Enlightenment
“Do not think that
enlightenment is going to make you special, it's not. If you feel
special in any way, then enlightenment has not occurred...”
Adyashanti
Adyashanti is an American spiritual teacher and
writer. He teaches that enlightenment is the “crumbling
away of untruth.” Everything we thought was true is eradicated, and in essence, we are stripped of the egotistical notion that we
hold special knowledge of...well...anything. Since I, myself, have
never sought enlightenment, and don't know how, I am secure in the
understanding that I have never seen the Light of Truth. All I have
at my disposal is a lifetime of limited experience and some opinions
based on that. Reminds me of the Zen saying, “Before
enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop
wood, carry water.” Life does not change because one is a
spiritual seeker. You still have to get up in the morning, put your
britches on, and go to work. All the study and meditation, all the
prayer and spiritual retreating, though worthy pursuits, do not make
one all-wise, nor does life become easier. What changes is one's
inner landscape, and one's response to all things external.
Many people spend their lives in
pursuit of the Crown of Specialness, and certain others are forced
into it by a culture that craves mega-stars and super-heroes. I think
of folks like Michael Jackson, Prince, Elvis, Whitney Houston, John
Lennon, Marilyn Monroe, all seen as super-stars, kings, goddesses—in
other words, Very Special People. We know their fate. One lone human
being cannot sustain such a role in the world. The pressure of it, no
matter how talented they may be, is destructive to their human
spirit.
Enlightenment, I believe, is the
gaining of understanding that none of what we believe to be important
is important—not fame, not beauty, not riches, not political power,
not any of the external shiny-things that we, as a culture, believe
to be worth all our striving. What is important is the light inside
you; believe it is there and to try to see it as often as possible.
Understanding, too, that that very same light shines in all people
everywhere, and in the living world. In the words of Adyashanti, “The
truth is that you already have what you are seeking.” Once you
understand that, just chop wood and carry water.
In the Spirit,
Jane
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