What is Enlightenment?

[Guest guest]

At 07:49 PM 8/2/2008, you wrote:

Just out of curiosity, how did

you know your teacher was enlightened?

I've met people that I felt had seen more of the map than me, but

I've not been able to know that any of them were

enlightened.

Laugh ... how do I know that *I* am enlightened?

Seriously, this is just a nebulous concept with so many definitions ...

just what *is* enlightenment, anyway? Where it comes to gurus and

teachers (both spiritual and mundane) I throw all

" credentialism " out the window and I simply apply the Brandi

Jasmine Common Sense Test to whatever they say. I don't take Yogananda

any more seriously than (or Swami Beyondananda, who is truly the

greatest of all gurus imnsho). I've met a lot of folks with a lot of

education and no common sense, so I make their claims irrelevant. The

test should only be - does this thought, claim, idea or process make

sense to me? If yes, then use it, if no, then toss it out.

I don't agree with every concept I see posted here, but this is still one

of the most interesting and (dare I say it) ... enlightening groups I am

into at the moment.

Brandi

" Don't Be Ashamed to Laugh Out

Loud: Laugh uproariously, wholeheartedly and loudly -- ejoculation is a

natural bodily function, so we should feel no shame about it. "

- Swami Beyondananda

[Guest guest]

Well, I tend to think that either all of us are enlightened or no one

is. Actually, I don't think that any individual can be enlightened

because the essence of enlightenment is a unitary non-dual awareness.

No time, no space, no I, no you, no we; just awareness, no object.

 

And in time we are ego selves, living and dying. Two, two, two mints

in one!

 

Peter

 

 

, Brandi Jasmine

<jazztalk wrote:

>

> Laugh ... how do I know that *I* am enlightened?

[Guest guest]

At 01:30 PM 8/3/2008, you wrote:

Well, I tend to think that

either all of us are enlightened or no one

is.

Maybe it's " and " no one is ... ?

Actually, I don't

think that any individual can be enlightened

because the essence of enlightenment is a unitary non-dual

awareness.

No time, no space, no I, no you, no we; just awareness, no

object.

I've had that experience - I just can't see staying in that state

permanently. As blissful and peaceful as it was, it was sort of like a

mental 0rg (AT) sm (DOT) I love those, but I wouldn't want to be in that state

forever.

Brandi

[Guest guest]

Yes " and " is more correct. <g>

 

I think we are in that state forever. It's both at the same time.

It's just hard when we experience the samsara consciousness to catch

the clues to the nirvana consciousness.

 

, Brandi Jasmine

<jazztalk wrote: