Enlightenment

Philosophy
1

To be enlightened is to see everything clearly in the light that emanates from Oneself.
However, the light can only “shine" when the mirror is clean - i.e. when no judgements, emotions and other obstacles obscure the sight.
Since such condition is scarce, even rarer is the event of enlightenment and – considering our characteristic short attention span – fleeting as well.
Yet it is apparently so impressive, that almost anyone who experiences it will seek its re-occurrence.
Taking into account the amount of respective Buddhist, Taoist, Hindu & Zen schools, and the number of permanent enlightened individuals - there seem more efforts being taken in the Orient than in the Occident*. Probably because the dualistic R/P mode of latter, its rationalism and feedback-mechanism of the intellect, inhibit Selfrealisation. Moreover, occidental seekers were often forced into the Occult, and to hide their methods & results – conditions unfavourable to enlightenment which, after all, is synonymous with liberty.
In the beginning of the twentieth century A.Crowley introduced, as head of the “Ordo Templi Orientis", a liberation tool developed in Buddhist & Hindu Tantra schools, that came to be known as sexual Magick, and to be able to annihilate the social & internal obstacles arising from sexual taboos, and to be a short path to Illumination.
*Orient and Occident connote here R/P (Reflection/Projection) systems, as well as cerebral and global hemispheres (see “Another view of Consciousness")

2
To be enlightened is to see everything clearly in the light that emanates from Oneself. However, the light can only “shine" when the mirror is clean - i.e. when no judgements, emotions and other obstacles obscure the sight. Since such condition is scarce, even rarer is the event of enlightenment and – considering our characteristic short attention span – fleeting as well. Yet it is apparently so impressive, that almost anyone who experiences it will seek its re-occurrence. Taking into account the amount of respective Buddhist, Taoist, Hindu & Zen schools, and the number of permanent enlightened individuals - there seem more efforts being taken in the Orient than in the Occident*. Probably because the dualistic R/P mode of latter, its rationalism and feedback-mechanism of the intellect, inhibit Selfrealisation. Moreover, occidental seekers were often forced into the Occult, and to hide their methods & results – conditions unfavourable to enlightenment which, after all, is synonymous with liberty. In the beginning of the twentieth century A.Crowley introduced, as head of the “Ordo Templi Orientis", a liberation tool developed in Buddhist & Hindu Tantra schools, that came to be known as sexual Magick, and to be able to annihilate the social & internal obstacles arising from sexual taboos, and to be a short path to Illumination. *Orient and Occident connote here R/P (Reflection/Projection) systems, as well as cerebral and global hemispheres (see “Another view of Consciousness")
The problem is no one knows whether they're seeing clearly or not. Most of us convince ourselves that we are, but we can't possibly know. Humans are good at fooling themselves. Lois Smam Nazi line Spam Nazi line Spam Nazi line
3

Enlightenment seems most ordinarily to occur during sexual activity, when Kundalini cleans the mirrors on her fiery rise in the spinal cord.
Kundalini is a Tantric term for the energy snake curled at the bottom of the spinal cord - her rushing up manifests as a burning sensation. Her journey through the Chacras has been published plentiful and ought to be studied in authorized works (any suggestions?)
For Chakras & Kundalini see Wikipedia and

4

This may be of interest.

I believe our mirror neural system is the mechanism that allows us to make best guesses.

5
This may be of interest. https://www.ted.com/talks/anil_seth_how_your_brain_hallucinates_your_conscious_reality I believe our mirror neural system is the mechanism that allows us to make best guesses.
Unfortinately it also makes us make the worst guesses. Dead people tell no tales. Lois
6
This may be of interest. https://www.ted.com/talks/anil_seth_how_your_brain_hallucinates_your_conscious_reality I believe our mirror neural system is the mechanism that allows us to make best guesses.
Unfortinately it also makes us make the worst guesses. Dead people tell no tales. Lois Right, dead people don't exist anymore. Only their legacy (the memory of their actions in life) remains. But when we learn this legacy it becomes part of our associative process in the MNS. I liked the example of sound association. The incomprehensible sounds became comprehensible after we heard Seth say it in normal wavelengths. A very convincing example of the associative guesswork in our brains. After we knew what to listen for, we were able to separate out and hear the words from the other meaningless noises.
7

“Know Thy Self" and “Do Thy Will" concern Prajna, the active principle of Ultimate Reality, manifesting as integration & differentiation as unifying & creative urge (in Liber Al vel Legis represented by Nuit & Hadit) – Hui Neng calls Prajna the Wisdom of Enlightenment and it to be “inherent in our mind`s essence", Crowley calls it “True Nature".
(The many terms should not confuse – after all it is common for the inexpressible to give rise to innumerable words.)

8

[I still understood Seth’s opening statement that he ceased to exist during his operation, and that could have been 5 minutes, 5 hours, 5 years, 50years. It made no difference to him…
And his closing statement, that non-existence is nothing to be afraid of or needs to be contemplated.in terms of awareness or enlightenment.

