Examples Of Enlightened Beings Pursuing Purpose.

[John]

Could people post examples of Enlightened beings who are pursuing a Life Purpose that could be seen as not traditionally spiritual? As Life Purpose is to do with ones career and making money, I don't see many examples of enlightened beings doing this.

What about Musicians, filmakers, authors, Politicians, Businessmen, Entrepeneurs, sports people, athletes etc...

[Forestluv]

For me, those glimpses of “enlightenment” have no goals or purpose. Just IS. 

[Brimstone]

@John it is a mistake to think that your life stops completely just because you become 'enlightened'. The only thing that changes is that 'who you think you are' and your attachment to that idea and the outcomes it dictates is diminished until it completely dissolves. In other words, the doing still occurs, the thoughts still arise, the experience of you just does not have me/mine/my at the centre of what is unfolding.

An example: What am I going to have for dinner? Dinner will not just magically appear just because you are enlightened, you still have to chase the carrot.

Edited October 12, 2017 by Brimstone

[John]

@Brimstone I am trying to break down this very image that I seem to be holding on to. It's hard though when many of the people I have learned from don't continue the lives they had before hand. They don't become an 'enlightened doer' of their old job or life. They break away from the mainstream completely. How do I resolve that image? Leo is a good example. He inspires me and gives me a sort of role model. But I was wondering if there are more?

[Shanmugam]

@John You don't see such examples because they don't become public figures..  The public figures who you see are only the tip of the iceberg. There are probably thousands of spiritually awakened people who continue to do the same thing after enlightenment. Actually, what you said is not a rule but an exception. Only a very few people give up their old jobs after enlightenment and create an organization to guide other people.

As Brimstone rightly said, the change that occurs is actually a shift in the perception of self. That shouldn't necessarily change their lifestyle. After awakening, you may not be interested in personal success because you feel already complete, fulfilled and you won't have a necessity  to accumulate or crave for anything. But you still continue the old life style and even try to go to the next step in the ladder for other reasons. What if you have a family and children to support, you still have to fulfill their dreams.

Awakened ones hardly think about future. They act according to what the present moment or situation demands. But to others their actions may appear like motivated by craving for fulfillment. 

When people who are not awakened think about how it feels like living an awakened life, they can only think based on their limited, ego or identity based existence. So, they will always come to wrong conclusions no matter how intelligent they are. Because, somehow unconsciously they still assume that there is going to be duality (or being separate from the existence) after awakening. But after awakening, it opens a huge number of possibilities. You feel totally liberated from the prison of having a limited existence and you feel boundless. You may even act like a fool if you want to.

Edited October 13, 2017 by Shanmugam

[egoless]

@Shanmugam

Can Enlightened person be a financial professional for example and work in a corporate environment? Will he be happy? Does Enlightenment contradict your achievements if you are in a corporate ladder? Can an Enlightened person still be a successful CFO?

[Shanmugam]

@egoless I don't see any reason why it is not possible.. We cannot really generalize like this when it comes to enlightenment because each person still acts according to this own traits and uniqueness. But life becomes a game after enlightenment. You still live your life but the attitude towards it totally changes.

Becoming a successful CFO doesn't have anything to do with enlightenment. It only has to do with that person's capabilities. If he is capable of becoming a successful CFO, he will. But he doesn't go about it with the same attitude or mindset that an unenlightened person has. He just does what  is needed without worrying about success or failure.

[Erlend K]

Daniel Ingram claims arhatship (classical Buddhist fourth-path enlightenment) and he works as a doctor in an emergency room.

[Brimstone]

@John it's true that your life can shift completely and take on a whole new meaning but as @Shanmugam  points out that isn't always the case. The majority of enlightened people don't have the need to talk about it. Sure your motivations will shift but you will continue living. Truth is completely without limitations.

@egoless a friend of mine became enlightened and he just fell into the finance industry. He didn't have any qualifications but within 6 months in his new job he went from being an assistant bookkeeper to the finance manager of a successful solar company. He was the sole provider for his family and just did what he had to do to and accepted the grace of the unfolding magic.

[egoless]

@Brimstone I have the reverse problem. I am in the finance career right now but find it extremely boring and uninteresting. I wonder if after my ego death and possible Enlightenment finance career will appear less boring to me and more as a way to simply experience the analytical part of this reality. I want to get interested in this career because I've already invested so much money and time studying it and working in it. In ideal scenario I would love to turn it into my life passion. It is highly paid career and money is useful to explore this world and travel around. It seems like I am chasing after some kind of mystical life passion.. I tried programming as It seemed interesting initially but the same happened in the end. I got bored with it. It seems like I get bored with everything eventually.

Edited October 13, 2017 by egoless

[Brimstone]

@egoless here is the thing. Enlightenment is the acceptance of what is ordinary, it is basically life without the add ons. Through become fulfilled by what is ordinary fulfilling paths naturally unfold in front of you. It isn't  hard, it is simplistic beyond your wildest imagination. 

Edited October 13, 2017 by Brimstone

[egoless]

1 minute ago, Brimstone said:

@egoless here is the thing. Enlightenment is the acceptance of what is ordinary, it is basically life without the add ons. Through become fulfilled by what is ordinary fulfilling paths naturally unfold in front of you. It is hard, it is simplistic beyond your wildest imagination. 

So do you think after Enlightenment my chase after some kind of "mystical" passion to fulfill my life end? Will I find happiness even in the most boring ordinary things from my current perspective? 

[Brimstone]

12 minutes ago, egoless said:

Will I find happiness even in the most boring ordinary things from my current perspective? 

In a sense yes, although what is not true will just naturally fall away. 

[egoless]

Just now, Brimstone said:

In a sense yes, although what is not true will just naturally fall away. 

But what is not true is still a relative statement. There is no more truth or false after Enlightenment if everything becomes one is not that so?

[Brimstone]

Yes of course, although the words true and false are seen for what they are, words. It is the losing of meaning that actually gives them meaning, the two aspects converge. From within the dualistic set of conditions that is our language there are always going to be limitions in explaining what is non-dual it can only point. 

This will bend your mind but how would we see one if two didn't exist? Everything has its place.