:''For other uses, see
Enlightenment. For other views or essays on enlightenment, see
meditation and
mysticism (ancient to contemporary).
'Enlightenment' (or 'brightening') broadly means the acquisition of new
wisdom or
understanding enabling clarity of
perception. However, the
English word covers two concepts which can be quite distinct:
religious or
spiritual enlightenment (
German: ''Erleuchtung'') and
secular or
intellectual enlightenment (German: ''Aufklärung''). This can cause confusion, since those who claim intellectual enlightenment often reject spiritual concepts altogether.
In religious use, enlightenment is most closely associated with South and East Asian religious experience, being used to translate words such as (in
Buddhism) '
Bodhi' or '
satori', or (in
Hinduism) '
moksha'. The concept does also have parallels in the
Abrahamic religions (in the
Kabbalah tradition in
Judaism, in
Christian mysticism, and in the
Sufi tradition of
Islam).
In secular use, the concept refers mainly to the European intellectual movement known as the
Age of Enlightenment, also called the
Age of Reason referring to philosophical developments related to scientific rationality in the 17th and 18th centuries.
As per another emerging thought stream, "enlightenment", in conventional sense of complete realization, is impossible because "complete" is a
state which never comes. The immediate next moment brings new beginning and may bring new
truths as well. It may result in further requirement and scope of
psychological and spiritual development beyond anything known till date.
Enlightenment in Eastern traditions
Symbol
The
lotus flower is sometimes used as a symbol of enlightenment.
''The lotus has its roots in the mud,''
''Grows up through the deep water,''
''And rises to the surface.''
''It blooms into perfect beauty and purity in the sunlight.''
''It is like the mind unfolding to perfect joy and wisdom.''
Buddhism
Main articles: Bodhi
A
Buddha, or fully enlightened one, is regarded as a
sentient being who has developed all positive qualities, and has eradicated all negative qualities. According to the
Theravada tradition, full enlightenment of a Buddha is not achievable for most; instead one strives to become an
Arhat and achieve liberation from the cycle of uncontrolled rebirth and to achieve
nirvana. This achievement is also called "enlightenment". In contrast, according to the
Mahayana traditions, every sentient being is regarded as having the potential for achieving ''full'' enlightenment and Buddhahood.
Zen
Main articles: Zen
In Zen,
Enlightenment is the state of being with no mind. It is the disappearance of the ego. It is the loss of all identification with the body and the mind. It is freedom from beliefs, opinions, ideals and concepts. It is always sudden, because it is not an achievement; it is already the case. It is a remembering. In
Zen it is called the pathless path, that is, it is not something to be achieved, but it is to be Realized and lived.
Meditation, with no thought, simply watching, watching the breath, is the initial method to create the space for its occurrence. There have been thousands of people who have been considered Enlightened Masters, such as
Buddha,
Bodhidharma,
Lao Tzu,
Osho, and it is seen as everyone's birthright.
Hinduism
Main articles: Moksha
Jainism
Main articles: Moksha
Enlightenment in Western religious tradition
Catholicism
Main articles: Beatitudes
Enlightenment in Western secular tradition
In the Western philosophical tradition, enlightenment is seen as a phase in cultural history marked by a faith in reason, generally accompanied by rejection of faith in revealed or institutional religion.
Kant's definition of "enlightenment"
In his famous
1784 essay ''
What Is Enlightenment?'',
Immanuel Kant described it as follows:
:''Enlightenment is man's release from his self-incurred tutelage. Tutelage is the incapacity to use one's own understanding without the guidance of another. Such tutelage is self-imposed if its cause is not lack of
intelligence, but rather a lack of determination and courage to use one's intelligence without being guided by another.
Kant reasoned that although a man must obey in his civil duties, he must make public his use of
reason. His
motto for enlightenment is
Sapere aude! or "Dare to know."
