what is enlightenment?

The first thing to understand is that this word, enlightenment, is used in two very different senses. In the West the word enlightenment refers to the great movement towards scientific, rational thinking that has taken place over the last few hundred years. Through this western enlightenment it is felt that we can find truth through scientific, objective observation and through rational thinking. By this means it is hoped that we can dispel superstitious thinking and beliefs.

But this is not the enlightenment which we are concerned with here. Here we use the word enlightenment to mean spiritual enlightenment, the enlightenment of the East. In India, China, Japan and other countries of the East, enlightenment refers to a way of being in the world where illusions have been transcended. But rather than relying on rational thinking to dispel illusion, it is seen that all thoughts are illusionary, that thoughts can at best be an approximate reflection of reality, always conditioned and tainted by what we have experienced in the past, by what we want to believe and so on.

In particular it is discovered that we have a great illusion about the nature of oneself as a separate autonomous being. This idea of the self, the ego, leads to great suffering. And in the end it is seen as an illusion. Once this particular illusion has been seen through, transcended, one can come to live in the world at peace, without conflict, without problems and without worries. It is this relaxed, happy way of being in the world that we call enlightenment.

There are many other words related to this, words taken from eastern languages. There is nirvana, paradise (literally extinction), the opposite of samsara, the hellish existence which we are accustomed to; moksha, liberation, liberation

from false ideas, misunderstandings and all the anguish that follows from them, ultimately liberation from the idea of

oneself.

So enlightenment, for many on the spiritual path, is the greatest gift that can come to one. It is what seekers are seeking. It is the ultimate fruit of the spiritual journey, to live fulfilled, without conflict, without anguish, without psychological suffering. In the Hindu tradition this was seen as the end point of growth, growth which may take many lifetimes and see one passing through different forms of life and different castes.

Gautam Buddha focussed entirely on the search for enlightenment. His teachings broke away from traditional Hindu teachings, emphasising that anyone can become enlightened in this very lifetime, through a diligent search. In China the great movement of Tao did not make it so much something to be attained, but just the truthful description of the way things are. When Buddhism met the Tao, Zen was born. Zen – this quirky form of Buddhism combining the paradoxes of Taoism with the teachings of Gautam Buddha – in Zen, enlightenment is also the goal. Now coming from the West, with our individual approach to spirituality, we can take our pick from these great traditions and find our own way to enlightenment, our own enlightenment, our own paradise here on Earth.