Enlightment Experience??!

[YoungSeeker]

I had an enlightenment experience about 4 months ago. Although I'm calling it an enlightenment experience I don't really know what it was. A  few  times after that I had the same experience. But here I'm going to talk about the first time. I had it listening to Leo's guided self inquiry. And only once I had it when I was doing self inquiry by myself. The first time I had it I was scared. My hands were shaking. It felt like nothingness or maybe everythingness. It was strange. At the same time I felt pure joy. I wanted to stay in that state forever it was so pleasant. After being in that state for some time it was gone. It lasted 20 to 30 minutes. I went outside and I was looking at the world as though I saw it for the first time. It was new and bright. I felt a lot of energy in the body. I was grateful for being alive. I wanted to share this joy with others, wanted them to feel the same way. It was enough just to be. I really saw that there's something more to life than we normally would think. I can't force myself to have this again. The more force I'm using the farther away I'm from the actual experience. I know that but it's still hard to let go of desire. A lot of times I was close to having that but desire did the work to prevent that. What did I have there? I'm not sure if I want to know what it was. Because you kind of can't name it or explain it with words. Maybe someone out there had something similar to what I had?  Maybe even listening to the same guided self inquiry? Just share your thoughts if you’ve got some.

[Corte]

This experience comes from a place of almost complete stillness. Whether you had help or not, your mind was still and you weren't expecting the experience. In this moment you weren't a person looking at reality through a bunch of conditions and beliefs, but just as it is. The experience itself isn't amazing at all, but when you think about it after it's over you will begin to mold it in the way your mind wants to remember it. Suddenly it becomes an incredible state that you'll try anything to get back to. If you want to experience it again, or maybe even more deeply this time, you'll have to trick your mind. You'll have to forget about your "memory" and not even want it anymore. Because it's likely that what you are trying to get back to isn't what you think you experienced to begin with. 

[Capethaz]

@YoungSeeker I did. This is normal and it's good for your motivation. You had a little glimpse of what Enlightenment could be, so use it as fuel to do the work towards Full Enlightenment.

[YoungSeeker]

9 hours ago, Capethaz said:

it's good for your motivation

It is really. At the time I already stopped doing self inquiry but after this experience I started over again. This motivates me a lot.

[Prabhaker]

@YoungSeeker A single, momentary glimpse is something that can never be known by any other means. No one can explain it; no words, no communication, can even be a hint to it. You have not even known the moment, you have not even become aware of it before it becomes closed to you. Just a click of the camera - a click, and everything is lost. Then a hankering will be created; you will risk everything for that moment. But do not long for it, do not desire it; let it sleep in the memory. Do not make a problem out of it; just forget it. If you can forget it and do not cling to it, these moments will come to you more and more, the glimpses will be coming to you more and more.

A demanding mind becomes closed, and the glimpse is shut off. It always comes when you are not aware of it, when you are not looking for it - when you are relaxed, when you are not even thinking about it, when you are not even meditating. Even when you are meditating the glimpse becomes impossible, but when you are not meditating, when you are just in a moment of let-go - not even doing anything, not even waiting for anything - in that relaxed moment, it happens.

[cetus]

 

@YoungSeeker Annata (no-self or selfless self),  Samadhi (union)  Yes, different to experience at first but very cool at the same time. Good for you. It's not easy to take that first step into the unknown by letting go. Especially once you have established a stronger sense of self. I say that because I had this experience happen from time to time as a young child. One minute it was just me playing with my truck in the sandbox, doing my thing. The next second I felt a shift suddenly and I became one with existence. I would have to stop playing  just to look up at nature around me. Almost as if it had called me by name. There was no separation. It felt great and comforting! Than as I got a little older I lost it and it stopped happening. But it left an impression that I never forgot. And now, many years later it's back again from time to time.  I'm glad you found it too! It's wonderful! I like to get out into nature and sit with a still mind and just let it happen. That works best for me personally. Good luck.

[Azrael]

On 9.9.2016 at 8:47 PM, YoungSeeker said:

What did I have there?

Sounds like a very cool mystical experience you're describing.

Now, the union that you probably had at that moment provided you I'd guess a kind of ownership of everything you were perceiving, right? This union can be felt and is apparently existent throughout all experience - the mystical and the normal kind of consciousness. It's like the underlying fabric of every experience you have. It creates your and every perspective as a ever-still moment we call now and simultaneously an ever kind of flowing existence of this world we a part of.

So, this experience you had I'd guess put off a lot of the layers of self you normally wear on you and let you in on the underlying completeness of reality. Try to make this out in your normal life how everything you perceive flows while being in a complete still moment. And how there are reoccurring themes in everything that exists. See how everything that you can make sense out of is something that underlies certain rules and patterns and arranges itself not only beautifully but intelligently throughout everything. You really grew out of this world and wasn't popped into it. And you really are this no-thingness.

You can realize that and be aware of the underlying completeness of every moment. And that's bliss.