlightened, then we need to run again to a new goal and achievements. Faster, higher, more illuminated - this is the credo of the omnipotent ego at the hourly Olympiads of the mind.

Is there life after enlightenment?

So how do you know whether you are enlightened or not and what awaits us after enlightenment? When you achieve enlightenment, these questions will not interest you. They simply won't exist. You will live in a state of inner peace. You will stop weighing on your internal scales whether you are satisfied with the life you lead, what it is like in comparison to the past. A new life will come for you, where there are no comparisons with the past or with the expected future.

At this moment, which many mystics and teachers talk about, you will find everything for yourself. This doesn't mean you shouldn't make plans for a vacation or trip. It is necessary, since these are real gradual movements that need to be performed in physical reality. But while taking actions, you will be in agreement with yourself: the conflict of parts is over. What you do in the moment, what you devote your time to in life, will be for you the only and best activity that you could ever imagine for yourself.

You will find harmony within yourself, and it will be reflected in the world around you. You will stop wondering whether I live for others or for myself. You will live both for yourself and for others, because even the concept of “others” will merge with yourself for you. You will still understand that there is Masha, Vasya and Kolya, but you will not think of them as separate and independent beings from you. Much will take on a new meaning for you, you will understand that your action has an energetic response in the world, one does not exist without the other; you will understand that spiritual and energetic connections rule the world.

ENLIGHTENMENT

People living today often, and for various reasons, claim that Enlightenment is impossible to achieve in this reality of the dual world. Some of the doubting people believe that enlightenment cannot be achieved, but must be earned or received. Pay money for initiation and get a chance to become enlightened.
Others believe that enlightenment simply “happens” on its own, beyond methods and practices. Still others claim that everyone is already enlightened, from birth, and there is nothing to strive for, nothing to achieve. Many are convinced that enlightenment is available only to Buddhas, who come once every millennium, or even less often, and mere mortals cannot see the truth...
A person takes the concept of enlightenment seriously, however, this seriousness consists of illusory thoughts and emotions. The word “enlightenment” gives rise to the idea in a person’s imagination of achieving a certain state of superman; our ego likes to present it this way. Ah, this is just our natural state of feeling oneness with the Higher Self.
This is a state of wholeness, a state of being “one-in-one,” and therefore a state of peace. In unity with life, in unity with the world. That is, in the unity of the individual, with his deepest “I”. Enlightenment is awareness of one's true essence, it is available to those who are absolutely honest with themselves. Accepting yourself unconditionally leads to the end of a monstrous, slavish dependence, and gives incredible liberation, through the acceptance of the perfection of life, this is what it means to enlighten. A distinctive feature of an enlightened person is the desire to live for the good of a single organism, for the good of his neighbor.

In the eastern religions of Buddhism and Hinduism, “enlightened” people are called people who managed to achieve this strange state total – enlightenment.
Some call enlightenment “the highest spiritual development of man” or “union with God.”

Seeing the enlightened is easier than it might seem - they always glow with happiness and joy, and their eyes sparkle. But those around them just can’t understand the reason for the “causeless” joy of the enlightened and often ask them questions like: “Admit that you smoke? Where do you get this kind of grass?"

Happiness “just like that” is a little enlightenment. When this happiness “just like that” continues 24 hours a day and, moreover, 7 days a week – this is already a great enlightenment.
If we try to describe enlightenment in terms of modern psychology, then enlightenment can be called a state of ideal mental health.
In Buddhism there is even a whole classification of enlightenment: small enlightenment, just enlightenment, complete enlightenment, it is also absolute enlightenment, or final enlightenment.

A little enlightenment is called “satori”. I think many people on our planet have had satori. Try to remember the moments in your life when you felt truly good, there was peace and harmony in your soul, everything around was wonderful and sweet, nothing annoyed you, the grass was green, the sky was blue, the girls were beautiful, and the food was delicious. This was satori. Satori often happens to children (less and less often as they grow older) and lovers. So, sincere love for a girl or guy is already a small enlightenment - satori. Unfortunately, small enlightenment - satori - is temporary, it ends.
Great Enlightenment- this is love, but not only for one specific person, but love for the whole world, for all people.

Simply enlightenment is called “samadhi”. Samadhi is continuous meditation (or prayer).
People in samadhi are continuously in meditation (even while doing something), from which they receive endless joy and pleasure.

And finally, absolute enlightenment is called "nirvana"(from Sanskrit, “nirvana” is translated as extinction, dissolution). Unlike samadhi, in nirvana there is no longer a meditator, there is only God, God in everything, and a person in nirvana dissolves his personality in God’s boundless Love. This is the absolute final enlightenment.

Let's take a look together at what's happening in our lives right now. What do we observe in our lives? Where is our consciousness now, on the path to enlightenment?

At this point, our reality of life, the wave of evolution of the consciousness of humanity has approached a crossroads on the path of its development. What is happening on the physical plane reflects the deep internal processes of transformation of our consciousness and the entire Universe. Human development has come to a crossroads, where everyone has to make a choice and make a turn of at least ninety degrees. A fork in the road of evolution became noticeable to us at the end of the last century, as a result of which the mass evolution of consciousness began, the dawn of the consciousness of humanity.

The first wave of enlightenment came in 1985. The second wave arrived by 2000. The third wave washed over us from 2008 to 2011. Now in 2012, we are being hit by the fourth energy wave of transformation. The fourth wave will be followed by the fifth. For about 25 years, you and I have been participants in a quantum leap of consciousness and therefore we can easily sum up the results, because everything is in our memory.

What happens to us during the last years of life?

Humanity has consciously chosen the path of enlightenment of consciousness; we are participants in the greatest events. People living today are at the forefront of the ongoing experiment of transformation of the Universe. This process is especially noticeable when you look at it through the eyes of personal experience gained during this period. What experience have we gained?

First wave quantum leap of consciousness, came to planet Earth in the form of energy of destruction of old paradigms, shaking of foundations, firm, unshakable beliefs. On the physical plane, this manifested itself as various forms of redistribution of the world, in the form of the collapse of the USSR and the countries of the socialist camp, the weakening of the confrontation between the West and the East, democracy with dictatorship, the capitalist form of government with the socialist one.
A massive end to colonial forms of government and the destruction of autocracy began. During this period, many teachings appeared, such as New Age and similar movements, and teachers like Osho became popular. Humanity froze in shock from the revealed truth and began to awaken from centuries of hibernation, with every fiber of the soul reaching out to the revival of spiritual values. The whole world is clearly divided into two poles, new and old energy. Everyone began to realize their reality and their place in it.
Man was faced with the question, Who am I? Why am I here?

Second wave energy, brought with it many gifts and activated the mechanism of human enlightenment at the level of the mind, or rather the mind. It was the second wave of incoming energy that was able to awaken us, enlighten our minds, and helped many to see the perfection of life in simplicity. We realized that perfection is real, it is available here and now. Perfection ceased to mean ideality, it became visible in simplicity, in the bloom of lilies, in the tenderness of violets.
Man realized perfection, in the smile on his face and the joy of life, the riot of nature, we understood, perfection in everything. The perfection of life, expressed by beauty, love, creativity, joy, inner peace. This perfection arises beyond the mind, but the enlightened mind is able to observe and realize. Life is already holistic, complete and perfect, we already have this, we just need to track and realize it.
With enlightenment at the level of the mind, the abilities for healing, clairvoyance, and clairvoyance began to open up among us en masse and everywhere. Many challengers have appeared on earth, conductors of the energies of the subtle world, connecting the physical world with the multidimensional world. New trends, directions, teachings, teachers have appeared. Many strived to know themselves and their abilities; some of us even thought that they had learned the truth and could teach others.
The desire to learn and teach contributed to the formation of groups and communities of interests and similar vibrations. This has further divided the world into ours and yours, old and new, sympathizers and deniers, approvers and condemners. Strong personalities of people strived to find truth, to develop abilities, to self-knowledge. Weak individuals began to search for bullies who knew how to do it and had authority. Both the first and the second will inevitably approach the apogee of enlightenment at the level of the mind.
The apogee of enlightenment of the mind is the realization that any thoughts, even the brightest, most perfect and true, are an illusion of perception of a particular person, leading him to gain experience, knowledge of his creative power of creation. Thought is illusory from the very beginning, because it can only reflect the truth. The mind is not truth, it is an instrument of reflection, just as the moon is not a source of light, it reflects sunlight and therefore glows. The mind displays waves of energy as thoughts and translates them into words and actions.
Any reflection is separated from the source, it is only a hologram, which means it is not real and transitory. An enlightened mind understands that the only truth is love, which everyone expresses in their own way. He understands the nature of universal love. Love strives to become for us that which is chosen by the creator man. That is, no matter what I think, the energy of love is directed there and life forms the chosen form and confirms my truth to me. This is the truth and perfection of life and this does not mean that I have learned something. You can be a person, anyone, and it will become your truth. At the moment, the second wave of enlightenment has done its job, the human collective consciousness has reached the required number of awakened people. The wave of awakening of the mind has subsided and right now the third energy wave is rolling in.

Third wave evolution carries within itself enlightenment at the level of the heart and feeling. In the beginning, a person realized who he really is, understood his purpose and took responsibility for his reality. Now, we must accept the truth about the perfection of life and ourselves, literally feel it. Today there is no need to convince, prove, call for change and change. Internal acceptance and permission to be appeared, because everything is perfect and has the right to be, since it exists.
For every person, the time has come not to reason, but to be, not only to know, but to become what he perceives himself to be. That is, to accept life as it was created by him and recognize perfection in it. Does not condemn, does not seek to change what has already been created. Accept the perfection of what is happening and gain a unique experience, use the opportunities given by life for evolution. The time has come to move from discussion to formation. Do not talk about your truth, but be it, do not repeat the truth of authorities, but become authoritative. Declare your truth and be it in everything, be a signpost and a beacon.
The pioneers of the spirit were the first to sense a turn in the evolution of consciousness and stopped in their previous activities to assimilate experience. Everywhere, at this stage, many move away from public life into the life of a family, group, and there is a unification according to spiritual kinship and spiritual similarity. Those who vibrate with love can no longer be in the energies of division, struggle, resistance and are looking for similar energies of unity and cooperation for the benefit of everything. The light from people who have received their sight emanates so clearly that it has become clearly noticeable and understandable without words.

Fourth wave came to us in 2012, it should bring the energy of the spirit to the cellular level. That is, at the beginning of the path of enlightenment, the old paradigm of consciousness is destroyed, and space is made available for the construction of a new one. Then comes the mind’s awareness of its origin and the formation of a model of an idea about its true self. After which, we not only know about our divinity, but also feel like a co-creator of the reality of life.
We have to materialize all our thoughts (masculine principle) and feelings (feminine principle), at the cellular physical level (son - daughter principle). The masculine principle (information) enters and connects with the feminine principle (feeling) and a new material life (child) is born to them. Inevitably, each cell will vibrate with what is consciously understood by a person, plus accepted by him, both individually and collectively, and we will observe the materialization of our inner, in outer life.
There will be a birth from inside our individual world into a materialized external collective form of life. The incoming energy of the spirit is multidimensional, it contains energy of different qualities, that is, there is energy for any choice of a person. The uniqueness of what is happening is that the energy of the spirit, different in quality, is immediately manifested on earth, which will allow everyone to get what they want and at the same time, we will not depend on the choice of others.
Who today chose unity, love, life for the benefit of a single organism, tomorrow, every cell will vibrate with the harmony of unity and love. Such a person will find unity with the world and love and will observe only the energies of this quality around him. Something else that does not correspond to it, in its reality, simply will not appear, although many different things will exist on earth. A person who has become love realizes that there is nothing important in this reality except the love that fills it and allows one to gain the experience of life. A person who has love will no longer need anything. A person becomes a Creator and is faced with the question - You are a Creator, what next?

When can we expect the fifth wave of incoming energies?
It is not difficult to calculate logically, although there is no fixed date in nature, everything will depend on our internal component, on our relaxation, trust and acceptance of God’s future plan for man. And yet, since today, at the point of the present moment, we are engaged in the assimilation of our experience, we can speak confidently about what has already happened and assume the future. The first wave of the evolution of consciousness, through the destructive forces of energy, lasted fifteen Earth years, from approximately 1985 to 2000.
The task of a person during this period is to reconsider what has already been taught by others, to look at life from a different angle, to broaden his view and change the perception of what he observes. The second wave, the energy of observation, awareness, balance, lasted from 2001 to 2008, that is, for seven years. The task during this period is to learn to control the thought process and enlighten at the level of the mind. The third wave of creative energy occurred from 2009 to 2011, that is, about three years.
At this time, a need arose before a person to learn how to manage his emotions and enlighten himself at the level of feelings. The fourth wave of enlightenment will wash over us in 2012 and 2013 and will last about one year. Our task is to learn to create reality through the combination of conscious thoughts and feelings, to connect spirit with matter, through the soul and enlighten at the cellular level and become a creator. On the face, the presence of acceleration of time and speed of energies. This means that the fifth wave of ascension energies will become available to everyone on a massive scale, starting in 2014. The task of man is to raise his vibrations and make a quantum leap of consciousness to the next level of evolution.
Everyone will have their own term and time, no one will be deprived, everyone will be given according to their appropriateness. Russia and its people have especially vividly experienced and are now experiencing all periods of a leap in consciousness, which indicates that we are in the forefront of the events taking place. Which speaks about the mission entrusted to us and the responsibility we have assumed. No one will be able to sit out or brush it off, although many would like to, because the state of being a victim is more familiar to us.

1. Who are enlightened people?

Some of them are men and some are women. You can find them in a monastery or a suburban house, in a forest or in a small provincial town. It's true that there aren't many of them, but there are still a lot more than people usually think. This is not because enlightenment is difficult. The sad truth is that most people don't want to take the trouble to pull themselves out of the mire of ignorance and passion.

2. At first you will not notice the enlightened person in the crowd because he is quite quiet and modest. But when things start to heat up in a situation, only then does he stand out. When everyone else feels angry, he will be full of love. When others are in turmoil due to some crisis, he will be as calm as he was before. In a crazy struggle, when everyone wants to get as much as possible, he will stand alone in the corner with an expression of restraint on his face. He walks smoothly on hard surfaces, he is stable amid shocks. He does not want to emphasize his difference, he is simply free from desires, which has made him completely self-sufficient. And although others cannot make him angry, his calm presence touches everyone. His gentle, reasonable words unite those at war and bring even closer to each other those who are already united. The grieving, the frightened and the anxious feel better after they have talked to him. Wild animals sense the kindness in the soul of an enlightened one and are not afraid of him. Even the place where he lives, be it a village, a forest, a hill or a valley, seems more beautiful because he is there.

3. He doesn't always express his opinion or defend his point of view, in fact he seems to have no opinion, so people often take him for a fool. When he doesn't get upset, take revenge or abuse or ridicule, people think something must have happened to him. But he doesn't care what they think. He appears to be mute, but that is simply because he chooses to remain silent. He acts as if he were blind, but in fact he sees everything that is really happening. People think he is weak, but he is actually very strong. Despite its deceptive appearance, it is as sharp as a razor blade.

4. His face is always bright and calm because he never worries about what happened yesterday and what might happen tomorrow. His posture and movements are graceful and dignified because he has a natural awareness of everything he does. His voice is pleasant to hear and his words are polite, clear and to the point. He is beautiful in a way that has nothing to do with appearance and eloquence, but stems from his own inner goodness.

5. He may have his own house, but if it burns down, tomorrow he will move to another place and it will be just as convenient for him. He feels at home anywhere. Those who try to reduce the number of things they own always feel like they still have too much. No matter how much is given to an enlightened person, it always seems enough to him. Naturally, he also strives to satisfy his needs in life, like everyone else, but he takes only what he really needs, and his needs are very small. His life is uncluttered and simple, and he is content to go his own way. The best food for him is joy, the best drink is truth, the best home is awareness.

6. Ordinary people are as noisy as the sound of streams, but enlightened people are as quiet as the depths of the ocean. He loves silence and he praises silence. But that doesn't mean he never opens his mouth. He never preaches and he does not interfere in arguments or discussions.

Spread your wings, my beloved, and fly into the sky! You are free on your infinitely beautiful path! How beautifully the colors of the sunrise play on your wings. Even the wind of the Universe, enchanted by the dance, died down... How much light, beloved... How much light your Soul pours out! And the awakened me soars in the starry spaces... We create this life, playing... from a state of Love... Take my hand, Beloved, and soar to the heavens...

When calling on the Goddess, be prepared for unexpected transformations. If you turned to Her, it means the hour of power has struck. She will come. And it will strip you of everything that you cling to, everything that hinders your spiritual ascent, everything that is not your truth... Prepare to die. Bury your old life and your old self. You may have to offer not only your Ego, but also your relationships to the Altar of the Goddess. Make this sacrifice. And you will get...

From the human level of perception, many things appear to us not as they are in essence. Shakti will teach you this lesson. You will hit the mirrors painfully and see the whole truth about your own imperfections. About your own illusions. Where you were before... Why do you need to live in a false world? Let the Goddess dispel illusions and reward you with a wise vision... If before meeting Her, you were not following your own path, even though it was simple and convenient for you, She will pull you onto your true path. To the place where you should be.

Get ready for transformation. The Goddess will expose your darkness so that the light may shine. She will cleanse all resentment and anger from your heart so that the flower of mercy blooms there. She will deprive you of all expectations about the ideal man, so that you learn to accept him for who he is, and not what your ideas are... She will return you to the relationship or you will enter into a new union, but of a completely different quality. Now it will be an alliance not of weakness, but of Strength.

Having plunged to the very bottom of your pain, you will be cleansed, transformed, and come back completely different. You will begin to see things without distortion. You will learn to forgive and be patient. You will know wisdom. You will become yourself. The Goddess will awaken in you...

© Maria Manisha - Atmospheric poetry
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In 2014, I suddenly realized clearly: “The truth is within!” With this thought I woke up and fell asleep. It appeared in my head constantly, as if someone was specially broadcasting it so that I would wake up. And one day, during a session with a client, we went inside. This was the first, incredible in strength and power, moment of revelation of light from within. I worked a lot with people, and there were different states, but nothing I had previously experienced could be even closely compared to this state.

From that moment began the path that led us and leads many other people to the state called spiritual enlightenment or human enlightenment. Over the course of 1.5 years, we awakened many images within ourselves, conducted many sessions, live and online TOT trainings.

Enlightenment: Five Stages on the Path to Your Real Self

• Stage I. The ego collapses

You have struggled for a long time and searched a lot, completed many courses and trainings, listened to hundreds of meditations, attended two dozen festivals, visited many temples, and may have been to India and Tibet. You have completely run out of money, your man (woman) has left, your children don’t understand, your friends keep saving you. You searched honestly and a lot: you found answers in books, from masters, you were happy, you rejoiced. Here! This is what we need. And now life will definitely change.

