Survey: How Many Enlightenment Experiences Have You Had?
Lets get deeper into the wonderful world of spiritual enlightenment and enlightenment experiences.
Often both readers, as well as students from my yoga studio, describe to me the wonderful enlightenment experiences that they have had. It is also not uncommon for these "transcendental" experiences to be the catalyst for propelling them onto the spiritual path, whether that be taking up yoga and meditation, or some other profound spiritual science.
everything shone forth to me during a winter walk at the beach. Everything between me and my surroundings was connected and i felt one with the world that say.
I also had an insight to where truth came from which is from within.all truth comes from outside of the mind, from our heart really. We all have the potential of knowing every truth in the universe if we silence our minds. As soon as that came i felt a strong influx of energy ringing my ears for two seconds and then all was silent and i was awake. that was another experience.
I have a question too. Why do my ears ring constantily?
I am illumined and enlightened. Please see my above website and comment. I wish to have link with you for mutual understanding. Thanks.
S.S.YOGI
Hi Loribeth,
Good questions. To keep it simple here I am looking for those experiences that are of the “beyond”. Whatever that might mean to you is fine. It is simply the glimpses of that which is outside the ordinary dualistic reality of the ego-centric mind. I have put up the results and am sure there will be more on this topic in the future.
If you are looking for examples, you can read some of my accounts of what I call enlightenment experiences archived under, Spiritual Enlightenment Experiences.
Best,
Anmol
what qualifies as being an Enlightenment Experience – how would you know? is this based upon your own assumption of the experience?
thank you very much
lbd
Hi Davidya,
Great to have your input on this intriguing topic. Will be posting the results of this fascinating survey this coming Monday.
Cheers,
Anmol
Like Tom, I am curious to see the results. But I hope people understand that enlightenment experiences are not enlightenment. Experiences are tastes of what is. Enlightenment is being it.
The best analogy that comes to mind is a strawberry. Licking the strawberry is a far cry from being it.
In the end we have to leave behind all ideas and experiences of it to become it. This is often the last barrier to it.
Avni’s comment is an example. He is seeking an idea to grasp the nature of enlightenment. While yes, the simplicity of being OK with everything is an aspect, it fails to be inclusive enough. Full enlightenment is inclusive of everything. More bliss than can be imagined, but also all suffering. All pain is held within universal love. This is the birth of true compassion.
Hi Everyone,
I have clarified in the article as well what I was looking for from this survey. Hope this helps clear up some of the confusion :-D.
Cheers,,
Anmol
Hey Ben/Avni,
You guys are spot on, the Ease of Simply Being is certainly the Way.
I guess here in this survey I am digging into how many people have had those “powerful” experiences which give them a glimpse of “non-duality”. A glimpse that the ordinary ego centric reality is perhaps not quite the only reality.
Lets see what happens….
Cheers,
Anmol
Hi Anmol ,
I read the article on the Zen defination of enlightenment ….and I do resonate with it totally. What I have gathered , and arrived at is – that enlightenment is a State of Being where ‘EVERYTHING seems OK’. Its an experience where u feel that ‘wherever you are , you are at it, at the right place and at the right time ‘ A time of no conflict and total surrender .
Do I seem on the right track ? I believe , we choose to forget that we have a choice of total acceptance , and being in constant bliss ..but when we drop the wall of the ‘Ego self’ , we come closer to our true selves where nothing matters ! Hence , I would say ..for me that everytime I chose to drop my ego and accept and live in the NOW I experience enlightenment.
Yeah, I have to agree with Tom.
This is completely dependant on how a person defines ‘enlightenment’… and defining it creates a concept… and the concept on occasion just pushes the experience further away…
But having said all that, I consider experiences that have deepened my awareness and/or my happiness and permanently changed the way I view the world to be ‘enlightening’, or ‘enlightenment’ experiences.
I have had a few, and one of the most powerful has been the process of bringing an ever increasing awareness and acceptance to moments throughout my daily life… most of the time I feel I’m only a step away from a powerful experience… and that realization allows me to step into the experience!
That’s my 5 cents…;^)
keep smiling,
ben
Hey Tom,
Yeah I am curious to see these results as well. I hope readers don’t get confused by the article link which is more a series on discussions of how different philosophies view enlightenment.
Here I am looking to really see how many people have had “transcendental” sort of experiences, those experiences that are glimpses of True Reality or it’s qualities.
Lets see how it goes…
Cheers,
Anmol
Hi Anmol,
I’ll be curious to see the results. Even if people read your definition, I still am not certain how they will understand “enlightenment experience.”
In a certain sense, the answer I’m tempted to give is:
one, but that is more than enough. :-)