Enlightenment
- Self Realization Meaning definition
(relationship to self
realization)
What is Enlightenment
What
is Enlightenment?
What do we really mean when we talk of Enlightenment?
Is it not the bloom of life for a true seeker of spirituality? The life itself
comes to a full circle the moment one reaches the stage of Enlightenment. Seeking
Enlightenment in the present age (the metallic age aka Kali Yuga in Hinduism is
more of a curiosity than the faint hope of achieving it within present lifetime.
Truly
speaking even spiritual stalwarts like Swami Vivekananda, Rabindra Nath Tagore,
Aurobindo Ghosh and many others in the line failed to reach the stage of Enlightenment.
The reason is fair and simple... some like "Swami Vivekananda" never desired reaching
stage of enlightenment in their lifetime whereas both Rabindra Nath Tagore and
Aurobindo Ghosh attempted but failed in their mission. They have category stated
in their literary works that they did not reach the stage of Enlightenment.
What is it while proceeding on the path of Enlightenment that is difficult to
achieve? Even when it was possible for "Swami Vivekananda" to have gained Enlightenment
under the guidance of his spiritual master and a god realized soul Swami
Ramakrishna Paramhansa, he did not exercise the option! Why?
Enlightenment (in
other words self realization) is the culmination of all we know as spirituality.
There is nothing beyond having reached stage of enlightenment that is left to
be achieved by a human being. Having reached the Mount Everest, Edmund Hillary
became quite depressed for he realized that the goal of his life had ended. There
was no further to go anywhere? The moment one comes across the final goal of his
life... it is all over for life itself. Probably, life loses its meaning.
Is it not true
that the essence of life is while pursuing our goal? And one who gains Enlightenment
merges his identity with the larger whole... the God Almighty himself. Having
lost our identity of life it becomes difficult for a human being to recognize
one as a friend, a relative, a teacher and even your parents. For an enlightened
person It is never difficult to maintain the relationship but while living in
the society it becomes difficult to maintain the balance between the spiritual
end of life one has achieved and the relationship with the physical world.
A flower having bloomed loses its meaning... it is no more related with the plant
which gave it life and also everything which the bud needed to have flowered into
a full-blown. The identity, the ego, the self lost its meaning the moment the
bud bloomed into a beautiful flower. As long as the society, the community felt
the sweet fragrance of the flower... it got recognition and the moment came the
time to wither out and die... none cared! Life moves on and does not wait for
anybody. The essence
of life lies in moving on and on unless one gains Enlightenment. And this Enlightenment
is the stage when one is totally liberated forever from everything we call as
the materialistic world. Materialism is a phenomenon of the physical world. On
the contrary, Enlightenment dwells in the absolute truth of our life. It is only
related to our true inner
self... our soul (the true self of us). And the moment our soul "Realizes"
and reaches its final potential... the need for the body vanishes.
Every
enlightened soul has to abandon the body for ever... the cycle of life and birth
ceases for this enlightened person. If I say that only two persons have gained
Enlightenment in the last 150 years out of the 6000 million people residing on
mother earth... then Swami Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa and Maharishi Ramana were
truly blessed by God Almighty to have gained Enlightenment even when the society
presently is passing through such a bad phase on the materialistic plane. Everything
presently is measured in terms of materialistic achievements.
In
present times a spiritually enlightened soul residing in the deep dense forests
of the Himalayas would not find as much public appreciation as the likes of Bill
Gates... One who shall not be able to carry the wealth one manages onto the next
life but always seems to cling on until the last moment of life arrives. The false
hope one maintains that money can buy one the best in life in the present and
the afterlife is an absolute misnomer. We fail to remember that it is only the
likes of Madame Curie who shall gain a special status in the next life for the
ones like Madame Curie come once in thousand years... those who dedicate everything
one could have called their own to the mankind at large. They truly live for the
society until the last breath and it is for that they shall be repaid by God in
the next life.
Even though Madame Curie may not have gained Enlightenment...
but chances are that these thinkers and true philosophers of life would gain Enlightenment
a few lives from now on. A true enlightened person lives like a true trustee believing
in the fact that everything belongs to God and one is only a maintainer on his
behalf. It would not be in the interest of the trustee to look forward to materialistic
riches in life. Every true trustee would do whatever possible within his means
to work for uplifting the society.
I again repeat that every god realized
soul loses everything in the materialistic world. It simply means our true self,
the real self of us who exists within us as our soul... the moment it reaches
its pristine purity, the dross having completely removed... the physical body
losing its meaning... and one truly gains Enlightenment.
back to what is enlightenment
Self Realization
Self Realization:
Can it be achieved within ones life time
Before we dwell on the subject
of Self Realization we need to understand the real meaning of gaining self realization.
Nowadays so many self realization centres world-wide like self realization fellowship
in Seattle, self- realization Boston, Atlanta self realization and Mt. Washington
Self Realization claim to offer self realization. Before one starts on the journey
of self realization... the concept of self realization must become absolutely
clear.
Self realization is the process by which any human being can realize
his real self. And what does this real self mean? It means that our soul atman
within our body which is the real self within every being (and for that matter
every living being) reaches the end of its cosmic life.
No
further manifestations... this soul atman liberates forever from the chain of
manifestations. The dross having been completely removed... our soul atman within
us becomes free forever. It shall not be required to manifest a body again.
Does this mean that
the cosmic life cycle which every soul atman was required to pass through after
manifesting a maximum of 8.4 million manifestations and an earthly journey of
96.4 million years has come to an end? Yes, it is so! And we can safely say that
one has realized his real self.
Here we need to understand the relationship
between our real self, the soul atman and the body taken by it. Unless this relationship
is absolutely clear we shall never be able to understand the true meaning of self
realization. The claim by many that they have realized self is arbitrary as in
the last 150 years only two persons have reached the level of self realization.
Both Sri Ramakrishna
Paramhansa and Maharishi Ramana reached the stage of self realization in their
lifetime. They reached the cosmic goal of their life... gained self realization
before they left their mortal frame.
Self realization is not easy to achieve!
Why would God Almighty make cosmic journey a long one and that too consisting
of 8.4 million manifestations? It is not a simple joke. The process of self realization
has to be understood in totality before one proceeds on the path of self realization
within his lifetime and reaches the end.
The relationship between the
soul atman within us and the body taken by it can be explained as follows-
Let us take a block of gold ore weighing about hundred kilograms. Let us presume
it contains 1 kg of pure gold. Now this 1 kg of pure gold is the soul atman within
us which is sandwiched between the dross (impurities) contained within the ore.
This 1 kg of pure gold cannot on its own separate out from the gold ore. It requires
the requisite Machinery and the processing to separate out 1 kg of pure gold from
the 99 kg of impurities contained within the ore.
Likewise every soul
(Atman within the body) requires a body to work out its karma and remove the dross
within. As the manifestations continue... the journey of the soul which starts
with taking the body of an amoeba (single cell formation) gradually evolves into
higher manifestations... the multi-cell formations.
As the soul atman
proceeds on the journey of life for it to gain self realization in the end...
this multi-cell formation further evolves into insect life. With passage of time
and passing of millions of years... this insect life further evolves into plant
life.
This plant life in the last leg of its manifestation evolves into
animal life and finally takes the form of a human being. Already 7.3 million manifestations
have passed before reaching the stage of a human being.
After passing
through such a long journey on the path of evolution... In present life if a human
being indulges in fulfilling wanton desires... it shall be made clear that such
indulgences shall never lead to self realization.
Indulgences and fulfilling
of wanton desires is absolutely contrary to proceeding on the path of self realization.
Only after reaching the stage of human being can a soul liberate itself forever
from the cycle
of birth and death... and finally reach the stage of self realization…
Never before!
How lucky a human being is! It is only as human beings can
one reach the stage of self realization. All the intermittent stages of heaven
(Swarga) and hell (Naraka) never lead to self realization.
As clearly
mentioned in the Hinduism Scriptures... even in the stage of a human being there
are about 11 million types of manifestations. It is a long journey before one
rarely reaches the stage of self realization.
We must really understand
that self realization is not a goal of life... it is the end of the journey itself.
After reaching the stage of self realization... every self realized soul has but
to leave for the abode of God (Vaikuntha in Hinduism). All
man gods like Mahavira, Gautama Buddha, Jesus
Christ and Prophet Mohammed gained self realization in their lifetime...
they cleared all the hurdles and reached the pinnacle of their cosmic life. The
life for them had come full circle. Beyond self realization there is nothing left
to be achieved in whole Cosmos.
Call it self realization or enlightenment...
the moment one reaches this stage... there is nothing more which can be achieved
further. It is after self realization when one leaves the mortal frame for ever...
the process is known as having achieved salvation moksha in Hinduism.
In short simple steps I shall define how self realization can be achieved by any
human being...
Before we reach the stage of self realization we need to
gain absolute control over the senses and the mind. The control of senses and
the mind can be established by practicing yoga in the Shavasana pose and also
Neti as practiced and advocated by Maharishi Ramana.
The Shavasana pose
in yoga and the process of Neti is a sure shot path to gaining self realization
within ones lifetime. Slowly and steadily one reaches the stage of Nirvikalpa
Samadhi! A stage... when one comes face to face with God Almighty.
reaching
the stage of Nirvikalpa Samadhi... gaining self realization is not far! We also
need to practice absolute celibacy for a continuous period of 12 years minimum...
this is an absolute must!
Those who dare not practiced celibacy... must
leave the desire for ever gaining self realization within ones lifetime. It is
just not possible. Practice of celibacy and that too absolute... Is a must! It
has to be practiced at all costs.
Sexual indulgences have no place in
the field of self realization. We have to preserve our cosmic energies... the
monthly quota given to us by God failing which the awakening of the kundalini
can never occur. Sexuality and self realization are absolutely contradictory.
Whatever was practiced by Acharya Rajneesh (nee Osho) was in total contradiction
to the established practice of gaining self realization. Practicing sex and Yoga
is a taboo... if we ever need to reach the stage of self realization in this life...
we have to stop our indulgence in sexual practices altogether.
The awakening
of the kundalini carries with it the absolute guarantee of one reaching the stage
of self realization. Only after the kundalini is fully awakened does one reach
the stage of self realization. The full-bloom has to occur... there is no escape
whatsoever!
For the awakening of the kundalini... preserving and transmuting
the cosmic energies to creative uses is a must. This monthly quota of cosmic energy
available to every man and woman is the grace of God available to every human
being. Why criticize God?
I again repeat that practice of absolute celibacy
on the path of self realization is the most difficult part one shall encounter.
And unless the kundalini energy is fully awakened... one can never hope to reach
the stage of self realization ever.
I started in search of God when I
was 11 years of age... proceeding on the uncharted territory of spirituality was
sometimes very scary. None to guide... it took me almost 25 years before I gained
self realization at the age of 37.
It was the most glorious moment of
my life as the life itself had come full circle... everything contained in the
Cosmos... every scripture belonging to every religion was now like ABCD to me.
Reaching the stage of self realization just cannot be expressed in words. Self
realization has to be experienced.
reaching the stage of self realization...
God has forbid me to earn money other than fulfilling my basic needs. I have maintained
my body until the time I am able to disseminate those pearls of wisdom which I
have gained with the grace of God on the path of self realization!
God
has been graceful to me all throughout... imparting the sacred wisdom of the Bhagavad
Gita to the world community through the medium of Internet is the present aim
of my life.
The doctrine of the Bhagavad Gita imparted by Lord Sri Krishna
to Arjuna in the battlefield of Kurukshetra contains those pearls of wisdom knowing
which every human being becomes entitled to gaining self realization within ones
lifetime! back
to self realization
How
I Realized God The Elimination Process
When I was young I was taken
to the Jain temple on some sacred occasions for worshipping the "Gods". Due to
my inherent tendencies I was not convinced that "God" resides in those stone statues
I was asked to worship. I felt inquiring within my own self that if these stone
statues were not "God", who or what was "God"? What people meant when they talked
of God! I distinctly
remember asking an elder of the family that "Who was God"? Pat come the reply
that, "Universe and everything contained in it was made by "God". Tell me, "Can
you visualize the boundary of the sky and beyond"? I thought for a moment and
replied, "the Universe seems to be without a boundary"! Yes, "the power which
made all this and whom we go and worship in temples is known as "God", came the
reply". As
I grew older I tried the elimination process. What was uncommon in all Human Beings
and all other living beings? The mental powers! This confirmed that Human Being
is the highest creation of "God" on Earth. Now! What differentiated different
Human Beings. One was a king and the other a laborer due to difference in their
mental capabilities alone!
What are these mental capabilities which differentiate Human Being on such a vast
scale! How can they be developed? Was it the development of mental powers that
Human Being could attain the level of a Buddha, Mahavira or Jesus Christ? The
mental powers in our physical World are invoked by our brain. How do brain and
mental powers (thinking power) correlate with each other. What role Kalchakra
(time) plays. Will Power & Brain
As time passed by things
became more and more clear to me. Will power of a Human Being (the desire of "Atman"
enacted through a Human Being based on ... The resultant Karma of all earlier
lives manifested by "Atman") is the ultimate factor governing the destiny of a
Human Being. Doing of Karma by a Human Being is the result of what is invoked
through the brain by a Human Being [Invoking is done by the Human Being at will
(i.e. his "Atman") based on the resultant Karma of past lives].
When I was in my 2nd year of Engineering, I gained control on mental powers to
the extent that I worked for half an hour but when seen by the watch only one
minute had passed. Whatever I read once in a book was clear to me like a Master.
That control has never again returned in my Life even after a lapse of 20 years.
Reason being ... I was never again so carefree after graduation. I got more and
more involved in my family business of Foundation Engineering.
The mental waves on which I had started traveling were getting farther away from
me day by day. The thought waves seem to travel even faster than the speed of
light. It is these thought waves on which if one dwells, shall he be able to see
"God" one day and subsequent events proved that I was 100 percent correct. For
fifteen years I have worked hard may be not to the best of my capability or to
the liking of my family as inherently I was getting more and more inclined to
know "God, the Creator" ... talk to him if possible.
Having realized that Air, Water and Mother Earth were only elements supporting
the Life structure of all living beings but were not "Gods" .. only thing left
was Sun. The rays of light traveling at the speed of 1,86,000 miles per second
take above eight minutes to reach the Earth. Electricity also travels at the same
speed at zero resistance. During rainy days the voice of the thunder is like "God"
speaking. You strike two stones and sparks fly. You rub two wooden elements ...
Friction may cause Fire. All incidents indicated that the power of light (i.e.
Agni) is an inherent power, unmatched with and very closely related with "God".
Doctrine of Anekantvad
Whatever we see in the Universe through our physical eyes or various senses have
a definite shape but ... Seeing from the angle of "Anekantvad", everything in
the Universe can be broken up into molecules and atoms. Atoms consist of a nuclei
and around it are electrons rotating at the speed of light i.e. 1,86,000 miles
per second. The power which rotates the electrons around the nuclei at the speed
of light is to be known as "God".
The Doctrine of "Anekantvad" alone can make clear the relationships between Human
Beings, between Human Beings and all other living beings and between Human Beings,
all other living beings and the inherent powers of the Universe. Till the time
we Human Beings continue perceiving ourselves as mightiest of all, at times even
defying the "Law of Eternal Truth" ... We shall fail in our efforts to come near
"God". We must
put an end to giving undue importance to ourselves. our soul atman the spirit within "Atman" within may have
changed numerous Life forms before our present form as a Human Being. It is on
its cosmic journey ... Goal being liberation from further manifestations. All
Life forms are important but ... Desist from killing for the sake of pleasure
for you shall never be pardoned for this act of yours.
The Law of Evolution is same for all beings ... To think, by your not killing
the pests we are doing service to "God" is wrong for the pests have their own
limited Life and if they are a nuisance to us (the most advanced species of the
World) they must be annihilated lest we may suffer at their hands. The survival
of the fittest is the basic theme of the evolutionary process.
Never forget that "God" alone maintains the balance in the Universe and all "Atman's"
in their manifested Life forms only do its bidding. our soul atman the spirit within killing or not killing
a being only effects us and only us for it is our "Atman" within which carries
forward the results of the Karma performed by us i.e. a Life from manifested by
it. Must we not take a pledge to improve upon ourselves because it is the reform
in the thinking process of every individual that will bring a change in the Society
for better. God ... An inherent power
God is not a being
and is formless. As a normal Human Being cannot and does not want to comprehend
that "God" is an inherent power (It can be felt by any Human Being during intense
prayers to God) ... It worships it in form of deities of the shape of a Human
Being. This gives more and more credulity to its existence on Earth as most powerful
of all beings resulting in enlarging the ego of a Human Being ... Often resulting
in calamitous results.
God is the center point from where all creation started and all things in the
Universe are connected to it by a divine string. Wherever we try to break an atom
... Massive energy is generated resulting in an uncontrolled chain reaction. God
shall bless us for using this energy for useful purposes but when used for negative
goals ... The results are disastrous. Mind .. the
Controller of all Human Beings
Once I realized that mind is all powerful ... I tried to clean my brain of all
negative influences. Negative influences bring us nearer to Satanic forces and
Positive influences towards God. Once we eradicate from our thinking the negative
influences we are left with only good thoughts. These good thoughts bring us nearer
to our goal i.e. God. By invoking right thoughts from positive Mind (i.e. the
"Eternal reservoir of Positive Thoughts") we become more and more pure Spiritually.
The weeds of negative influences from our brain are required to be taken out and
thrown away at regular intervals. By keeping our brain clear of all unwanted seeds
of evil thoughts, our brain stimulates us towards better deeds. We start growing
in harmony with our inner self (our Atman within).
What is the relation between God, a Human Being and all other living beings. In
due course of introspection, I (Vijay Kumar and not my Atman) realized that Atman
within the body of all living beings is of the same nature as God. Is "God" not
the collective sum of all liberated Atman's. "Atman" of all beings in Essence
is the Governor of all beings. What then is the relation between the "Atman" and
the physical self i.e. a Jiva! "God" Initiates
Me Having
perceived the truth I was only to inquire about the Eternal relationship between
all beings and lo! On 3rd of August, 1993, at 2.15 a.m. God initiated me. I was
sleeping in my bedroom on first floor. At about 1.45 a.m., I felt choking and
gasping for breath and an urge within to go out on the terrace. I was obeying
commands from within as if in deep sleep. When I reached the terrace of the first
floor I was again instructed by "God, the Creator" to go back to the room and
bring the collapsible easy chair (which I use for my reading) and go to the terrace
on second floor. I brought the chair and sat on it looking upwards, towards the
sky. What was
I seeing! Full vision of the cosmos ... A blinding spell of white light all around
... Something which can never be described in words. The "Ultimate Truth" dawned
upon me and at 4 a.m. I was instructed to go down. I was then instructed to write
down something. I started writing. When I reread those lines ... Every thing was
clear to me. No questions remaining unanswered I had realized Self ... I was one
with "God, the Creator" ... More eager than ever to complete my journey on this
Earthly plane and liberate myself (i.e. me as an "Atman") from cycle of birth
and death at the earliest.
I am a completely changed man now. Having realized the purpose of my Cosmic journey
... Life has a different meaning for me since that day. I can invoke willingly
the mighty powers of the Universe after constant practice and take dictation's
from "God, the Creator" for hours together. In the messages are hidden the Eternal
Truths which can never be falsified by any person of understanding. "God" has
blessed me to remain in the "Grihastha Ashram" (i.e. with the family) and continue
my Spiritual quest further.
The answer to all the questions related to the "Universe" and "God" having been
answered, The quest of all spiritual seekers for ages having been fulfilled, I
pray to the almighty "God" to give me Strength and wisdom to uphold the values
in the Society of which I am an integral part. May "God" bless us all.
Personal
experience of God highlights - brief Audio Hindi (8.6
MB)
(this clipping
takes few seconds to load initially - suitable for broadband internet connection
preferably above 256 kbps).
back to how i realized god
Moksha (salvation
in hinduism) Is
it not true that only after gaining Enlightenment (Self- Realization) that one
reaches the stage of Moksha Salvation.
Moksha is that ephemeral truth
of life without which human beings cannot sustain themselves. The cause of the
human body... the process of evolution... all leads to our Soul Atman gaining
liberation from cycle of birth and death (Moksha) forever.
Moksha being
the ultimate truth of life... none can just do without! In present life we may
or may not pursue Moksha as the ultimate goal of all life... inherently and spiritually
our Soul Atman is bound to pursue this one and only goal in the life of every
Soul Atman in the Cosmos.
If gaining liberation from cycle of birth and
death (i.e. achieving the stage of Moksha) is the only goal of every soul our
atman within... and knowing the fact that our body is but clothing for our Soul
Atman... our Soul Atman... plays the governing role! Whatever be our present goal
in life... the ultimate goal of our cosmic life remains the same, gaining Moksha!
(Salvation).
Attaining
the state of Moksha Salvation is reaching the Mount Everest of physical manifested
life. There is nothing beyond Moksha that is required to be achieved in this life.
Moksha is that stage in the life of a human being when one cuts across all the
shackles of senses and the mind. Unless we gain absolute control over the five
senses and the mind... we cannot achieve Moksha in this life.
Gaining absolute control over the senses and the mind is a complex process. One
has to diligently take control of all the senses one by one and the moment we
establish absolute control over all the five senses... controlling mind is easy
to achieve! our soul atman the spirit within five senses help us live the physical manifest form of us. They
have got nothing to do with our true inner self... our soul atman within us
What is the correct process that we can gain absolute control over the five senses
and ultimately the mind for us to achieve the stage of Moksha? For cutting across
the various barriers of senses... we need to maintain more and more purity in
our day-to- day dealings. The more pure our thought process... the sooner shall
we be able to gain control over the senses. As
practiced in Jainism... it is the concept of Bhava Karma which plays the governing
role. Before committing any physical action... we must have thought over it. If
we are awarded -10 points for committing a grave sin like murder then we also
get negative marking for negative thoughts incurred by us before committing the
murder. Does this mean that committing a sin only in thoughts attracts negative
marking... yes! Even by thinking wrong of others... we are incurring a sin and
this result in our getting established on a lower pedestal on the spiritual plane.
For attaining Moksha... if we need to establish control over the five senses then
it becomes mandatory for us to follow the concept of Bhava Karma and desist from
even thinking wrong of others. This is the only process for maintaining absolute
purity of thought. The concept of Bhava Karma in Jainism has no parallel in the
History of mankind. It is only traveling on the path of Bhava Karma that Saints
and Sages were able to control anger and purify their thinking patterns.
As we gain more and more purity of thoughts on the path of attaining the stage
of Moksha... we shall find that gaining absolute control over mind is within our
reach. Gaining control over the five senses is the most difficult part in the
life of a human being on the path to attaining Moksha. But it is a goal not unachievable!
Patience and persistence both play a vital role in establishing firm control over
the five senses. We have to practice Patience and Persistence at each and every
stage lest we may not be able to gain Moksha in this life.
Establishing
control over anger is only possible after we have developed a habit of forgiving
one and all... whatever be the cause or the reasoning! Forgiving one is a one-sided
affair. Compassion is required to be practiced at every stage of the physical
manifested life. Without Compassion and the Power of Forgiveness... none reaches
any worthwhile stage on the path of spirituality. Every true Saint or a Sage has
developed the power of Forgiveness to its extreme for it is only after controlling
anger that one reaches the stage of Moksha in this life. Broadly
speaking... to attain the stage of Moksha... we need to gain Kaivalya Jnana (Omniscience)
and this is possible only after establishing absolute control over the Senses
and the Mind. The moment one gains control over the Senses and the Mind... one
reaches the stage of Nirvikalpa Samadhi... the stage when one can indulge in one-to-one
dialogue with God Almighty.
Maintaining absolute purity of thought by
practicing the path of Bhava Karma... practicing Compassion (by which one develops
control over anger) Patience and Persistence ... we reach nearer our cosmic goal
of life... attaining Moksha! There is nothing nobler in life than reaching the
stage of Moksha in present life. back
to moksha
Essays
By: Vijay
Kumar "Atma Jnani"
Vijay Kumar... The Man who Realized
God in 1993 explains more on Enlightenment. For more details on enlightenment
and self realization visit -
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