Adorno's and Horkheimer's definition of "enlightenment"
In their controversial analysis of the contemporary western society, ''
Dialectic of Enlightenment'' (1944, revised 1947),
Theodor Adorno and
Max Horkheimer developed a wider, and more pessimistic concept of enlightenment. In their analysis, enlightenment had its dark side: while trying to abolish superstition and myths by 'foundationalist' philosophy, it ignored its own 'mythical' basis. Its strivings towards totality and certainty led to an increasing instrumentalization of
reason. In their view, the enlightenment itself should be enlightened and not posed as a 'myth-free' view of the world.
Enlightenment and the understanding of good and evil
In
Human, All Too Human, philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche had this to say about enlightenment and the understanding of good and evil:
:''The man who wants to gain wisdom profits greatly from having thought for a time that man is basically evil and degenerate: this idea is wrong, like its opposite, but for whole periods of time it was predominant and its roots have sunk deep into us and into our world. To understand ourselves we must understand it; but to climb higher, we must then climb over and beyond it. We recognize that there are no sins in the metaphysical sense; but, in the same sense, neither are there any virtues; we recognize that this entire realm of moral ideas is in a continual state of fluctuation, that there are higher and deeper concepts of good and evil, moral and immoral. A man who desires no more from things than to understand them easily makes peace with his soul and will err (or "sin," as the world calls it) at the most out of ignorance, but hardly out of desire. He will no longer want to condemn and root out his desires; but his single goal, governing him completely, to understand as well as he can at all times, will cool him down and soften all the wildness in his disposition. In addition, he has rid himself of a number of tormenting ideas; he no longer feels anything at the words "pains of hell," "sinfulness," "incapacity for the good": for him they are only the evanescent silhouettes of erroneous thoughts about life and the world.''
People who have been said to be enlightened
Many individuals have claimed to reach a state of enlightenment, including many famous
yogis and
meditation masters from well-known spiritual traditions.
Mahatma Gandhi was said
[] to be an enlightened seeker of truth.
Mahavira is believed by Jains to have attained Kevala Jnana or Omniscience that is the highest state of enlightenment.
Siddhartha Gautama, the
Buddha, is believed by Buddhists to have reached the "ultimate state of enlightenment" or "pari-nirvana."
Some individuals who are said to be enlightened did so without any visible tradition or lineage like Dave Oshana, John de Ruiter and
Barry Long (dec'd).
Osho is said to have achieved enlightenment at the age of 21 after many years of spiritual, religious and academic indulgence.
NÄrÄyana Guru (1856–1928), the prolific poet, philosopher, and social reformer is believed to have attained enlightenment (i.e., an absolute state of wisdom) after his several years of education in languages, the
scriptures of the different religions,
yoga, and experiences with
ascetic life, culminating in his long and meditative recluse in Maruthwamala hills in South India. NÄrÄyana Guru’s philosophical masterpiece “''AtmopadeÅ›a Åšatakamâ€'' ''(100 verses of self-instruction)'' is primarily the Guru’s poetic expression of his philosophy of
universal love, emanating from his experienced state of primordial knowledge of the
Universe, and his consequent ability to view the human race as one of a
species, in unqualified equality and without any racial, religious,
caste, or other discriminations whatsoever.
Dr.
Richard Bucke, in his
1901 book ''Cosmic Consciousness''
[1], names a few dozens of people who, in his studied opinion, had experienced some degree of enlightenment, including
Walt Whitman and
Blaise Pascal. Bucke also attempted to analyze what commonalities these personalities shared. His study has become part of the foundation of
transpersonal psychology. There are some thinkers such as
U. G. Krishnamurti, who refute any existence of the very concept of enlightenment (despite being considered enlightened by his followers).
Spiritual writer
Eckhart Tolle is said to have attained enlightenment at age 29 after suffering long periods of depression.
Aikido founder
Morihei Ueshiba is said to have become enlightened after defending himself from the attacks of an exceptional swordsmen with only his bare hands.
See also
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