To: K-list
Recieved: 1999/09/22 09:02
Subject: Re: [K-list] what is enlightenment
From: Blackswan
On 1999/09/22 09:02, Blackswan posted thus to the K-list:
> <<I'm interested in hearing other people's answer to this one. What the
> heck is enlightenment anyway? As far as I can understand it, we're all
> enlightened already but most people don't know it! To me, enlightenment
> seems to consist of simply being yourself and being relaxed about it.
> Big deal. But if that's so, why does self-consciousness seem such a
> barrier to it when that is part of who we are too?>>
>
> I think maybe selfconsciousness is a human hang-up. Enlightenment is seeing
> things for how they are and accepting them? Self-conscious is so
> superficial i think. Hard to explain that one sorry...but why does it take
> people so long to become "comfortable" with themselves. I think there is
> more to it than that
>
> --LyN
Here is one man's answer to that question. The Last Paragrph is most pertinant.
-- black swan
Book Two, Chapter Two
"Winning Through Enlightenment" by Ron Smothermon
Enlightenment is the natural condition of life after you strip the unnatural
heavy and dark conditions away.
"Enlightenment," much like "love" and "responsibility," is a much
misunderstood word. So, I want you to be clear about it before we go any
further. Many seem to think that enlightenment is a feeling and it is not.
Some think enlightenment is understanding, and thatÕs not be even close.
There is nothing emotional or intellectual about enlightenment. You canÕt
get it from your mother and you canÕt get it at school. It has something to
do with love, but not as you probably understand that word.
There is a realm of experience that cannot be described in words. Any
attempt necessarily falls short of the experience. Nevertheless, I am going
to describe enlightenment in words since that is the form of communication
available. However, we must know that words cannot be the source of
enlightenment either. Words can only express the after the experience. They
cannot generate the experience. Words do not generate enlightenment. Reading
this will not make you enlightened.
Nor is enlightenment generated in the mind. The mind is only good for
calculating how to survive. You will never experience enlightenment through
your mind. The mind can only use words and "understand" enlightenment. I
want you to really get frustrated about enlightenment and "try" to get it.
You know what? You canÕt! It is just not possible for a person to generate
enlightenment by effort.
You can only generate enlightenment by doing nothing. I mean nothing. By
"nothing" I donÕt mean that you get a lemonade and go swing in a hammock.
"Doing nothing" is possible while doing hard labor. In fact, it is easier to
do nothing while doing hard labor. What I mean by "doing nothing" is to
suspend your "stuff;" that is, your judgments, opinions, positions, beliefs,
even your faith. Going through your stuff is doing something, not going
through your stuff is doing nothing. Then do what you do in life because you
are doing it, not because you believe in it, have a high opinion of it, or
have faith in it. Doing what you do out of belief, opinion, or faith takes
you out of the picture and makes your stuff the source of what you do. You
land in a condition called no responsibility, no enlightenment.
What you do in life is not "heavy" until you add stuff to it. What you do in
life is certainly not important from the standpoint of ultimate truth. Not
important. If you think it is important, you are not the cause of it, your
stuff is. Be light about your life. Live it moment to moment and in such a
way that we could either ignore it or print it in tomorrowÕs newspaper, and
it wouldnÕt matter.
You donÕt need to be proud or ashamed of your life. It just is. Nor do you
need to be in control. If you are in pride, shame, or control, you are not
the master of your life; pride, shame, or control is master. You canÕt be
right, make others wrong, be proud and controlling and consider your
condition important, and be enlightened.
Naturally, most of the description of enlightenment is a telling of what it
is not. Enlightenment is the natural condition of life that has no name
after all the unnatural conditions that have names stripped away. I am now
going to describe the condition of enlightenment for what it is rather than
what it isnÕt. As I do, I want you to know that you conceivably could be in
any or all of these circumstances and still be endarkened.
First of all, you will not experience needs beyond those that you naturally
need: air, food, and love. You will know that your mind condition, whatever
it is, is perfect even when you have judgments to the contrary. You will not
depend on others to pronounce your life worthy. You will not depend on
others to pronounce your life worthy. Criticism will be of no concern to
you. You will not be criticizing others and you will not be attached to
their criticism of you. You will be in the experience of loving others. You
will know that life is not serious and that it is profoundly significant.
You will know that others contribute to your life and you will acknowledge
them for it. You will truly have what you own in life through a willingness
to not have it and a willingness to share it with others. You will live in
the present moment and not be attached to your memories of the past or your
schemes for the future.
by Ron Smothermon
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