One of the terms widely bandied about in spiritual circles is ‘Enlightenment.’  The term seems self-explanatory, and from the perspective of the ordinary listener, it concerns the attainment of knowledge.  In the past, you might have been in darkness, but with enlightenment, you are now able to see the truth clearly, free from ignorance, prejudice, and superstition.  When used in a spiritual sense, however, Enlightenment is a technical term with a very specific meaning, depending on the authority to which you might appeal.

In my understanding, the term ‘Enlightenment’ came into the spiritual vocabulary through the teachings of Gautama, the Buddha.  There are at least four major schools of Buddhism, but for the purposes of our exploration, we will use the writings of the earliest school, Theravada, to return to the understanding of this process that is likely closest to the Buddha’s original meaning. Theravadin Buddhism understands Enlightenment as the progressive dismantling of the causes of suffering and the awakening to Nirvana.

The key to understanding this Theravadin concept lies in the Buddha's proclamation of the Four Noble Truths.  This is an absolutely stunning analysis of our common human dilemma, the problem of suffering.  The Four Noble Truths are:

1.  What is the Holy Truth of Ill?  Birth is ill, decay is ill, sickness is ill, death is ill.  To be conjoined with what one dislikes means suffering.  To be disjoined from what one likes means suffering.  Not getting what one wants also means suffering.  In short, all grasping at any of the five scandals (i.e., the aggregates from which the phenomenal world is formed) involves suffering.

2.  What, then, is the Holy Truth of the Origination of Ill?  It is that craving that leads to rebirth, accompanied by delight and greed, seeking its own delight, now, here, now there, i.e., craving for sensuous experience, craving to perpetuate oneself, craving for extinction.

3.  What, then, is the Holy Truth of the Stopping of Ill?  It is the complete stopping of that craving, the withdrawal from it, the renunciation of it, throwing it back, liberation from, non-attachment to it.

4.  What, then, is the Holy Truth of the steps that lead to the stopping of Ill?  It is the holy eight–fold Path, which consists of: right views, right intentions, right speech, right conduct, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration.

As you can see from this extensive definition, for the Theravada, Enlightenment is a comprehensive program that involves reprogramming your view of the world, your intentions, along with a variety of behavioral changes, and learning specific spiritual practices to focus your attention.  This process is said to result in the extinction of the ‘fires that drive suffering.’  It involves the eradication of specific ‘defilements and fetters,’ which obscure the perception of Reality.

In contrast with theistic religions, this process does not necessitate prayer or an appeal to the Divine.  It is focused on the cessation of suffering and an escape from conditioned existence.  It understands the ego as a major obstacle because it binds us to our self-imposed suffering.  It uses vipassana, a form of insight meditation, to see the impermanence of the phenomenal world, including the ultimate nonexistence of the self (or ego).

In the Theravadin view, only when the practitioner can cut off his desires will he be able to escape the delusions of the phenomenal world.  At this point, the sense of self or ego will dissolve, and the person will perceive Reality directly.  This is the state of Enlightenment and final liberation.

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Now, one of my failings (or strengths) is that I’m something of a skeptic.  When someone tells me something, especially something important, I typically look for evidence that will either confirm or disprove whatever it is that is being presented.  In the case of Enlightenment, my skepticism is somewhat problematic, since I am not enlightened myself.  As a result, I cannot verify the Theravadin understanding of Enlightenment with my own experience.

To address this, I find it useful to contrast the Theravadin view with that of David R. Hawkins (1927-2012).  Hawkins, a physician, psychoanalyst, and psychologist, has written extensively about a series of major shifts of consciousness over the course of his life.  In Hawkins' understanding, Enlightenment is an advancement of consciousness, such that one’s sense of separateness is transcended and the personal self or ego is no longer taken as the locus of identity.  It is a state of “perfection, bliss, effortlessness, and oneness,” a “state of non-duality beyond separateness and beyond the intellect.”  

