Are Animals And Plants Enlightened?

[actualized1]

Hi, I heard Leo say in one of his videos that we humans are the only creatures to live by an ego which has led me to the question

are animals and plants enlightened and not identified with their bodies, minds, etc...?

[Psychonaut]

A dog is being a dog. A tree is being a tree. A human is a human. Enlightenment only exists in the human realm. How could a tree ever be anything other than a tree? Enlightenment only applies to humans, because we want to be everything but what we actually are. 

[Key Elements]

The thing is, are animals able to recognize their ego? Ego on a basic level is fiction. There is no "you." The opposite is also true: everything is "you." Paradoxes. This changes things. Our emotions are also fiction. For example, if we are "sad," we could think of "happy" (exciting) things and dissolve ego. We are also animals. What about the other animals? 

You decide:

What about plants?

I heard that certain plants respond to classical music - interesting.

[Schulzy]

Define Enlightenment  and you have your answer.

[Prabhaker]

@actualized1

The individual can be divided into seven bodies.  The first body is the physical body which we all know.  The second is the etheric body, and the third-which is beyond the second-is the astral body.  The fourth-which is beyond this-is the mental or psychic body, and the fifth is the spiritual body.  The sixth is beyond the fifth, and it is called the cosmic body.  Then the seventh and the last is the nirvanic body, the bodiless body.  While developing full consciousness of the material world in the human form, the self simultaneously develops the subtle and mental bodies.

We can also divide existence into seven dimensions.  In the entire existence, all the seven bodies are forever present.  Take a piece of iron say: all the seven bodies are present in it but all the seven are asleep; all the seven are dormant, inactive.  So a piece of iron looks dead.

First body becomes active in plants so we get the first evidence of life in plants.  Physical body exists here without any movement.  The plant puts down its roots and always stays in one place.  It is not mobile because for that the second body must be activated-the etheric body from which all movements come.  The plant is a fixed animal.  There are some plants that move a little, in a state between plant and animal.

The second body becomes activated in animals.  Motion comes from the e-motional body.  This does not mean that the second body has reached awareness; it only means it has become activated.  The animal has no knowledge of it.  Because of the second body being activated it experiences anger, it can express love, it can run, defend itself, it experiences fear, it can attack or hide and it can move.

In man the third, astral body is activated.  Therefore, not only does his body move but his mind also; he can travel with his mind.  He travels in the past as well as in the future.

Generally, man halts at the third body. Animals have the second body but not the third body. 

In presence of enlightened master consciousness grows. If most of the human beings become enlightened, animals too will start becoming enlightened. 

Edited November 14, 2016 by Prabhaker

[Kserkkj]

@Prabhaker  Interesting stuff, first time hearing of the bodies concept/framework of enlightenment and spirituality. So if spiritual awakening and enlightenment is awakening of the 5-7 bodies, would it require a solid foundation in preceding bodies 1-4? Eg. would a kundalini awakening be necessary for deep enlightenment? And also, what if you had a birth defect leading to incomplete development of the physical/ emotional / intellectual bodies, would it be disadvantageous for that person to awaken further bodies?? 

If I had a spiritual awakening before kundalini awakening, would I have skipped the awakening of the 4th body?? 

Edited November 14, 2016 by Kserkkj

[Prabhaker]

2 hours ago, Kserkkj said:

If I had a spiritual awakening before kundalini awakening, would I have skipped the awakening of the 4th body?? 

Buddha never talked about kundalini. It is not that there was no kundalini in his body, but the passage was so clear that there was no resistance. Thus, he never felt it. So it is not necessary for you to feel kundalini. You may not feel it at all.

Meditation as such is not really concerned with kundalini at all. If kundalini comes, that is another thing - but meditation has nothing to do with it. Meditation can be explained without even mentioning kundalini; there is no need. And by mentioning kundalini it creates even more conflicts to explain the thing. Meditation can be explained directly; you need not bother about chakras, you begin with meditation. If the passage is blocked you may come to feel kundalini, and chakras will be there, but that is completely nonvoluntary. You must remember that it is nonvoluntary; your volition is not needed at all.

2 hours ago, Kserkkj said:

So if spiritual awakening and enlightenment is awakening of the 5-7 bodies, would it require a solid foundation in preceding bodies 1-4?

Spiritual awakening is activation of fourth body. The world that starts from the fourth body is subjective, whereas the world before that is objective.  Things are so subtle, so rare and personal on this plane, that a person has no means to test the validity of his experiences. Hypnotism, telepathy, clairvoyance, all have their potential in the fourth body. 

Solid foundation in preceding bodies 1-3 is helpful, Patanjali's yoga starts with physical body. Hence yoga has become synonymous with yoga postures.