How do you get enlightened?

Question

:-) Cheeky, I know but...

Don't worry if you have to get 'personal'.

I can take it. :-)

Fire away...

Serious & Compassionate answers also appreciated. :-]

Best Wishes,

A. R. / C. L.

Sorry, should've used the capital 'E'.

CV: Thank you, Noble One.

Thanks for all the Great Answers, and for the humour provisions, too, peeps.

This water tastes nice. *sip*

Sunman: The waters clear.

Some Great Beings grace this place...

Well said. All of You.

Ongoing Revelation... :-)

Answer 1

Yes, 'how' is a good question.
Is there really one recipe for everyone?
Maybe. (We are different, but the same, eh?)
I think the internal processes are the same, but the external appearances look different.
Don't be fooled by appearances.
Personally... I believe you have an appointment with Knowledge.(will you keep it?)
Yes, I'm talking about the Light of understanding.
We all must begin at square one....
Fulfill your individuality. That's the first step.
Unity begins with you obviously, but when I say this, I mean you must recognize your singular integrity and become all you can be as an individual first. You have your own unique strengths and abilities and gifts...secular and sacred. Master them!
Focus on and develop these, because therein lies your path. Become a Master in those private arenas and you will have enough personal power and wisdom to approach those universal arenas. (you know what I mean) Consider the implications of what I just said, because it is in the implications that the insights are, and it begins with a single insight.
All else will fall into place, if you trust and affirm yourself.

Answer 2

Some idea's about enlightenment:

1) Seek and you will find

2) Accept everything that comes in, and throw away what you don't need.

3) Never fall into the trap of believeing that only one book holds the complete truth. Even if one did, it will always take a different perspective for the penny to drop.

4) Growing a tree involves picking good soil, and making certain there are no weeds that might choke the growing tree. Once the tree has a regular supply of good nutrients, it may grow tall and strong, providing a home fall all the birds.

5) A sculptor starts with a slab of marble and chips away until the image is revealed. So it is with knowledge of self.

6) The big oak tree can be blown down by the wind because its ridged and unflexible. A bamboo tree is flexible and does not break in the wind

7) Many ships sail upon the ocean. The clever sailor takes a: Motor for when the boat is trapped in calm waters, and an anchor for when the waves toss the boat. This way he can continue his journey when the conditions are too calm, and can stop his boat being blown off course in a storm.

8) Any house needs good foundations, or the whole house may fall down.

9) It takes many trades to make a house, not just one. First master 1 trade, for that is your foundation. Only then can other trades help you build your whole house.

10) All beings wish to convert others to their views. A wise man listens, and choses his words. A fool tells his life philosophy from A to Z, and is of no benefit.

11) Negative emotions cause one to have bad daydreams that haunt the mind and prevent creative work. Pleasurable fantasies cause one to have drunken daydreams that clot the mind and prevent creative work. A person is measured by his creative output, not by one's intelligence or the ability to think critically.

12) In all decisions one should measure twice and cut once. For the person whom is partial to acting upon his physical desires and thoughts without question never finishes any creative work.

13) The keys to enlightnment lye in compassion and selflessness; from which their application in work, play and worship eventually purify one's existence. It is not possible to find arm chair enlightenment from simply reading.

Answer 3

Hi,
There are 2 strands to Buddhist approaches to realisation.
They are both represented in the story of Hui-Neng who helped to establish a new school of Buddhism in China.

Hui-Neng was an illiterate peasant; however, his master the 5th Patriarch Hung-Jen recognised his understanding.

When It was time to appoint a successor, the monks were asked to present poems to demonstrate their understanding.

The head monk, a very intelligent and educated monk called Shen-Hsui submitted his poem:

The body is the Bodhi tree
The mind is a bright mirror in a stand
Take care to wipe it constantly
And allow no dust to cling.

Then the uneducated Hui-Neng read his poem:

Fundamentally the Bohdi tree does not exist
Nor is there a stand with a bright mirror
Since everything is primordally empty
What is there for dust to cling to?

The two verses represent 2 traditions, one emphasised gradual development through constant purification of the mind and understanding.

The other emphasises our primordial Buddha nature which essentially does not need purifying. Hui-Neng established the 2 pillars of Zen practice: Zazen and Koan study.

Charlotte joko Beck has commented on the 'gradual' and the 'sudden' approaches:

"So one poem is about endlessley polishing the mirror, the other is seeing that from the very beginning there's no mirror to polish. Most people assume that since the second is the correct understanding, the first is useless. But no, our practice is paradoxically the first. Polishing the mirror. Absolutely necessary. Because only by doing that will you eventually see the perfection of everything, just as it is. We cant see that unless we go through really rigorous, stringent practice."

Answer 4

Hello, sweet, honest man.

I've been told "by those in the know" that to try to "get enlightened" is the worst possible thing a person can do. Oh, Phooey, right?! :)

The thinking is this. We have been layered with conditioning and belief systems, but "at our core" we are quite natural, untouched by life.

We live in the conditioned mind, not realizing there is this simplicity at our core. The 'recorded' past and 'dreamed' future are not actual/real. They are 'phantoms' that keep the mind churning...stuck in the story of "me-ness".

A few have broken out of this mesmerism and are free. They live close the natural self. The mind chatter is mostly ignored. They no longer allow the mind to lead them into the repeat, repeated patterns formed by their old conditioning. They 'see' and are awake to the minds antics.

Awareness is all there is. Eternal (no duration) awareness.

P.S. To work at enlightenment is actually looking outside yourself for something you already are/have! It creates a dualistic "twoness" that doesn't exist.

