Sunday, October 4, 2015

Can a person be enlightened?

There is much confusion around the question, "Can a person claim to be enlightened?" The confusion starts because enlightenment is the revelation or understanding that one is Awareness, not an individual person. When a person awakens and realizes he is awareness and not the the body mind, the apparent person and the body still remain. The body and the personality did not go anywhere! The only change is understanding. The person was awareness all along and just didn't realize it.

Obviously there are two points of view, the view from Awareness and the view from the body-mind (jiva). The realized person is likely to say they are neither enlightened nor unenlightened, because from the point of view of Awareness, enlightenment doesn't apply. However, the body-mind (jiva) does have the knowledge, and can therefore be said to be enlightened.

It seems to confuse things when it is said that everyone is enlightened, because it is obvious that everyone is not. It might be more precise to say that "everyone is awareness, enlightened or not." As an enlightened person, I can say, "Yes I am enlightened." However, from the same mouth, knowing that I am awareness itself, I can say from that point of view, "I am Neither enlightened nor unenlightened. I am That." 

No comments: