Spiritual Enlightenment

Spiritual Enlightenment - extract of article by Self Awareness Institute

India has a rich philosophy filled with explanations of what enlightenment is and how to attain it; generally referred to as the Santana Dharma, or eternal truths, as recounted by the Rishi's and Yogi's from this subcontinent, enlightenment serves as the very goal of human existence and the source of true enduring happiness and peace.

In the world's oldest written spiritual text, the Rig Veda, who's oral tradition extends to pre-history but was first written around 1,400 BC, the aspirant is guided to attain enlightenment. It's the first thing man sought to find and write about. Seeking enlightenment is found in the classical Eastern teachings within the Upanishads, the Mahabharata and Vedanta. The whole purpose of Yoga and meditation is to attain enlightenment.  All the guru's, swami's and saints teach the path to spiritual enlightenment in one way or another. Enlightenment is a universal teaching and increasing numbers are seeking it now.
In 1893 Swami Vivekananda from the Sri Ramakrishna mission based in Calcutta, was invited to speak at the Parliament of World Religions held in Chicago, and he is generally credited with bringing Advaita Vedanta, the path to enlightenment and God realization, to Western civilization. It was Vivekananda who inspired Whitman, Emerson and Theroux and lead another enlightenment movement in the United States. In 1920 Paramahansa Yogananda, a guru from within the Kriya Yoga lineage, came to America and planted the seeds of yoga as a path enlightenment as explained in his best-selling book Autobiography of a Yogi. In 1955 Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, a guru from the Himalayas, first inspired the famous rock group The Beatles, who started writing songs about consciousness (e.g. Within Without) and then brought his Transcendental Meditation to Europe, the United States and then the rest of the world, becoming the a primary vehicle for bringing meditation to millions in Western Civilization.

During the past few decades we have seen an interest in eastern approaches to enlightenment explode and teachers from all over the world have come to America and Europe (and the world at large), including: Sivananda, Satchidananda (Woodstock), Iyengar, Krishnamurti, Sri Chinmoy, Sri Aurobindo, Baba Muktananda and Gurumayi, Satya Sai Baba, Yogi Bhajan, Osho, and Amma (among others), with each reaching millions. The seeking of enlightenment also shows up in modern spiritual movements and organizations.It's on the radio, it's all over the Internet, it's all over the world.
In studying with dozens of Gurus over the years, there was one teacher who stood out to be amongst the wisest of guru's and the most powerful of teachers of our age, and his name was Vethathiri Maharishi from Tamil Nadu state in India. This Swamiji taught the classical path to enlightenment via accessing the innate intelligence, life force, spirit or "Kundalini" directly. In other words, our true nature is the spirit itself that is eternal, and our physical body and mind are vehicles for consciousness to be expressed and made manifest through. As we become more conscious of our own consciousness, our consciousness expands until the mind becomes fully conscious - Satchitananda (beingness-consciousness-bliss). By connecting with our own spirit and consciousness directly, our own mind's become aware of our true eternal nature and the presence of God is realized within one's Self and in everyone one else, and in everything else, everywhere, all the time. In other words, the Kingdom of Heaven lies within and is already spread out upon the earth (as Jesus explains in the Coptic Gospel of Thomas).

I began an apprenticeship with this Maharishi in the early 1980's and after extensive training with him both in United States and India, was asked to first give initiations and lead classes in Swami's absence (when he returned to India or traveled abroad) and then to start the Self Awareness Institute in 1985. Since then the Self Awareness Institute has spread to over 120 countries, teaching the path to enlightenment through self awareness. Our mission is to bridge the differences in our theology to find the universality of truth and omnipresence of God, and enable people from different cultures and religions to enlighten through a practical means within a Western Civilization.

The most powerful yogi I had come across was the legendary arch yogi Sri Sri Sri Shivabalayogi Maharaj from Bangalore, India. This guru had the highest calibrated level of consciousness on the planet (for an explanation of "calibrated levels" see Dr. David Hawkins book Power vs. Force). This yogi sat in continuous meditation for 12 years (with brief breaks for eating and washing) and was a guru to other guru's throughout India and a pilgrimage destination to Sadhus (seeker's) around the world. He is the guru's guru. Rather than gaining an understanding to enlighten, this Maharaj taught to completely transcend mental activity and sense perception through Shaktipat, the transmission of spiritual energy or spirit through one who has attained enlightenment. The teachings are in silence, the insights and awareness are attained from within through Dhyana meditation. As a part of my training to give initiations into this discipline I spent many years sitting many hours a day, eventually building up to a period of meditation called Yoga Tapas sitting 23 hours a day for 40 consecutive days and nights under the guidance of this Maharaj. When the mind's consciousness joins with total consciousness it is "liberated" (moksha) from the trammels of the mind and senses and God is Realized and the consciousness is enlightened.

Having said all this, it is understood by all the great masters that enlightenment itself cannot be understood or adequately explained. Words, ideas and perspectives actually diminish and convolute awareness. The words and ideas only help to direct the mind inward to behold that which observes the mind and lies beyond it (and within it, undifferentiated). This approach to enlightenment is eloquently explained by such Jnana Yogi's as Ramana Maharshi, Papaji (H. L. Poonja), Ramesh Belsekar and Nisargadatta Maharaj. This teaching of "nondualism" or "Advaita" enables the aspirant to realize the true nature of the Self by turning the consciousness inward and beholding what is already there and what you ultimately are. Quoting Papaji: "How far from your house do you need to go to find your way home?" Ultimately, the path is pathless and the true "Self" is already realized. Our mind has created its own sense of "self" based on data that is received through the senses from life experiences, that leave impressions upon the mind that form the basis of our character and personality that the mind identifies with as being "you".

When the mind is turned inward, through meditation, and beholds the eternal nature of our consciousness, this consciousness is awakened, as if one had awakened from a dream and an indescribable awareness and bliss are realized. But at the same time, the sense of one having attained a realization is transcended. The term for this realization is "Samadhi", as described by the arch yogi Patanjali who wrote the Yoga Sutras sometime during the Mauryan dynasty (321-185 BCE) and defines yoga as "the cessation of mental modification (thought)". Samadhi appears to have different levels: Laya Samadhi is the latent potential level of Samadhi which occurs in deep meditation, trance or even in movement such as ecstatic dance or yoga asana (postures and breathing exercises) and is experienced as great joy, well being and peacefulness. Savikalpa Samadhi is an initial temporary state where the conscious mind is still active, but not real (like a Television playing in your head) and the true sense of Self becomes realized. Here one gets a taste of bliss and beingness of God, but is still attached to the vehicle experiencing and discerning. Often a spiritual aspirant mistakes this awakening of consciousness as enlightenment itself, and the egoic sense of self thinks it is enlightened. Most of the gurus teaching today have entered either of these levels.

Nirvikalpa Samadhi is the highest transcendental state of consciousness (and in reality it is not a state, but this is the only word that approximates what is beyond all states of mind). In this state, there is no subject-object differentiation or dualism and the interconnected and undifferentiated whole (the latent potential from which everything appears and goes) is realized. Traditionally, an aspirant would study with a Master who had attained enlightenment, not so much to learn and understand what it is, but, rather, to first experience and then realize it for themselves. Through the guru's "Darshan" (blessings or presence) the fields of awareness transmitted by the guru in their enlightened state become exposed to the student who then acclimates to these higher states naturally and without effort. As "doership" only get's in the way, the guru can help the student move beyond their mind and it's patterns of resistance, and enter these higher states of Samadhi. This effortless state is called Sahaja Samadhi. These states are routinely experienced by students of the Self Awareness Institute. They seem beyond reach, but some part of you is already there, or "here" even now, and that is why you are compelled to read this. Bhakti (devotion) is the key to being receptive enough to receive the grace of the guru and experience their Shaktipat. Finally, Maha Samadhi refers to the state where the physical body is dropped (physical death) and the consciousness and the illusion of separation (layla) is completely transcended.