You have eradicated thousands of limiting beliefs, but the more you found, the more there were. Your joy was short-lived, the state of Love that you so strive for (after all, now you are familiar with this state, you have felt it more than once) turned out to be short-lived - only a few days or weeks, and then again an endless search for causes and consequences and it seems there is no end to it.

Each time a new layer was lifted, a new pain was discovered. You have already despaired and decided that nothing works and sometimes thought that death was the only liberation. And now you are ready to give up. You have failed in your search for answers outside.

Humility− the first step to spiritual enlightenment

Giving up means losing?! Your mind associates resignation with crisis. “If you resign yourself, it means losing,” you think, “if you retreat and leave control, everything will collapse...” But the opposite happens! As soon as you humble yourself, truly, totally, a miracle happens! You begin to act, drawn by the spirit from within. Your life begins to change.

At this stage, other information begins to come to you. Something is pushing you towards awakening-enlightenment. You come across other articles, other people. Perhaps when you hear about a person's enlightenment, it seems incredible to you. You think that this is only available to spiritual teachers.

You have many misconceptions about spirituality, the material world, there are many more rules inside, but it is humility, as the first step towards realizing your truth, that will help you look at your life differently.

This stage is the most difficult. This is where we encounter the most misconceptions and zero clarity. How did you go through this stage? Or maybe you are now going through five stages of the path to your real self?

Literary series? A series of articles with tips for better understanding yourself.

• Stage II. You realize: everything is simpler than it seems, the truth is on the surface

You, somewhere deep inside yourself, realize: everything is simpler than it seems, the truth must be somewhere on the surface.
Everything should be simpler and easier. At this stage, you still have many illusions about the rightness and wrongness of everything that is. You still believe that there is something spiritual and something non-spiritual. You still have a division inside you into good and bad.

There are many evaluations of everything and you still compare yourself to others and yourself to yourself at different times in life. You know that you, like air, need to accept yourself. You are tired of fighting with yourself and are looking for complete total acceptance. Your body, wounded by self-judgment, needs acceptance. Now you begin to really think about how to accept yourself for the first time.

At this stage, you begin to accept your feelings and emotions.

You are thrown from joy and tranquility to insane irritation and outbursts of anger - this is the manifestation of a part that has been suppressed over many years in its natural desire to build boundaries and declare itself. You start to really think about yourself. You have known for a long time that you create reality, learn to manage it. You begin to realize that you are the Creator of your world.

You've been working on yourself for so many years - it's time to just remember who you are and who everyone else is! Are you ready! And you hear clues around you, but you can’t always decipher them yet. You keep seeing a phrase or hearing it in your head: “Things are not what they seem.”

I began to hear such prompts five years ago, and it was then that the phrase: “And you will know your truth and your truth will set you free” led to the birth. Now it has become possible to shorten the path to what you were born for in this amazing time.

• Stage III. You start to remember

You dive inside yourself and begin to look for answers within - the first victories of the spirit and a feeling of uplift. The first feeling appears that you can do anything. You remember what it means to love yourself. You learn to make choices out of self-love. These choices may not correspond to the generally accepted definition of love, but you are increasingly moving beyond the patterns and rules accepted in society.

You are guided by a feeling from within and listen to your breathing - it helps you make the right choices. And you begin to understand that all the assessments and judgments on the basis of which your experience was formed are no longer needed. You choose not to evaluate or compare anymore. This is what helps you move faster in understanding yourself and your world.

Your world opens up for you in completely different colors. Now you already know for sure that everything manifested is wise. You begin to realize that by evaluating or judging anything, you are evaluating and judging the God in yourself. For you, God is no longer a biblical character. Now you know for sure that God is you, and all others are also gods in their world.

Write in the comments how you go through your five stages of the path to yourself? Which one are you on now?

Stop dividing the world into good and bad

Inside you, for the first time in your entire life, an unearthly peace reigns inside. It is still unstable and, at times, you begin to react as before again. But now you have a lot more compassion for yourself and you allow things to be. You become more and more free from the boundaries and limitations that your mind has set up.

You begin to tap into your strength and your power. At this stage, there are still recessions and periods when fear captures you in its sticky grip, but they, as a rule, do not last long and after the next awareness, you come to even greater expansion and awareness.

Your Ego, becoming more and more healed and no longer feeling in danger, begins to give up its position, allowing more and more SPIRIT to manifest through you. You begin to feel the flow. You realize what it means to live in the flow - to humble yourself and trust the spirit. You have realized the power of humility and use it again and again. And this makes it possible to expand, more and more each time.

You don’t yet know that you have many discoveries and victories ahead of you. And the mind wants to hold on to the state that has opened up to you, to freeze in it. But your soul has a different plan for life and it will actively promote you further, as well as your whole world. And if you have the courage, you will come in this incarnation to where you have wanted to go for so many lives. And your greatest fear is not the fear of life, it is the fear of not reaching again, not discovering the SOURCE OF LIFE within yourself.

• Stage IV. You feel a state in which there are no desires

Suddenly you feel a state in which you have no desires, you just feel good about BEING! It seems that this is spiritual enlightenment, because you read that this is exactly how you feel when your consciousness is enlightened. You have thoughts about the meaninglessness of everything that is happening. To be enlightened (the essence of enlightenment) is to want nothing?

You continue to move through life, albeit slowly. You force yourself to do something, just live. You think: “Has all my efforts led me to the point that I don’t want anything? What's next? But what about the relationship, and the house, and the money, because of which, in fact, it all began many years ago?

At this stage, you are honest enough with yourself to see what your world reflects back to you. Your world still talks about the weakness of your loved ones and the presence of powerlessness, it talks about illnesses, it “mirrors” to you the weakness of people and the unwillingness to act. Your world shows you lack and suffering. You observe everything as if from the outside, often considering yourself enlightened, who no longer cares about worldly concerns.

You don’t have a man (woman) or everything is bad with him (her), although perhaps this doesn’t really bother you anymore. Something inside is pushing you to continue the search. You get the idea that it shouldn’t be like this.

This is the decision stage

I would say that it is at this stage that you are at a fork in the road. Before this, you prepared yourself, tested your strength, hardened yourself. Like a submariner who is preparing to dive into the Mariana Trench and its deepest point - the Challenger Deep. You were preparing yourself to plunge into your own Abyss.

And now you have a CHOICE, as always on this planet:

• You can call everything that was previously a useless path and turn again into the outside world.
• Or stop and dive deeper into yourself, into your own ABYSS. To emerge renewed and finally start LIVING.

This is where the stage begins when you are ready to turn towards yourself completely. Choose yourself and the life within you.
Before this, you were only preparing for this moment. Have you reached this stage or were you still at the previous ones? How do you go through your five stages of the path to yourself?

We live on external ones and don’t use internal ones, but this can be learned.

• V stage. You are gradually approaching an understanding of the structure of the world

You resist external events less and smoothly approach understanding the structure of the world. The mind is still looking for answers to questions. You begin to increasingly accept everything that is inside you if you have passed the previous stages. And, finally, we began to accept ourselves with all our cockroaches, fears, and we feel a surge of strength from within. You come to balance. You do not strive for the light and do not run from the darkness.

Your abilities have opened up. And for you this is a natural state. You no longer consider the ability to know clearly, to see clearly, to hear clearly as something special. Don’t elevate this into a cult, because you understand that abilities, first of all, are needed by you personally. This does not mean at all that you need to become a fortune teller or a clairvoyant with a crystal ball who broadcasts and enlightens others.

In your loved ones, these abilities also open on their own. They didn’t even have to do anything for this; your understanding of the essence of things and self-acceptance was enough. You begin to see the truth (the one that is revealed at this stage) as it really is. And at the same time you like it, you are interested in life. Perhaps even more interesting than before.

You are rediscovering the world

Enlightenment (awakening) has brought understanding, peace and wisdom into your life. You have rediscovered this world for yourself. And you got to know him again and continue to know him. You accept pain and suffering because you understand the beauty of this choice. You accept cruelty and violence. And you realize this as a choice to experience love in this way or to help another soul finally come to true love. And you understand that this is a necessary stage. Although there was a worm of doubt inside me about suffering.

Simple things make you happy, you love what you previously condemned and rejected. You enjoy little things more and more. You used to spend hours meditating and running away from the world. Because you decided that you were carrying out an important mission to save lost humanity. Now you know, it is important to help wrap yourself up and go through the five stages of the path to yourself.

Before leaving the next illusion, you resist, since it is very difficult to let go of what the entire structure of your earthly personality was based on. But as soon as you decide to dive into the unknown, you rejoice at your courage and realize the importance of your choice. Each time another, deeper Truth is revealed to you, and with each step you take, greater simplicity and at the same time wisdom of the structure of everything is revealed.

At this stage, I clearly understood that things and people are not at all what they seem. It opened my mind and expanded my horizons. At this stage, any information opens up as soon as you direct your attention to it. Here you need to be very careful and express your intention clearly.

We provide examples with a small bonus at the end of the article, and you can read and suggest your own options.

Be careful, you can get stuck for a long time

At this stage, you can get stuck for a very long time, because there is so much interesting for the mind. So much is revealed to you that for others even five lives are not enough to know everything that comes to you at the speed of sound. I would say that this is the stage where it is important to separate your thoughts from the thoughts of others. You do simple actions every day that make you happy and fulfilling, slow down and no longer rush. You begin to learn to LIVE, enjoying the very process of life!

All levels are conditional and all stages are intertwined with one another. I described how I came to a state of enlightenment myself. And what I observed in personal sessions and at the TOT School. With this article I hoped to show my five stages on the path to myself and in what direction I recommend moving on. Or explain what might be happening to you.