9
Waechter said: However, the light can only “shine" when the mirror is clean - i.e. when no judgements, emotions and other obstacles obscure the sight.
Yes that is true, but that is the also the problem. There brain will only observe a chaotic avalanche of sensory inputs, which probably would result in madness, rather than enlightenment. If you know what you are looking for then by definition your mirror is not clean. It has a preconceived purpose, stemming from a previously mirrored expectation. If you could turn off your mirror function, you would cease to exist as an aware organism and become just an object with the same awareness as say an atom or a molecule. One interesting example is the slime mold. It is a single is a single celled organism without a brain. Yet it is aware of its environment and can solve complicated mazes to a food source. It has a sense of time and temperature. The entire organism may be considered a brain, but it can only respond to external stimuli or need for food. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eas2zOSKIaQ
10
To be enlightened is to see everything clearly in the light that emanates from Oneself. However, the light can only “shine" when the mirror is clean - i.e. when no judgements, emotions and other obstacles obscure the sight. Since such condition is scarce, even rarer is the event of enlightenment and – considering our characteristic short attention span – fleeting as well. Yet it is apparently so impressive, that almost anyone who experiences it will seek its re-occurrence. Taking into account the amount of respective Buddhist, Taoist, Hindu & Zen schools, and the number of permanent enlightened individuals - there seem more efforts being taken in the Orient than in the Occident*. Probably because the dualistic R/P mode of latter, its rationalism and feedback-mechanism of the intellect, inhibit Selfrealisation. Moreover, occidental seekers were often forced into the Occult, and to hide their methods & results – conditions unfavourable to enlightenment which, after all, is synonymous with liberty. In the beginning of the twentieth century A.Crowley introduced, as head of the “Ordo Templi Orientis", a liberation tool developed in Buddhist & Hindu Tantra schools, that came to be known as sexual Magick, and to be able to annihilate the social & internal obstacles arising from sexual taboos, and to be a short path to Illumination. *Orient and Occident connote here R/P (Reflection/Projection) systems, as well as cerebral and global hemispheres (see “Another view of Consciousness")
Yes, that implies only the ability to focus on a specific expected experience, to the exclusion of all other interfering sensory experience. This may be achieved by a repetitive chant or music, or a specific color, or even a touch-stone.
11

There is no difference between an enlightened man and an ignorant one. What makes the difference is that one realizes it and the other is ignorant of it.
(from the Discourse on Prajna by the Sixth Patriarch)

12
There is no difference between an enlightened man and an ignorant one. What makes the difference is that one realizes it and the other is ignorant of it.
Then it follows that almost everyone is enlightened by knowing his limitations. But I know this is not what you meant by "being enlightened". As I understand your posts, you are speaking specifically of pure spiritual enlightenment, i.e. having knowledge of that which is only a personal (subjective) experience of his connection, not to reality, but of some higher level of understanding the abstract properties of the universe. i.e. a hallucinatory experience. When I was a musician, completely immersed in the emotional experience of empathy with my fellow musicians, I had people ask me, "where do you go when you play". I could have answered, "I was in a state of enlightenment", but realistically I knew that my mirror neural system was in tune (synchronized) with the other musicians and our combined efforts resulted in a oneness of artistic expression, which is truly an ecstatic experience. (from the Discourse on Prajna by the Sixth Patriarch) I haven't read it yet, but I shall and give you my opinion.
13

I’d say anyone who thinks you can explain enlightenment with a few quotes is not enlightened

14
I'd say anyone who thinks you can explain enlightenment with a few quotes is not enlightened
This thread is not to put a claim on enlightenment - but to keep up (or evoke) the interest in it - the same for the threads concerning "Consciousness"
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(from the Discourse on Prajna by the Sixth Patriarch) I haven’t read it yet, but I shall and give you my opinion.
http://ftp.budaedu.org/ebooks/pdf/EN224.pdf - page 27
enjoy:-)

16
@lausten I’d say anyone who thinks you can explain enlightenment with a few quotes is not enlightened
Challenge accepted!?

But first, why shouldn’t you be able to explain enlightenment with a few quotes? It is not that hard of an explanation.

Enlightenment is the state reached due to uderstanding and knowing. You are enlightend about something once you understand and know this something.

The iconic light bulb over a head of a cartoon caracter standing for an idea seems to be a quite adequate allegory tho that.

Well of course this means that enlightenment is always partially present. Either you can’t be fully shure about your knowledge/understanding or you don’t know/understand everithing; or both. Would mean in order to reach full enlightenmnet you’d have to be absolutely shure and know/understand absolute everithing. Which is quite difficult considering the fact that a general human existence is a bit smaller than absolute everithing.

Well therefore i wouldn’t claim to be fully enlightend unless im fully eternal, infinite and everithing. Which I’m not, as far as I can say.

So yes your statement is correct, I’m not enlightend and think to be able to explain enlightenment with a few quotes.

17

I love it!

18

. Dont profane it …

. You shall not talk that … which is not in your experience, otherwise why the desire to explain the unnameable; otherwise why the desire to demystify the non demystificable … the inexpressible … ?

. Don’t sell cheap words about enlightenment … You’re in a subtle ego trip … You must be feeling good by knowing intellectually what enlightenment is …

. You only talk abou that which you don’t know … otherwise … why the desire to explain that which is already in your experience … ? That’s a paradox, but Life is a paradox, my friend … a beautiful paradox …

. But, my friend …

. I shall tell you …

. Enlightenment is beyond any mind effort to explain it …