WHAT IS ENLIGHTENMENT ?

He who knows others is clever; he who knows himself  is enlightened.

                                                                                                - Lao-tse

Life should not be seen only from the prism of suffering.

No doubt that suffering would give you heavy pain, but it also gives valuable lessons to make life robust in terms of actions and  endeavours. In fact, seeing the sufferings of people pushed the Buddha to the path of enlightenment.

Many people wrongly connote that enlightenment is simply denying all the worldly pleasures and lead a hermit's life in the forest. This concept is totally ridiculous. Enlightenment is a possibility field to know the mechanics of life beyond physical realm and  find your connection with the Creator.

The essence of enlightenment is respecting life in whatever form it is. When you become sensitive to everything around you, it means you are perfectly in tune with the symphony of the universe.

Once you   know your position in the universe, you feel so humbled of your tininess. Astro-physicist Joel Primack, a pre-eminent cosmologist who pioneered the Double Dark Theory opines that about 70 % of the universe is dark energy, 25 % is Dark matter. There are 4 % of invisible atoms and interstellar space. Helium and Hydrogen is 0.5 %.  The stars and planets form less than 0.1 % of the Universe which includes, humans.

Enlightenment happens in personal space and more so, it is a subjective experience. All the life situations should be seen in the larger frame so that you get a better understanding of  slice due to you. Excessive wavering for the things which are not due to you is totally unwise. America’s famous talk-show host Oprah Winfrey suggests  to write ‘Gratitude Journal’ daily so that you can count your daily blessings to lead a serene life.

One major road block in the path of enlightenment is our mindless comparison with others in material comforts of life. We are so obsessed with comparison mania that is the root cause of all sufferings. The solution lies with  a sense of gratitude which comes  just by watching those who are  in more agony.  In fact enlightenment is not a transferable energy/product   which we obtain from the market. It is a natural state which is well within you and it could be reached only by ' Self Search'.

BUDDHA'S WISDOM

In the long chequered history of human civilization, one man whose teachings created ripples in the world and a religion took birth by his name - Buddha.

According to Wikipedia, Buddha was born either 563 BCE or 480 BCE in Lumbini (a place in present-day Nepal) and died in 483 BCE or 400 BCE which means he probably lived about 80 years on this planet. His marathon life helped the mankind to juice out his wisdom.

If we go into important landmarks of Buddha's life, we see that except his birth, all other phases of his life journey centered on India only.

- He attained enlightenment at Bodh Gaya, India

- Gave his first sermon at Sarnath, India.

- Finally, he left his mortal frame at Kushinara or Kashia in Uttar Pradesh, India.

His teachings / insights in nutshell are:

Three Great Truths:

1. Nothing is lost in the universe. Matter turns into energy and energy turns into matter.

2. Everything changes.

3. Law of cause and effect. We receive exactly what we earn, whether it is good or bad.

Four Noble Truths:

1. Suffering is common to all.

2. We are the cause of our suffering.

3. Stop doing what causes suffering.

4. Path to end suffering is to get enlightened.

Noble Eightfold Path:

1. Right View.

2. Right Thought.

3. Right, Speech.

4. Right, Conduct.

5. Right Livelihood.

6. Right Effort.

7. Right Mindfulness.

8. Right Concentration.

So, no outside interference is necessary to blossom which is a self-driven process.