Enlightenment is the transformation of personal consciousness to universal consciousness. According to the wisdom traditions of the world, this transformation is not an anomaly or departure from human nature, but rather the actualization of human potential. The evolution of consciousness is a progressive journey back to the source of existence, to our source. This metamorphosis represents a shift in identify from the personal to the transpersonal, to the universal. It is the realization that as persons we are a transient impermanent pattern of a deeper consciousness that differentiates simultaneously into the observer and the observed. The maturation of awareness reveals that in reality we are ultimately not defined as either the observer or observed, but rather that consciousness which simultaneously differentiates into both.
Since enlightenment involves a journey from the personal to the universal, the qualities or characteristics of enlightenment are expressions of the unified self instead of the separate, personal self. As we move more fully into the universal values of the cosmos, we progressively express the qualities of love, compassion, intuition, insight, imagination, and creativity. We find that our thinking and behavior begins to function in harmony with the forces of the universe, and we notice more conscious choice-making , observations of synchronicity around us, the spontaneous fulfillment of our desires, and the manifesting power of our intentions.
As we step out of the complete identification with our body and sensory experiences, our attachment to the past and the future drops away, allowing us to experience the present moment in freedom and joy. This presence of non-local consciousness is our real Self. There is also a loss of fear, including the fear of mortality. There is a deeper knowing that the only thing that dies is the impermanent self (which was hallucination to begin with). The real Self exists outside the boundaries and time and space, has no beginning or ending and is therefore immortal. Enlightenment brings the experiential knowledge of immortality, infinite love, and infinite creativity. It reveals that the natural expression of human life is effortlessness, spontaneity, and joyfulness.
Enlightenment means bringing complete light to all areas of life that were in darkness before. All aspects of life that were trapped in unconscious conditioning and ignorance are now made fully conscious and self-aware. In Sanskrit, this light of knowledge is known as vidya, and ignorance of the self is called avidya.
When we embark on the spiritual journey of enlightenment in earnest, it is normal for our mind to want to know how long it will take? Great spiritual masters say that it takes time for fruit to ripen, and when the season is right it suddenly drops from the tree. For each of us the season may be different because of past karma and where we are in our evolution. The journey to enlightenment must always be regarded as a journey, not a fixed goal. To be rigidly attached to the idea of arriving at the destination takes away from the joy and spontaneity of the unfolding of consciousness. The search for the certainty of timetables and outcomes about enlightenment comes from our limited ego self, not our unlimited self. If we surrender to the wisdom of uncertainty, we remain open to the wonder of the process and resist the clutches of the ego’s need to control by knowing the outcome. The art of spiritual evolution is to enjoy the journey as we continue to grow.
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