Answer 5

Instead of getting wordy and as you sound sincere, let me suggest some websites. None of them are perfect, but if you put together the free stuff, you've got the best they have to offer. Move on and get more enlightenment rather than getting bogged down. After all if anyone had all the answers would we be in the mess we're in. The plan is for us all to have a piece of the puzzle so we will all appreciate each other and work together.

Answer 6

SEE the Cypress tree in the Garden...
Coyote brother-dear, mind if I jump off of that one. I'm really fried and this one inspires me. (okay,its not the first time, so I don't actually need to be fried).

For me to be enlightened or tuned into that tree, I would first need to look. Beginning with actually observing the tree, than seeing the leaves. Watching them move in the breeze. Their color and shape, Observing the branches and how they hang. I see a nest, then a bird. How does the tree reflect the light of the day? Suddenly I am deep into the tree without thought just seeing all the aspects.

When I pull out, I am with more knowledge of what that tree actually is.

With every breath you can do this. Every moment of you life, you can do this. Being of Enlightenment.

Tagged by the Cosmic Task force for the spreading of
((((((((((Cosmic Enlightenment)))))))))))))

Answer 7

Good question, been searching myself.
If you stay without sin (Is this possible?) and love and trust your Creator, whomever He or She may be, and stay away from the contageous insanity of modern life, and live a pure and simple life and fill your heart with goodness, love and forgiveness (Good luck there!), you might end up poor broke homeless and outcast and derided, but enlightened.
Everyone gong to church is searching (I don't see too many enlightened there willing to share their glow)
But Meditation seems to bring everyone closer to ANSWERS.
Learning to meditate can come in a flash, or take years.
Pity, Sadness, Grief, and all the other dragging emotions put a wedge in the process.
There are hundreds of cults out there that will take your money and send you on a Path. Save your money.
The answer will come from within, when you are quiet, and when you least expect it. Good Luck!

Answer 8

No, not 'cheeky' at all, hopeful, maybe, but not cheeky. ;-)

The answer from this quadrant of the Omniverse is that you don't.

Get enlightened, that is.

You already are. You just have to 'real-ise' it, if that is what you truly wish. But beware, like the King Midas 'touch', you must be careful what you wish for.

If you 'remember' your innate 'divinity', nothing will ever look the same again, and that means that your current state of 'perceived' 'humanity' will not be the same.

Look for the 42 questions of Osiris, if you can honestly answer them in the negative, then you are most likely 'ready', even if you can't, that doesn't mean that you cannot decide to overrule your apparent 'kharma'. All of these things are just decisions, and are not ruled by any 'force' or 'entity' outside of yourself. Contrary to the teachings of most belief systems there is no 'force' greater than you.

As I know you, my Cosmic Brother, you are ready, but only you can open that door and walk through into ........... who knows, for each of us that door may lead to a different 'place'. ;-)

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{Cosmic Everything You Desire}}}}}}}}}}}}}}

Answer 9

Most people think of enlightenment as a kind of magical attainment, a state of being close to perfection. At this level, one can perform amazing feats, see past and future lives of others, and tune in to the inner workings of the universe. This may be possible for a number of special beings, but for most of us enlightenment is much more in line with what Suzuki Roshi describes. It means having a quality of "beginningness," a fresh, simple, unsophisticated view of things. To have "beginner's mind" in how we approach things is a major teaching. In many ways, the process of enlightenment is clearing away the thoughts, beliefs, and ideas that cloud our ability to see things as they really are in their pristine form.

Answer 10

Here's what the I Ching says about it:

Make of it what you will.

Consultation on Friday, August 03, 2007 at 10:14 AM.

Present: 25 Innocence

Question: How do you get enlightened?

Innocence implies a natural harmlessness, openness and pure intentions which are unsullied by ulterior motives. The state of innocence has less to do with age than attitude; innocence springs from a heart which remains open to joy and wonder. Innocence, when guided by a firm faith in what is right, brings supreme success. Naivete unanchored by an ability to discern right from wrong, on the other hand, brings misfortune.

The hallmark of innocence is a willingness to treat all creatures with compassion and respect.

Those who possess a pure heart are best guided by their instincts and intuition. Thinking too much severs links with the guidance of the heart: namely, a clear intuition and strong guiding instincts. Be wary of courses of action which require too much cleverness.

The most specific advice with regard to your question is contained in changing line 5:

Sudden misfortune! It is important to discover whether a misfortune has been an accident of nature, or the result of your own mistakes. If it was an accident, take no action; let nature take its course without interference. Do not try to come up with a clever quick-fix solution.


Future: 21 Cutting Through

This hexagram represents the quality of likely opportunities and challenges arising from changes that are in process now:

The situation calls for confronting a tenacious knot and cutting through it. Somehow, the way to harmony and unity is blocked or frustrated - perhaps by a tangle of deceit or corruption. Like Alexander the Great cutting the Gordian knot, take decisive action and you will meet with good fortune. Don't be afraid to shake things up a bit. The ability to take corrective measures, when they are needed, is an essential trait of true leadership.

But those who bring discipline to bear must, above all, be honest - with others, and with themselves. Honesty is the hallmark of the strong and self-confident. The successful person masters the art of honesty much as a swordsman masters fencing. When lies, delusions and game-playing are getting in the way of teamwork, a swift sword of honest action, perhaps even punishment, must be wielded to protect one's integrity and values. Decisiveness with integrity at a time like this brings good fortune.

Though your actions be vigorous, they must not be hasty, severe, or arbitrary. Be sure to carefully consider all the circumstances. In the case of a serious disruption of relations or events, you must forgive, but not forget - at least until a person has made reparation for his mistakes. If corrective action is necessary, make certain that it fits the crime. When rules have become slack and useless, only through the institution of clear and swift penalties can their effectiveness be restored.

In situations where serious issues of justice are at stake, keep careful records, and do not hesitate to go public with the truth.