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May 18, 2009
Has anybody had an experience of gradual enlightenment? I'd love to hear what you all have to say. Please share how the experience changed your perspective on life or the universe.
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Ah yes, Mr. Suzuki's words
— Jun 11, 2009
Ah yes, Mr. Suzuki's words are always very clear and to the point. Perhaps I should say kensho instead of 'gradual enlightenment'. That is a term my Master uses to define moments of satori that are a specific and indefinable experince but of a progressive and multiple nature as opposed to the 'sudden enlightenment', or what Sakyamuni experienced.
Enlightenment
— Mar 12, 2010
Hi there,
I am interested in enlightment and have spend years reading spiritual text and dabbling in different things. Most recently I did a course called Avatar which was a very interesting experience. www.avatarepc.com
My awakening has been gradual but there have be true moments of bliss which I am forever grateful. I would describe the process thru the course as thus;
It starts with getting an understanding of how your beliefs create your reality. (By looking at what you are currently experiencing, you start to understand how your thinking, especially what you believe has contributed to your current reality.) This gives the participant a new viewpoint. Next you work on a perceptual skill called feeling, which begins to take you out of your mind. (To experience who you truely are you need to be out of your mind.) Following that you start to work on your identities, identities are really parts of your personality - you have different identities for different ocassions. (eg: good daughter identity, garderner identity, good student identity) The course then works on desolving those identities so the needs of those identities desolve and you stop suffering or resisting things. Suffering is the result of resisting things we don't want to feel. The more feeling the more desolving of identities and the more the mind becomes quiet. Then awareness of the true self that sits behind all this noise of the mind starts to appear! Its a blast!
Best Wishes
Rachel
Enlightenment
— Mar 17, 2010
Hi stopolitics,
I think the way you describe enlightenment is great and that has certainly been my experience. I think the idea that enlightenment is something that people can get quickly is certainly flawed, buddhists strive for it for lifetimes.
In my experience it has been a gradual process, with occasional insights and shifts often with years between each. Sometimes I've wondered if I am making any progress.
But with time I've noticed these shifts speeding up like a jigsaw puzzle as more and more peices fall into place it gets easier to reach the next insight. Then suddenly bam bam bam and everything changes.
Actually everything has changed for me a couple of times, as I became more aware of the darker side of myself and others I began to challenge everything, sometimes driving away people because I was just too brutally honest and challenged their core beliefs as well. Some of my more shocking ideas where things like "Violence can be good." and "I don't believe in friends or relationships."
Earlier this year while in India everything changed for me again, I let go of the need for a relationship for instance and found understanding and compassion for everyone, even the people we call evil.
The change is profound, when I found happiness and became secure in it I lost the need for selfishness and the need to pursue selfish goals. Now my focus has changed completely from being inward to being outward. I let go of my selfish goals or let them be and focus on helping others understand what I understand. Not that I'm very good at it yet :)
The Dalhi Lama says this compassion is selfish and it is so true because it bring me joy.
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