There are many people who have been in stage 4 for many years. They have no desires at all. And they think that this is how it should be, that this is the essence of enlightenment. Maybe this is exactly what happens to you. Or you experience enlightenment of consciousness in a completely different way. How do you go through your five stages of the journey to yourself? I would be very glad if you share your experience in the comments.

Different religious movements and philosophical schools have different understandings of this difficult issue. They contain people’s attempts to understand what a person is and why he exists on this planet.

What is enlightenment?

In everyday life, enlightenment is understood as revelations that a person has received, a different view or a new understanding of familiar things. In philosophical schools and spiritual practices this phenomenon has a different meaning. In them, enlightenment is directly linked to the meaning of life, so it receives a primary role in the life of every person. From this point of view, enlightenment is going beyond the ordinary, realizing oneself as part of the universe, higher wisdom, higher existence.

Enlightenment in Christianity

The concept of enlightenment in Christianity differs significantly from the interpretation of this concept in Eastern practices. Enlightenment in Orthodoxy is an attempt to understand the Divine essence, to get as close to God as possible and to fulfill His will. Enlightened men of faith include the following saints: John Chrysostom, Simeon the New Theologian, Sergius of Radonezh, etc. Thanks to a deep understanding of the will of God and humility, these saints were able to achieve enlightenment, which manifested itself in the form of healing the sick, resurrecting the dead and other miracles.

Enlightenment in Christianity is inseparable from baptism and is associated with the cleansing of a person from all sinful things and the filling of his essence with Divine love. According to Orthodox spiritual fathers, only the Almighty knows when a person is ready to become enlightened. In this matter, one must rely completely on God and not try to achieve this on one’s own. The fact that a person has become enlightened can be recognized by his actions: they will be humble and aimed at benefiting people.

Enlightenment in Buddhism

Unlike the understanding of enlightenment in Christianity, enlightenment in Buddhism is associated with man. According to the Buddhist tradition, this state is accompanied by a feeling of unimaginable happiness, next to which ordinary earthly happiness is felt as suffering. The state of enlightenment is difficult to describe in human language, so it is spoken of only through parables or metaphors.

Buddha Shakyamuni's enlightenment was the first in the history of Buddhism. Shakyamuni was able to achieve liberation and go beyond the usual world. The Buddha's main strength on the path of enlightenment was meditation. It helps to translate spiritual thoughts from logical understanding into personal experience. In addition to meditation, Shakyamuni emphasized the importance of such methods as knowledge and behavior for enlightenment.

Enlightenment in Islam

As in other religions, at the center of Islam is enlightenment - fana. Allah himself chooses the person on whom he will bring enlightenment. The criterion for readiness for fana is a person’s desire to reach a new stage of his development and readiness for this. A person’s heart, open to the influence of Allah, allows a new world into itself. An enlightened person with whom he is ready to serve people, and super-love for all living things.

Enlightenment myth or reality?

Enlightenment from a scientific point of view is the discovery of something new or a different perspective on familiar things. From this position, enlightenment has nothing supernatural in itself and is a normal work of our mind. In spiritual practices, enlightenment has a different meaning and content. It is associated with higher powers and helps people find and realize their purpose on this planet.

Enlightenment is a reality for many religious people who devote themselves to serving God and people. Using the example of enlightened spiritual teachers, you can learn to expand the scope of your consciousness and open your heart to the influence of higher powers. For people who are not interested in the spiritual side of life, enlightenment may seem like a myth. This view may be due to conservative thinking and lack of knowledge regarding this issue.

Psychology of Enlightenment

The path to enlightenment often begins with dissatisfaction with life and one's place in it. Reading smart books, psychological lectures and self-development seminars, conversations with wise people can help a person get closer to answering questions, but all this is just the beginning of the journey. A personal constant search for one’s life vector one day leads a person’s brain to a new understanding. The road to enlightenment often takes a long time, and sometimes a lifetime. The reward of this path is a renewed mind and harmony with the world.

Enlightenment or schizophrenia?

No matter how strange it may seem, spiritual enlightenment and schizophrenia have three similar features:

1. Depersonalization- getting rid of one's own self.
2. Derealization– perception of the surrounding world as unreal, blurry.
3. Mental anesthesia– reduction in the strength of emotional experiences.

To differentiate between these two phenomena, the following components should be analyzed:

1. Cause. The cause of schizophrenia is often negative. The reason for enlightenment is the desire to make the world a better place, to become a more spiritual person.
2. Vote. With schizophrenia, a person hears voices calling for aggressive or inappropriate actions. An enlightened person hears a voice from above calling for good or improvement.
3. Mission. In schizophrenia, a person's interests revolve around his own self, even if the patient sees himself as someone else. An enlightened person strives to help others.