For Hawkins, Enlightenment is realized through the pathway of surrender or letting go.  The practitioner progressively relinquishes her inner resistance, which includes her attachments, aversions, and prideful control.  As this occurs, there is a progressive release from dualistic thinking.  As the dualistic lens through which all data is filtered slowly dissolves, one is able to discern the Divine more and more clearly.  Hawkins uses a variety of synonyms for God, including Truth, Reality, and Love, which I find convenient labels for different aspects of the Divine.

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There appear to be many commonalities between these two descriptions of Enlightenment.  They both speak of Enlightenment as a unitive or non-dual state – a perspective from which one perceives the unity which underlies our apparent separation, our apparent duality.  Both speak of an inward journey, which culminates in this non-dual perspective.  While the Buddhist works at freeing the self from desire, Hawkins describes the process as “letting go.”  As I reflect on this, it sounds like two different perspectives on the same phenomenon.

Both perspectives view the ego as an obstacle because it necessarily divides the world into a series of dualities.  That is, it takes the underlying unity of existence and chops it into ‘this’ and ‘that,’ into ‘good’ and ‘bad.’

Both perspectives describe what happens as the self is relinquished.  The Buddhists describe it as a ‘liberation’ from the sense of self.  Specifically, the Buddhist view sees our notion of a separate self as a fetter, a chain, which binds us to a delusional understanding of ourselves and the world around us.  This liberation from the ego and its desires arises from insight (vipassana), which is grounded in the direct experience of impermanence and non-self (anatta).

Hawkins, through his process of letting go, describes the ego as dissolving into Oneness.  That is, one’s identity shifts from ‘Me–Me–Me’ and moves into a union with the Divine, which is described as an impersonal consciousness.  Of note, Hawkins' many descriptions of this process are clearly theistic and explicitly point to God.

In both perspectives, the practitioner enters a profound stability of consciousness.  The customary turbulence of our desires no longer moves us.  In this enlightened state, one appears to enter into union with all that is.  As a result, there can be no duality, no good or bad, right or wrong.  Everything that is …  is just what it is.  As a result, there is no striving and no goals to reach.  For Hawkins, the practitioner perceives the world as organically moving in synch with itself.  Rather than progressing through time or space, the world simply unfolds itself to itself.

Of interest, both the Buddhist and the Hawkins’ perspective are based on a profound ethical transformation.  The understanding that appears to underlie this perspective is that only a deeply ethical person will develop the inner stability necessary to sustain the deep concentration necessary for meditation.  To this end, the Buddhists have developed a formal path for ethical transformation.  

Hawkins, on the other hand, views this ethical transformation as a continuum.  He has mapped an emotional continuum that describes this transformation.  At the lowest state of consciousness, the individual is overwhelmed by guilt and shame.  This gradually transforms into the courage necessary to face one’s difficulties, the acceptance of those difficulties, and the transformation of these difficulties through love, peace, and joy.  Through this progression, practitioners let go of the ego's separation and find their true identity with the Divine.  

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Both points of view describe a profound awakening that involves deep peace, less grasping for one’s desires, and a radical shift in identification away from the reactive self.  Hawkins describes this inner peace as arising from an effortless non-duality.  The Buddhist view describes a series of discrete inner states as one progressively releases their grip on desire.  As we relinquish our desires, the ego becomes less and less necessary.  As a result, the ego's dualistic perception dissolves, and one enters into a state of unity, both within oneself and with the surrounding world.

This state of Enlightenment is, I believe, the ultimate goal for every human being.

P.S.  These newsletters were written in a particular order, but due to the limitations of our email delivery system, we cannot send them in the order in which they were written.  We can send out the first five in order, but then the system sends out the next one, whatever that happens to be.

So, if you are suddenly moving from issue #5 to issue #whatever, it might be a little jarring.  If this sounds like you, I would encourage you to go back into our archives and do your best to read them in order. 

Humility as a Tool  → Letting go → Fear → Openness →  Acceptance & Growth

If you are finding this newsletter course helpful, you may want to consider Dr. Kaisch's latest book, Inside the Invisible:  The Universal Path to Spiritual Transcendence.👇

To access the other newsletter editions of the “Inside The Invisible Newsletter,” or if you’d like to read ahead or go back.

Please Note: These newsletters are meant to be read in order.