Enlightenment Quiz

[Felipe]

I am a beginner in this subject I would like to have a better sense of what is Enlightenment  (or at least what people think it is).

1) Is Enlightenment a skill? a habit? is it just the way your brain is wired?

2) Can anyone be Enlightened? no matter what age, ethnicity, IQ, EQ, mental condition (e.g. psychopathy), life circumstance, etc.?

3) Can animals be Enlightened?

4) Was Enlightenment invented or discovered?

5) Would an Enlightened person ever hurt other people physically?

6) What would happen if the whole world were Enlightened?

7) Are Enlightened people 100% happy? Do I need Enlightenment to be 100% happy?

8) Do Enlightened people dream?

9) Are Enlightened people vegetarian?

10) Is there any Enlightened person in the media?

11) Would an Enlightened person have a 9-5 job?

 

Thanks

 

[Natasha]

@Felipe My take:

1) Enlightenment is more of a realization, a shift in perspective. It's the ability to see reality without the filter of the mind;

2) Anyone can be enlightened;

3) They are, they just don't know it;

4) More like realized/ discovered;

5) I would say yes, but not for any low-conscious reason;

6) Start with yourself first 

7) Enlightenment is key to lasting happiness; 

8) Yes, enlightened can dream;

9) They can be vegan, vegetarian, or meat-eaters;

10) *See other threads devoted to his topic*

11) I do 

Enlightened are regular people, but with deeper insight into reality and existence. Most enlightened don't talk about it or exhibit any signs outwardly, other than being noticeably neurosis-free and genuinely happy. 

 

 

 

[jjer94]

Hi Felipe,

Thanks for inquiring into all of this! That's where the journey begins. 

1. Enlightenment = Realizing your true nature. Your true nature is what you are existentially. Another way of putting it is, what you were before you were born, what you really are right now, and what you will be after the body dies. 

2. Yes. We all arrive at enlightenment eventually. For most people, that happens after the body dies. The "enlightened person" just found their true nature before the body dies.

3. It's hard to say, since we're not in their perspective. However, we can assume that they do not have an ego, which can point you in the direction of your true nature. That's why dogs are such great pets; they are zen masters in disguise!

4. You may not understand this at the moment, but bear with me. Anything written in words is invented. Words are concepts, which are basically depictions of what's actually there. Think of a menu. All the items printed on the menu (hamburger, shrimp, fries, etc) are not edible; they are merely depictions of what is actually edible. In this analogy, writing "enlightenment" is just a word on the menu; that word is invented. However, actually having a taste of enlightenment is discovery.

5. If it felt right to do so, yes. Enlightened folk don't have any sense of right or wrong; they are amoral. Like babies, they do whatever they feel moved to do, because they don't identify with their body. The body just does its own thing.

6. Who knows? Flying unicorns would fart rainbows across the sky?

7. Yes and yes. What you call happiness is better defined as conditional excitement: you get something you want, therefore you're happy. However, if you lose that thing, you're no longer happy. After enlightenment, your happiness is unconditional; you are happy for no reason at all, and you have no reason to label it as "happiness". It's just the natural state.

8. Yes. Just because someone is enlightened doesn't make them superhuman. Your true nature is right here, right now. It's just a matter of seeing it clearly.

9. Like I said before, enlightened folk are amoral. If they feel inclined to be vegetarian, then they'll do it. If not, then so be it. 

10. I'd say the enlightened folk closest to mainstream media would be Eckhart Tolle, Adyashanti, or Mooji. You're not going to find any enlightened folk in the general newspaper.

11. If it felt right to them, sure! After enlightenment, there are no rules. In fact, part of the journey to enlightenment is destroying rules. Rules can come in the form of beliefs, attachments, assumptions, programming, etc. Your rulebook is essentially what's preventing you from seeing your true nature.

Cheers!

[Khin]

On ‎4‎/‎3‎/‎2016 at 9:17 PM, Felipe said:

I am a beginner in this subject I would like to have a better sense of what is Enlightenment  (or at least what people think it is).

1) Is Enlightenment a skill? a habit? is it just the way your brain is wired?

2) Can anyone be Enlightened? no matter what age, ethnicity, IQ, EQ, mental condition (e.g. psychopathy), life circumstance, etc.?

3) Can animals be Enlightened?

4) Was Enlightenment invented or discovered?

5) Would an Enlightened person ever hurt other people physically?

6) What would happen if the whole world were Enlightened?

7) Are Enlightened people 100% happy? Do I need Enlightenment to be 100% happy?

8) Do Enlightened people dream?

9) Are Enlightened people vegetarian?

10) Is there any Enlightened person in the media?

11) Would an Enlightened person have a 9-5 job?

 

Thanks

 

Let me try this..

1) It's more like doing research with curiosity. But if we look very deep, you brain plays in very important part too.

2) Anyone who did not kill their own parents can be enlightened. The youngest is 7 year old.

3) Animals and babies cannot be enlightened because they don't have an ability to. Mind and body are connected to each other.

4) It was discovered.

5) They will never hurt any living things intentionally.

6) No emotional feelings anymore but also will care for each other and all living things. Wouldn't hurt other living things for you own good, such as killing to eat.

7) They don't usually feel much of happiness or sadness. Only peace.

8) There are four definite levels of enlightenments. From 1st to 3rd, they do dream, but not the 4th who is fully enlightenment.

9) Not necessarily.

10) Maybe. You never know. They look so normal that most people don't recognize though. I've seen enlightened people but they were funnier than funniest jokers but always serious. Just being around them makes me feel peaceful and happy.  

11) I don't think so.

[Falk]

On 3.4.2016 at 3:17 AM, Felipe said:

 

1) Is Enlightenment a skill? a habit? is it just the way your brain is wired? What is enlightenment?

Enlightenment is a word! No this is not a joke answer.

It is a concept we can talk about to motivate ourselves to do the meditation, which is necessary for us to learn about ourself...that´s where the real journey starts!

So forget about the word "enlightenment" for a moment and first understand who or what is asking the question.