What's "enlightenment" and what's "awakening"? what are the diffrences between the two?

Answer 1

Nirvana is an ancient word. In Theravada scriptures, which are the most ancient, nirvana means the same as enlightenment. Sometimes you also find this in the Zen tradition (and Chinese Buddhism in general) because although Chinese Buddhism is Mahayana, its roots are also very ancient. However, in later Mahayana as it developed in India, enlightenment is a more advanced experience than nirvana. It's developed after nirvana - it follows on from nirvana. (So you can see that "nirvana" doesn't refer to an experience that happens only at death! There is life after the experience of nirvana, but now the person is not an "ordinary" person; he or she is re an Arya being, a Bodhisattva on the path to full enlightenment.)

Awakened is the translation of Bodhi. The Buddha - any Buddha - is "an awakened being". Depending on whether you follow Theravada or Mahayana, "awakened" will refer to nirvana or to full enlightenment. In the meditation traditions (like Zen) you also find the words "awakened" and even "enlightened" used for the deep experiences that arise in meditation as you're following the path. So in these traditions you can talk about a series of "enlightenments" or "awakenings" which eventually culminate in full and complete enlightenment.
Often in Mahayana we talk about Bodhi Mind (bodhicitta in Sanskrit) which means an advanced state of mind that is absolutely dedicated to achieving full and complete enlightenment in order to be able to benefit all sentient beings. Some translators translate this as "enlightening mind", meaning a mind that is not yet completely enlightened but is steadily progressing towards that state.

Emptiness means "lack of inherent existence". It's the way everything - ourselves and all phenomena - actually exist. Nothing has a permanent unchanging nature. Everything we experience arises because of causes and conditions, and is thus constantly changing. To "realize emptiness" is to experience this true nature of existence directly. In some texts, this experience is described as nirvana or even enlightenment. But it's not full enlightenment. However it's a prerequisite of full and complete enlightenment. In fact none of the higher realizations can arise until the meditator has a direct realization of emptiness.
Emptiness is a very interesting and subtle subject, well worth studying in depth. You need to study it, to understand intellectually what emptiness really is, before you can achieve a realization of emptiness.

Cessation generally means the complete stopping of mental defilements. This can only happen when you have a true realization of emptiness. However you can experience the partial ceasing of defilements before that, and if you keep practising steadily, your defilements will become weaker and weaker so that when you do realize emptiness, you'll be able to follow the rest of the path quite easily.

I hope this is some help. Naturally I've explained the terms from a Mahayana perspective, and in particular, from the viewpoint of the full flowering of Mahayana in India. Other people might explain some of these terms slightly differently.

Answer 2

Enlightenment means You have open your eyes to the foolish of the world and wanting to find out the truth.

Awakening means you see the truth and is Fugly. ( F***king Ugly )

Nivana means too much for you to take and goes off to sleep. Ignore the world for the pain in the neck, and stop seeking the truth because is Fugly.

See putting the " Enlightenment" and "Awakening" in simple layman language is both Enlightenment to soul, refreshing to your spirit and will awake your laughter to joys.

Is take common sense to see ( Sadly not many people have one to begin with ), pure simple english to enlight people on some profound words.

Guru are trained for this. Gamely so, if you say I AM that I AM.

Answer 3

well, to me "englightenment" is more of a revelation, and awakening is more of... well... awakening something inside rather than being "enlightened" from the outside

Answer 4

enligment is to become god realized men awakeneing just hapened 5 min ago to some1

Answer 5

a second cousin is where your cousin had a baby. A cousin once removed it where you are related to someone but they divorce the wife and you belong now on the wifes side. so that makes the wife your cousin once removed because she is related by marriage.

Answer 6

The first is when the sun rises. The second is when you open your eyes and roll out of bed.