Can an enlightened being fall back into delusion?

[Javfly33]

I imagine that not because usually they say enlightenement is a very very radical thing.

What about a very conscious person that for example, you could say he hasn't transcended survival conditioning?

Today I saw my father. He is quite sad/depressed now. He had been sober for 4-5 months off heroin, I say this because like 6-7 years ago my father got clean for over a year almost two, and it was the year that he discovered Yoga (kundalini) and I remember he was CRAZY about it. Like I imagine he had to really experienced some crazy things at Yoga because he didn't have an spiritual background at all and I remember in the span of a year he talk a lot of similar things that Leo or in this forum talk about regarding spirituality. I remember my mother and father having discussions about materialistic/pro science (my mother) and my spiritual/non materialistic approach (my father) Lol

It didn't seem he was talking from belief, but rather than he got to experience some interesting high consciousness state during long-term and he was able to actually imagine a life without drugs.

However he went back to heroin and afterwards came 6-7 years again of hell from him. Anyway, I know my father was far from being really awake in order to transcend the identification with the mind therefore he was still vulnerable to emotions/trigger therefore he went back to the old life. But could this happen to anyone??? I don't mean doing drugs but if you develop a conscious life but who knows why (idk, because the mind is too strong still) and you GO BACK to delusion, neurosis etc...? .

I guess in the long term you are always growing, but ego-backlashes (i guess you could call it that, or maybe that this a path is a mountain and not just an upwards straight line) are scary.

[Nak Khid]

Yes this can happen and it can happen more easily if you live close to your old weaknesses

[mandyjw]

Yes, there are plot twists in the story of awakening.

There are different spiritual energies inherent in different people, there are different paths, different facets of awakening, all of that that makes understanding of even one's own experience of their spiritual progression incredibly difficult at times. Kundalini is not always necessarily a good energy on it's own in practice, it entirely depends on the person and their own balance, where they are in life, even how they interpret it. You generally want to have a good settled foundation in life, and then a good foundation of basic spiritual knowledge or "practice"  before getting too deep with mystical stuff. It can easily be misinterpreted by the mind. 

But don't forget this. “All shall be well, and all shall be well and all manner of thing shall be well.” -Julian of Norwich 

 

[VeganAwake]

When the bottom of the bucket falls out, it never again holds water.

When Consciousness wakes up to itself, it's realized the illusion never existed.

Wakefulness could not fall back asleep because it's recognized the dream never existed in the first place.❤

I suppose one could get conked on the head hard enough though... but even then there would still be a good chance of that person recognizing the truth again...

 

Edited December 15, 2019 by VeganAwake

[Leo Gura]

The problem here is with the overly-simplistic and binary notion of "an enlightened being". There is no such thing. There are many degrees of awakening and many different states of consciousness and many different modes of being.

Most so-called awakened people still have plenty of impurities and their state of consciousness is not as high as it could be.

[VeganAwake]

It's even worse than that unfortunately... enlightenment is what is already the case. ❤

The Mind loves to create roadblocks and hurdles and convince you awakening is just around the next Corner just keep going( running on the hamster wheel)... the problem is THIS is already the TRUTH... so you never find it because it's already what IS.

But don't take my word for it ..you can read this info from all the great Masters... they just use different words to explain the same recognition. ❤

 

 

 

Edited December 15, 2019 by VeganAwake

[VeganAwake]

Realisation is not acquisition of anything new nor is it a new faculty. It is only removal of all camouflage

Ramana Maharshi

[Higher]

Yes, it is. Just like there are many different degrees of awakening and states of consciousness, so it is with egoic delusions. In fact, the amount is incredible. 

[VeganAwake]

Only to the mind are there different degrees of Awakening, states of consciousness and amounts of delusions.

Meanwhile THIS is is right in front of you.... Perfection at hand and unnoticed. It's a radical realization❤

[eputkonen]

@Javfly33 , no.  If the illusion ever causes confusion or fools again, then the illusion was not really completely seen through.  Ignorance would still be present if there is confusion or being fooled by the illusion.  Enlightenment is dispelling ignorance and a complete seeing through the illusion of duality and "me".  So if the "me" or "duality" is later believed...then enlightenment never happened.  A "me" and "duality" are needed for suffering to arise...so if suffering later arises (i.e. falling back into delusion), then enlightenment never happened in the first place.  There are many passing spiritual experiences and glimpses of the truth that are often mistaken to be enlightenment...and then people wonder why it goes away (i.e. falling back into delusion).

Edited December 15, 2019 by eputkonen

[V-8]

"A wise man, recognizing that the world is but an illusion, does not act as if it is real"  Bukkyo Dendo Kyokai

[erik8lrl]

You get to a point where there is no more distinction between anything, just being, so even being deluded is part of infinite love and god. You let go and just be, and because of this, you are free from all self-hypnotization, and not deluded from the perspective of separation.