enlightenment

I have done a post on Enlightenment and I decided to do a page where I can set out more precisely what I think it is.

A key to understanding Enlightenment is the concept of 'nonduality'. Most people's minds work on the basis of duality. When you look at something it seems to be separate from you. You look at a mountain, there's you and there's the mountain. Two things.

When you have nonduality there are no longer two things. Either you perceive everything as part of you. Or there is no you. This second type of Enlightenment is the most difficult to explain. Both types are very much to do with the senses.

With the second type of Enlightenment, when a sound begins, a new consciousness is created that listens to the sound. Because we hear different sounds at the same time, there are new consciousnesses coming into existence and going out of existence all the time. When the sound ends then the consciousness ends. There is no central consciousness.

None of these consciousnesses perceive themselves to be separate from that which they perceive. That is why some people say that the sounds perceive themselves. I don't think this is a helpful way of thinking about it though.

What is true of sounds is true of other sense perceptions. It would be true of emotions, thoughts and memories too.

There are some altered states of consciousness which are encountered in meditation. There are a few which are encountered outside of meditation. They can be with you 24 hours a day. You can drive a car or any everyday activity while in these states. As well as the two types of Enlightenment there is also Witnessing. And then there is what Actualism achieves, whatever that might be.

People always want to say that a state of consciousness has some importance that isn't there. They might say that it means you no longer have to reincarnate. Or that you now see reality. It isn't really true that everything is part of you, but it is true that there is no Self. It doesn't prove that there is no such thing as free choice. It doesn't prove that consciousness exists on a different level from material reality.

If you are an angry or greedy person you will continue to be angry and greedy. If you occupy your time with trivial matters you will continue to do so. You would think that an enlightened person would be content to sit on a hill and enjoy sunsets, so it is always a surprise when they spend so much time playing mind games with other people and being control freaks.

There is a theory that Enlightenment ends desire. It doesn't. Although there is something that does end. Emotions stay the same but there can be a feeling of fulfilment. Nonduality can mean there is nothing outside of you to want, but perhaps this can make it more difficult for people to understand their emotions.

You may think that 'direct pointing' or 'pointing-out instructions' will do the trick. However, the state of consciousness will only last a short period of time. Although you can return to it time and time again. Once that you have seen that you do not have a Self, is there any point in trying to make this a permanent state of consciousness?

If you want Enlightenment of either type you will have to meditate for many hours. Just one hour of meditation per day will not do it. You will probably have to go on retreat too where you will spend nearly all your waking hours meditating. So you end up spending lots of money as well as lots of time. Is it worth it when you know that it doesn't mean that much?

Let me put it another way. Let's say you woke up one morning and you knew straight away that something was different. You looked at the bedside table and the wardrobe and they seemed to be part of you. They no longer seemed to be separate from you. You went to the window and looked out. You saw a mountain in the distance and the mountain seemed to be part of you. You looked down and saw someone walking along a path. They too seemed to be part of you. Everything seems to be part of you.

Later you are travelling towards the mountain. To you, it now seems that your body is moving through you to get to where you already are. Except that your body doesn't seem to be moving, everything else seems to be moving past it. Not only does the mountain seem part of you but you are located there and everywhere else too.

It would seem that something very profound had happened to you. How would you explain it?

There are three ways that you could explain it:-

1. in terms of neurology
2. in terms of Buddhist philosophy
3. in terms of Hindu philosophy

1. neurology

If it happened to me I would consider that I might have had a stroke. Part of my brain had shut down. For someone who does a lot of meditation it could be that when you deprive parts of your brain of sensory information then they shut down. Your brain can no longer distinguish between self/not self or Subject/Object.

2. Buddhist philosophy

Some Buddhists might say that it is a false or incomplete enlightenment because the Self still remains.

3. Hindu philosophy

You perceive everything to be part of you because everything is part of you. Not the little you of the mind, the thing you once thought you were. The real you, which is Brahman. Everything is part of you, you are part of everything, or you and everything are one.

How can we tell which of these three is the correct interpretation of this perception? First of all why is it so much to do with physical sensations? It certainly can't be used as evidence for some kind of higher levels of reality. You're not perceiving higher levels of reality, you are perceiving the same material level of reality but in a different way.

Is there any other evidence that something supernatural is happening? You might think you are one with a mountain but you have no extra information about the mountain. No extra-sensory perception. No ability to alter reality by just choosing to do so. You can't heal, you can't curse.

There are Buddhists who will tell you what they mean by enlightenment. It doesn't mean the same thing. With these Buddhists, enlightenment means that when you perceive something a consciousness comes into being and then goes out of existence when the perception stops. There are multiple consciousnesses experiencing different perceptions but no central consciousness.

With them, nothing supernatural is required. They don't need to believe in higher levels of reality. No need for anything beyond the brain and the body. Many modern Western Buddhists don't believe in reincarnation or any form of life after death.

I have been looking at the lightandsoundmeditation.com site and there is an account from someone of their experience of awakening.

“As I drove over the top of a hill my whole consciousness and sense of self exploded and became everything I could see. I clearly remember looking at the trees, the road, the other cars, the fields and the sky…each in turn was pulsating with a kind of light that made everything brand new. In that sense there was no difference between any of the objects I gazed at.

I began to laugh to myself because I realised that although I was in a car speeding down the road, I was going nowhere. I was moving but paradoxically this energy that pervaded all that I was aware of, never moved. There was light emanating from all these objects and each one demonstrated, what could best be described as, a heavenly glow.

The experience/awakening lasted the rest of the afternoon and evening. This was the proof I needed to realise that there was far more to existence and human consciousness than we are generally led to believe.

By the way, in case you were wondering, I wasn’t on drugs, I have never been tempted!”

This account is very similar to that given by Suzanne Segal in her book and by someone called Malcolm. I have quoted from both of them on this page. It seems that it is at its most spectacular when driving. Also it is very similar to the account given by Ken Wilber that I quoted on this page. He calls it One Taste.

There is another page on this site which suggests that it is not a permanent state, at least for people following the Lifewave path, or the new Lightwave path. This site seems to be part of the Lightwave movement, which is a continuation of Lifewave.

"Enlightened people will often talk about Oneness and give the impression that they are constantly aware of it. This has to be completely false! All it takes is a thought, a feeling or a sensory impulse which are manifestations of duality to interrupt the State. So by the fact they are talking to you means that their awareness is limited. They might say, “Yes but although I am not aware of the Oneness right now, that is what I am because of Enlightenment.”

Nice try! However this just creates a number of philosophical problems. If they declare they are the Oneness then so must everyone else be, whether they know it or not.

However, there is one piece of the jigsaw missing. On attaining Enlightenment, and after returning to the “normal” state of consciousness, something is definitely different. The sense of self which was perceived as locating in the physical body or mind, is missing. Everything is the same as before but you are not there! The moment you attain Enlightenment you lose your sense of individuality.

So even though it might be difficult to return to the Oneness, the myth of individuality has gone forever. Sometimes, if an Enlightened person spends a lot of time in the World they may begin to feel an individuality creeping in. However, as soon as they let go or sit and Meditate this is immediately dispelled."

What do we learn from this? Here are some more clues from the same page:-

"After a person has attained this State, they still have the same physical body, set of emotions and mind. However, they Know that what pervades Everything in the Universe is One Energy (some may call it God). This God cannot speak and does not make judgements; it simply IS. By Meditating it is possible to Experience wonderful States of Bliss and some people report merging with the Oneness again."

And this:-

"The permanent state of which you speak cannot be permanent, within a physical body. You can have realizations with states of consciousness but that is what they are, not states of being.

For example, you can witness the state of “non thinking” in deep meditation, but you are the witness, not the state.

On Enlightenment you go to that “permanent state” for a while, you feel different and life should change for you – but you come back to live your life, albeit from a different perspective. I repeat, you DO come back, you have to, or you could not function as a human being."

And this:-

"At this point they lose their sense of individual self. They cannot stay in this State indefinitely; they need to return and lead their lives albeit from a different perspective."

It seems that enlightenment is not a permanent state on the Lifewave/Lightwave path. By meditating they can merge with the Oneness. However, they may not be able to find their way back to this state a second time. They can though have a state of consciousness when they are not meditating, but it won't last when they have thoughts, emotions or physical sensations. Or when they are talking or engaging in everyday activity.

What they do continue with is a knowledge that they have a Self but it is not located in their body (or their mind). This seems to be a memory of what they were aware of when they were meditating but they can lose even that. However, by meditating again they can regain this knowledge.

One thing to bear in mind is that John Yarr used to tell some people that they were enlightened when they were not. He seemed to hold it out as a reward for some people to work for him. He claimed that he could enlighten people at will. He couldn't, they got there by their own efforts, but he used it as a means of control.

We see that most clearly in the series of article in the Portsmouth Evening News. There have been a few newspapers and magazines that exposed John Yarr but the series by Frances Hardy in 1987 is the most in depth and includes interviews with many people involved with Yarr. So their experience of 'enlightenment' won't always be the same.

How does this compare with Ken Wilber? He said that with him One Taste can last 24 to 36 hours, and once it lasted 11 days. He also says that in some ways he feels that he has never left it.

How does this compare with Buddhism? Different Buddhists will have different experiences. There can be 'stream entry' which is a stage on the path to enlightenment. That is a temporary state of consciousness but they experience anatta or no-Self. They know that they do not have a Self.

True enlightenment as I understand it is where the sense of Self has gone forever. It is 24 hours a day and there is no going back. The parts of the brain that process sensory information continue to process sensory information. The parts of the brain that control movement and speech continue as before. There is hearing but no hearer. There is seeing but no see-er. There is movement but no mover. There is speech but no speaker.

That doesn't mean that I am encouraging people to follow Buddhism. I can't see much point in any form or enlightenment. I don't believe in reincarnation or any form of life after death so I no longer believe that enlightenment can free you from the cycle of rebirth. I don't believe it can make you a better person either.

The two pages on the lightandsoundmeditation.com site are:-

Awakening » Light and Sound Meditation

Enlightenment » Light and Sound Meditation