Signs of enlightenment

Buddhists say that it is impossible to describe in words what happens at the moment of enlightenment. This is due to the fact that the emotions and feelings experienced during the process of enlightenment are incomparable to the emotions we are used to. Among the signs of enlightenment are the following:

• spiritual priorities begin to dominate over material ones;
• periodically altered consciousnesses appear, in which new truths or their depth are revealed to a person;
• unusual abilities for creation, creation, and healing appear;
• character changes, bad habits appear, go away;
• an enlightened person sees divine wisdom in everything.

How to achieve enlightenment?

A person who wants to achieve enlightenment must go through the following steps:

1. Wishing for enlightenment with all my heart. To do this, enlightenment of consciousness should be made a top priority.
2. Trust in the matter of enlightenment to higher powers. Only God knows when a person is close to enlightenment.
3. Try to put your life under the control of divine forces. Draw closer to God through humility and deepening contact through prayer or meditation.
4. Engage in self-development, work on your character. A pure heart helps one to be more receptive to the influence of the Spirit.

Paths to human enlightenment

Spiritual teachers of various religious movements believe that enlightenment techniques are only a tool that does not provide any guarantee of success. Enlightenment is individual, it comes unexpectedly and has no exact reason. The following techniques can help you find a direct path to enlightenment:

• prayer;
• fast;
• relaxation;
• meditation;
• self-knowledge techniques;
• purification of consciousness;
• yoga nidra technique;
• getting rid of the negativity of the past;
• repetition of the names of God.

How to live after enlightenment?

Enlightened people are not transferred from this sinful planet to another. They have to continue to live among the same environment in the same area. Only a few spiritual teachers who have achieved enlightenment go to desert areas, but often this is done only for a while. The mission of enlightened people is to bring new knowledge and a new understanding of life to the world. After enlightenment, new abilities may open up that need to be used to help other people.

Enlightened people note that after their spiritual experience, it becomes much easier for them to live in this world. Their Ego and desires cease to control all actions. All necessary things are done without laziness and apathy. Life becomes more harmonious and understandable. A person stops worrying and being nervous, as he begins to realize the essence of his life and his mission.

Books about enlightenment

Many books have been written about enlightenment and how to achieve it. They all help you find your personal path in this matter and rise to a new stage of your development. The top 5 best books about enlightenment include:

1. Hawkins D. “From despair to enlightenment. Evolution of Consciousness". The book describes practical methods on how to come to an awareness of the meaning of your existence.
2. Eckhart Tolle "The Power of Now". In this book, a person who has gone through the path of enlightenment talks in simple and interesting language about the path to enlightenment he followed and what awareness of life includes.
3. Jed McKenna "Spiritual Enlightenment: A Nasty Thing". The book debunks many of the myths that have grown up around enlightenment. The author tries to help people seeking awareness find the right path and start moving along it.
4. Nisargadatta Maharaj "I Am That". The author pushes a person to think about his true purpose. It makes you look deep into yourself and realize the need to study your inner world.
5. Valery Prosvet “Enlightenment in half an hour”. The author invites readers to pay attention inward and engage in self-development. To do this, the book describes various techniques, methods of self-knowledge and work on oneself.

Gautama Siddhartha is considered the main spiritual mentor - a man who exchanged a carefree life in a luxurious palace for beggarly wanderings in search of truth.

The thirty-year-old monk chose the pseudonym Buddha, the enlightened and awakened one. He sought to achieve a state of enlightenment of consciousness because he could not come to terms with the difficulties and trials that befall the common man. Buddha could not accept the fact that every person encounters illnesses in his life, grows old over time, and the most important thing is that he has to.

After he left a wealthy and comfortable life, the Buddha deliberately practiced ascetic practices for a long time, exhausting himself with hunger and cold. However, he could not achieve humility and peace of mind. When Gautama almost died of exhaustion (he was miraculously saved by local residents), he realized the first truth. It lies in the fact that you should not rush to extremes: in everything you must adhere to the principle of the golden mean.

The name Siddhartha, which his parents gave him, means “one who achieves the goal.” Indeed, Gautama once decided that he would not move until he achieved enlightenment.

He settled down under a huge tree, and after several days of calm contemplation of the surrounding nature, a state of enlightenment came to him. Before his eyes the creation and structure of the Universe took place, the secrets and laws of human existence were revealed. After Buddha became a wise man, he began to preach a new religion and gained many followers.

Principles of an Enlightened Person

The Buddha encouraged his disciples to individually search for the path to enlightenment and awareness of the truth. However, he described a “righteous path” that will help one quickly achieve a state of peace, dispassion and bliss.

To do this, a person must give up criticism and bad thoughts, do good deeds and come to terms with the idea that suffering is inevitable in everyone’s life. An enlightened person can end suffering by entering a state of dispassion and detachment.

Meditation helps a religious person to clear the mind of unnecessary thoughts. When passions fade away and attachments to people, values ​​and comfort disappear, a person becomes calm and serene. In this state, he achieves spiritual enlightenment - a lifetime state of peace and grace, and truths are also revealed to him.