Can animals be enlightened

[Holymoly]

I’ve heard Leo say that animals cannot awaken or whatever, I’ve just watched this video where apparently Ramana Maharishi said that animals would come to visit him to have his darshan and that sometimes they were enlightened beings. Whether he means enlightened humans embodying an animal form idk it’s probably allot more nuanced but thought it might be interesting to make further distinctions about this topic 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LBflwS3IzjM

[Someone here]

Animals are already enlightened. If by that you mean living completely with the present moment and not give a crap about the future or the past. 

[Dazgwny]

No. They havnt got a clue what’s going on with reality. They are so low down on the spectrum of consciousness there’s just no chance. There’s very few that can even recognise themselves in a mirror, their own reflection, never mind recognise the mirror of reality itself. They are so wrapped up in survival they will literally do anything within their means to survive. You don’t get a monkey committing suicide because it’s survive at all costs. No matter how clever you may think particular animals are in their own domain, which many are, when it comes to an enlightened monkey, or horse, lion, or any animal, it’s just not happening. The wild is brutal, it’s survival only. And your domesticated dog or cat is not going to become what anybody thinks enlightened may be. As clever as any are, in any particular way, they are ultimately at too low level of consciousness for such a thing to be the case. They’d have to reach human levels first, and then they might be able to even begin to grasp that something iffy is going on. Most humans can’t even get that far, so you can write off your idea of our worldly animals. That’s my personal view anyway

[Someone here]

8 minutes ago, Dazgwny said:

No. They havnt got a clue what’s going on with reality. They are so low down on the spectrum of consciousness there’s just no chance. There’s very few that can even recognise themselves in a mirror, their own reflection, never mind recognise the mirror of reality itself. They are so wrapped up in survival they will literally do anything within their means to survive. You don’t get a monkey committing suicide because it’s survive at all costs. No matter how clever you may think particular animals are in their own domain, which many are, when it comes to an enlightened monkey, or horse, lion, or any animal, it’s just not happening. The wild is brutal, it’s survival only. And your domesticated dog or cat is not going to become what anybody thinks enlightened may be. As clever as any are, in any particular way, they are ultimately at too low level of consciousness for such a thing to be the case. They’d have to reach human levels first, and then they might be able to even begin to grasp that something iffy is going on. Most humans can’t even get that far, so you can write off your idea of our worldly animals. That’s my personal view anyway

 

Trees, birds, animals and the whole universe is already enlightened. They don't have any other way of being.

Only humans are not enlightened because they have free will. Humans can become animals and divine also. Assassins and rapists are examples of becoming animals. Whereas Krishna, Jesus, Buddha are the example of humans becoming divine.

Every human being on earth is potentially enlightened and enlightenment is a journey from false to truth, from darkness to light.

Enlightenment of animals and birds is unconscious and it is like enlightenment of kids. They are awake but they are unconscious, whereas enlightenment of humans is conscious.

Like the madness of mad is unconscious, whereas madness of enlightened beings is conscious.

An enlightened being is consciously mad.

[Razard86]

Enlightenment= No Self=All Self. A dog does not see a cat as itself. A dog is STUCK in its identity as a dog. Enlightenment is the understanding that you are not ONE identity but ALL identities. So no an animal cannot even become enlightened, a dog or any other animal we have found does not even know what awareness is. 

A dog is just God dreaming as a dog. It cannot AWAKEN from its dream as a dog until it drops the dream. So when the form of dog is dropped it becomes enlightened. 

[Breakingthewall]

Perhaps an animal like the whale, which does not need to do anything to survive, just open its mouth and enjoy the immensity of the ocean, has an unlimited mind. but I would say no. that has a mind in the now, sensations, wonder, but limited. or maybe some loose the limits and get enlightened when are old and are infinity flowing through the seas