Has anyone truly reached enlightenment?

Question

How can we be sure that the characters we are told reflect such traits even facutally existed as written about? Is it something that a human wrapped up in the societal pressures can achieve?

Answer 1

I contemplate this question myself. I've observed that some (most) people who are involved in spirituality--particularly those involved in alternative and eastern forms of it--are over the top about this idea--and it IS just an "idea," I think. Or more like an "ideal" that certainly does have a mythical aspect to it (like dreaming the "impossible dream"). On the one hand, there is beauty in aspiring to some idea of purity, perfection, and freedom; on the other, the idea aggravates and is probably an expression of the usual neurosis that people operate out of. Rather than resting in oneself and trusting in life (which is sort of "enlightenment"), a person claws at some vague idea of happiness and masochistically grovels at the feet of those who claim to have achieved or who others point to as achieving some rare level of perfection and volition. I think the idea of enlightenment is mostly mythical and archetypal but I also think that persons can achieve a kind of real volition and atonement and numinous understanding about life--but you won't find those people giving workshops and dog-and-pony shows at the New School or the Omega Institute or at their own self-styled ashrams.

Answer 2

Enlightenment as we are given to understand is an Illusion.The moot point remains,enlightenment of and about WHAT?In a limited sense every human being can be considered to be enlightened about some aspect of life or a knowledge and logically some of us would be more enlightened than the rest.The most enlightened of whom we talk about or have been written about may still be a few amongst the minority.But that doen't really change anything.There are rare achievers in other fields as well.So,what' the big deal?

Answer 3

In the first century, the Christian congregation was constantly moving forward, opening up new territories, making disciples, and acquiring greater understanding of God’s purposes and the early Christians kept in step with the spiritual enlightenment provided through divinely inspired letters. It would seem to be a Ongoing Process, I mean how can anyone know any Subject in its entirety even scientists are constantly learning things. Unlike the Version noted below, enlightenment I think is gradual and rewarding.
Buddhism : a final blessed state marked by the absence of desire or suffering.... Sorry, dont subscribe to that.

Answer 4

You have not found complete enlightenment until you die. The point of this existence is to continually feed your mind, body, and soul. You are not finished until the end. And if you believe in life after death, this existence is only preparation for the next. I suppose we will learn more there too.

Answer 5

That depends what you mean by "true enlightenment".

All enlightenments are true, as enlightenment is merely just understanding something. There is nothing mystical about it (although the tibetan hollywood buddhism has made it so).

So there are many enlightened people around. Example of un-enlightened people are the christian fundies and the Bush administration.

Answer 6

I think you would have to define enlightenment. Plus any story of events and people from the past particularly the distant past is guaranteed to be exaggerated and embellished as it gets retold. It also gets embellished 'into' the period in which it's retold.

Answer 7

I wish.

I try to expand my knowledge but I am no genius.

Answer 8

"If you think you've gotten enlightenment, that isn't it."

-Zen Master Brad Warner.

Answer 9

The short answer is: anyone who says they have, hasn't.