ENLIGHTENMENT

Enlightenment is a state of awakened understanding. It can be described as the transcendence of suffering and desire in order to obtain spiritual liberation (moksha). To be enlightened is to be freed from the tyranny of the mind and to experience deep spiritual peace, presence and wholeness.

The state of enlightenment is important in Hindu, Buddhist and yogic philosophy. According to the teachings of yoga, enlightenment is the goal of all meditation and yogic practices.

In Buddhism, enlightenment is usually seen as an awakening to the absolute Truth, which releases the enlightened individual from the cycle of reincarnation.

In Hinduism, it is described as a divine, transcendent experience. Sometimes it is described as a sudden, transformative moment of awakening and other times it is seen as a more gradual process of being liberated from the bondage of the mind.

In terms of paths to enlightenment, different schools of yoga and philosophy prescribe different routes. For instance, classical Advaita Vedanta promotes Jnana yoga as a way of attaining enlightenment through spiritual study, whereas Bhakti yoga pursues enlightenment through devotion and the
worship of God and karma yoga pursues enlightenment through Nishkama Karma. It is a self-less or desireless action and performed without any expectation of fruits or results.

The founder of Transcendental Meditation, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, explains enlightenment as a state of stabilised calm, clarity and full presence of mind, lived spontaneously in one’s daily activities outside of meditation.

It brings very practical value to life. Even if we forget about ‘enlightenment’ for a moment – maybe that state seems to be inconceivable – still it is our daily experience that the whole value of life is very little if we are tired, if we are stressed.”

“If we think of a morning when we have not rested well in the night, then we feel so groggy and everything just collapses into dullness and inertia. The world is the same as on the other days, but our appreciation of the world is so much less.”

“And with Transcendental Meditation we have a natural and effective means to dissolve even deeply rooted fatigue and stress. This is the way to unfold full value of life.”

“Even in the first days of meditation, we find that our eyes seem to be a little more open, our mind seems a bit clearer. Our feeling towards our friends seems to be more harmonious.”

“And then, as the practice continues every day, a time will come when we start living life free from all stresses. We cleanse the awareness of all stresses and strains, leaving the conscious mind completely free in its pure value.”

“And then, as the practice continues every day, a time will come when we start living life free from all stresses. We cleanse the awareness of all stresses and strains, leaving the conscious mind completely free in its pure value.”