Thank you for joining me for Part 2 of our journey into the nature of enlightenment. If you have not already done so, I encourage you to look at Part 1: What is Enlightenment? which offers foundational context for our continued exploration.
I spent years wrestling with the esoteric concept of enlightenment. Is it real? Is it attainable? What does it really mean to be “enlightened”? It finally occurred to me that I had constructed several false narratives around both the definition of enlightenment and the individuals described as enlightened beings. These constructions (or canonical traps) presented enlightenment as the purview of a chosen few and out of bounds for a “normal” person who is living a “normal” life. As someone intensely interested in evolving spiritually, this idea contributed to a great deal of confusion and frustration.
The Divinity Trap
Take a moment to consider your own vision of an Enlightened Being. Is it modeled after Jesus, Isaiah, The Buddha, Mohamed, Krishna, Lao Tzu, Confucius, etc. These historic figures come with many labels such as Prophet, Messiah, Master, Lord, Saint, Guru. . . but have you noticed that they all existed in the distant past? It is an uncomfortable truth that the passage of time allows for a varnish of divinity that erases humanness from these individuals. For various reasons (politics, power, wealth, human frailty), society desires to mold these individuals into mythological creatures.
I have encountered many wise souls in my lifetime, but have any of them transcended their basic human nature? I am sorry to say, not one! So, are we to believe that there was something in history’s water that produced these super-humans?
Ultimately, this historic whitewashing does a huge disservice to these individuals and their respective teachings. Don’t get me wrong, I am intensely grateful for the wisdom handed down from these people, and I firmly believe that this knowledge originates from a source beyond the brain, but is it necessary to pretend they were something beyond human?
The layers of myth building are an unnecessary distraction. How much better would it be if we could frame their lives in a way that is potentially accessible to us all?
The All or Nothing Trap
Many tales describe enlightenment as a sudden event. One moment you are fumbling around in a state of ignorance and the next moment you are fully awake. Again, is this realistic. . . does this scenario line up with our life experience?
If you accept the notion that enlightenment requires a reprogramming of the brain to accept a different version of reality, then you will also recognize that this process does not happen overnight. I submit, enlightenment is an incremental, life-long process. It takes time to identify and transform the repressed negative energy from the past; the damage from childhood; and the self-destructive patterns of behavior. And it takes practice to open your connection to Sprit. None of this happens instantly. Instead, enlightenment is a never-ending process that happens little by little, and bit by bit.
The Perfection Trap
This brings us to the subject of perfection. When we mythologize enlightenment, we also establish an unrealistic correlation between enlightenment and perfection. At the end of the day, no one (and I mean, no one) can escape the simple fact that we are dealing with a brain that is the product of evolution and social programming. As such, even the most enlightened among us struggle with the imperfection of the mind. The vision of the perfect enlightened being is a fantasy.
The Process Trap
The truth is—every religion, sect, and guru have their own unique method for achieving enlightenment and it can be very confusing, disorienting, and even discouraging. If you are drawn to a particular method, then great! Pursue it. Otherwise, I subscribe to K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Stupid) method, which attempts to distill things down to a common denominator.
In my opinion, all viable paths to awakening have one thing in common: They recognize the existence of a spiritual mind that is separate from our brain. Because enlightenment emanates from our spiritual mind, we must either learn how to bypass the brain or mold it into a tool for accessing the spiritual mind, or a combination of both. Despite any opinions to the contrary, there is no right or wrong way to achieve this. I subscribe to the process of experimentation. Go ahead and try numerous different techniques. Find the path that works best for you!
The Social Trap (Cave v. World)
To bypass the brain and access the spiritual mind, many traditions advocate removing oneself from normal society and/or otherwise cloistering with likeminded individuals. While this definitely makes it easier to focus on the spiritual mind, I believe we are called to evolve while living in the ‘real’ world. This is functional enlightenment, which allows us to change ourselves, as well as the world around us.
As a practical matter, how many of us can hole up in some cave staring at our navel? This strikes me as a complete waste of life.
The Karmic Trap
My experience has shown me that the path of enlightenment is intertwined with karmic energy. In other words, the repercussions from our actions (in both this life and past lives) help determine the pace of personal evolution.
If you think you can awaken without learning the lessons imbedded within your karmic past—you are kidding yourself. In fact, karmic repercussions, as painful as they might be, shine a spotlight on your areas of weakness. . . lessons you need to learn before you can take the next step in your personal development.
The Authority Trap
Finally, let’s discuss one of the most prevalent misconceptions about spiritual growth. Just as everything in this material realm is subject to change, spiritual energy is also evolving. However, we tend to treat both religious doctrine and spiritual teachings as eternal and unchanging. This is a grave mistake!
What represented the highest expression of divine wisdom two thousand years ago (or two weeks ago), may not necessarily be relevant to humanities’ current relationship to spiritual energy. In truth, we are ever improving our ability to connect with our energetic essence. Therefore, we must remain open to new techniques that will accelerate our evolutionary process.
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While there are numerous others, these are some of the common misconceptions (traps) that can derail your personal evolution. Please join me for the next edition of Curious Avatar, where we will explore the meaning behind enlightenment and how this applies to the future of humanity.
~Marc Max Pollock