Spirituality Information

What is Enlightenment - Meaning Definition and Its relation to Self-Realization


What is Enlightenment?

What do we really mean when we talk of Enlightenment? Is it not the bloom of life for a true seeker of spirituality? The life itself comes to a full circle the moment one reaches the stage of Enlightenment. Seeking Enlightenment in the present age (the metallic age aka Kali Yuga in Hinduism is more of a curiosity than the faint hope of being able to achieve it within the present lifetime.

Truly speaking even spiritual stalwarts like Swami Vivekananda, Rabindra Nath Tagore, Aurobindo Ghosh and many others in the line failed to reach the stage of Enlightenment. The reason is fair and simple... some like Swami Vivekananda never desired reaching the stage of Enlightenment in their lifetime whereas both Rabindra Nath Tagore and Aurobindo Ghosh attempted but failed in their mission. They have category stated in their literary works that they did not reach the stage of Enlightenment.

What is it while proceeding on the path of Enlightenment that is difficult to achieve? Even when it was possible for Swami Vivekananda to have gained Enlightenment under the guidance of his spiritual master and a god realized soul Swami Ramakrishna Paramhansa, he did not exercise the option! Why?

Enlightenment (in other words self-realization) is the culmination of all we know as spirituality. There is nothing beyond having reached the stage of Enlightenment that is left to be achieved by a human being. Having reached the Mount Everest, Edmund Hillary became quite depressed for he realized that the goal of his life had come to an end. There was no further to go anywhere? The moment one comes across the final goal of his life... it is all over for life itself. Probably, life loses its meaning.

Is it not true that the essence of life is while pursuing our goal? And one who gains Enlightenment merges his identity with the larger whole... the God Almighty himself. Having lost our identity of life it becomes difficult for a human being to be able to recognize one as a friend, a relative, a teacher and even your parents. For an enlightened person it is not difficult to maintain the relationship but while living in the society it becomes difficult to maintain the balance between the spiritual end of life one has achieved and the relationship with the physical world.

A flower having bloomed loses its meaning... it is no more related with the plant which gave it life and also everything which the bud needed to have flowered into a full-blown. The identity, the ego, the self lost its meaning the moment the bud bloomed into a beautiful flower. As long as the society, the community felt the sweet fragrance of the flower... it got recognition and the moment came the time to wither out and die... none cared! Life moves on and does not wait for anybody.

The essence of life lies in moving on and on until one gains Enlightenment. And this Enlightenment is the stage when one is totally liberated forever from everything we call as the materialistic world. Materialism is a phenomenon of the physical world. On the contrary, Enlightenment dwells in the absolute truth of our life. It is only related to our true inner self... our soul (the true self of us). And the moment our soul realizes and reaches its final potential... the need for the body vanishes.

Every enlightened soul has to abandon the body for ever... the cycle of life and birth ceases for this enlightened person. If I say that only two persons have gained Enlightenment in the last 150 years out of the 6000 million people residing on mother earth... then Swami Ramakrishna Paramhansa and Maharishi Ramana were truly blessed by God Almighty to have gained Enlightenment even when the society presently is passing through such a bad phase on the materialistic plane. Everything presently is measured in terms of materialistic achievements.

In the present times a spiritually enlightened soul residing in the deep dense forests of the Himalayas would not find as much public appreciation as the likes of Bill Gates... One who shall not be able to carry the wealth one manages onto the next life but always seems to cling on until the last moment of life arrives. The false hope one maintains that money can buy one the best in life in the present and the afterlife is an absolute misnomer. We fail to remember that it is only the likes of Madame Curie who shall gain a special status in the next life for the ones like Madame Curie come once in thousand years... those who dedicate everything one could have called their own to the mankind at large. They truly live for the society until the last breath and it is for that they shall be repaid by God in the next life.

Even though Madame Curie may not have gained Enlightenment... but chances are that these thinkers and true philosophers of life would gain Enlightenment a few lives from now on. A true enlightened person lives like a true trustee believing in the fact that everything belongs to God and one is only a maintainer on his behalf. It would not be in the interest of the trustee to look forward to materialistic riches in life. Every true trustee would do whatever possible within his means to work for uplifting the society.

I again repeat that every god realized soul loses everything in the materialistic world. It simply means our true self, the real self of us who exists within us as our soul... the moment it reaches its pristine purity, the dross having completely removed... the physical body losing its meaning... and one truly gains Enlightenment.

Vijay Kumar... The Man who Realized God in 1993 explains the inner meaning of Enlightenment. subscribe free Newsletter "Spiritual Secrets Unveiled" - Explore hidden cosmic truths- Tread the unchartered territory of Enlightenment


MORE RESOURCES:

The Creative Arts - Where Spirituality and Religiosity Clash
Magazine of Santa Clarita, CA - 8 hours ago
The creative arts and their expression have always been a crossroads where spirituality and religiosity clash. Christmas Eve 1818 at the church of St. ...


Spirituality institute to celebrate first 10 years
Charleston Gazette,  USA - Nov 28, 2008
The West Virginia Institute for Spirituality will celebrate 10 years of service to the community with an open house from 2 to 4 pm Dec. ...
Keeping the faith important in tough times Charleston Gazette
all 2 news articles


Anne Rice shares personal tales of spirituality
The State Journal-Register, IL - Nov 29, 2008
Author Anne Rice’s latest release is a memoir, “Called Out of the Darkness: A Spiritual Confession.” By SUSAN LARSON “I’m not a natural memoir writer,” Anne ...


Journey to find spirituality hits a dead end
Centre Daily Times, PA - Nov 29, 2008
I’d been on a spiritual journey for several years prior to this experience and was getting impatient and disappointed. When I returned home from my visit ...


Exhibit draws on spirituality
Hattiesburg American, MS - Nov 30, 2008
By Kathleen Williams • November 30, 2008 IT'S THE FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT, and here is a question: What are you doing to refresh your own spirit during what ...


ABC News

Former Art Professor, 13-Year-Old Daughter Killed in Attacks
Washington Post, United States - Nov 28, 2008
By Kendra Nichols and Emily Wax Twelve years ago, Alan Scherr committed his life to meditation and spirituality, moving his family to the Synchronicity ...
Video: Spokesman: Mumbai Survivors 'Played Dead' AssociatedPress
Synchronicity, tragedy and Mumbai GetReligion
2 Virginians, Alan Scherr and daughter Naomi, amongst the many ... New York Daily News
Baltimore Jewish Times - New York Times
all 726 news articles


CTV.ca

Missions of faith end in sorrow
Chicago Tribune, United States - Nov 29, 2008
Twelve years ago, Alan Scherr, 58, committed his life to meditation and spirituality, moving his family to the Synchronicity spiritual community in Faber, ...
Video: American Jewish Couple Killed in Mumbai Attacks AssociatedPress
Canadian outrage over killing of Jews Times of India
Local residents fear terror fallout Worcester Telegram
Orlando Sentinel
all 2,090 news articles


Spirituality Fair Held at Local Springfield Hotel
Ozarks First, MO - Nov 29, 2008
Many showed up at the Lamplighter Inn to listen to lectures and get information on astrology and numerology. An organizer of the fair says people got hands ...


Spirituality: Students shared their views on spirituality
The Daily Advertiser, LA - Nov 28, 2008
Speaking to teenagers about spirituality isn't the scariest thing I've ever done, but it comes close. While it didn't qualify for hostile fire pay, ...


Telegraph.co.uk

Cleric says Disney a corrupting influence
United Press International - 22 hours ago
Abbot of Worth Christopher Jamison said Disney has created a child pilgrimage site out of Disney World and used spirituality to market its various products, ...
Disney accused by Catholic cleric of corrupting children's minds Telegraph.co.uk
Disney 'bad for the soul' says top churchman Mirror.co.uk
all 15 news articles

Spirituality - Google News

home | site map
© 2006