Notes on Enlightenment

Below are some observations about “enlightenment,” the spiritual insight into reality. They are subject to clarifications, corrections, and emendations. They do represent the best understanding of what’s happening.

1. Enlightenment is the activation of the Witness—which is one’s original state. It is impersonal and separate from the self-awareness of the brain. In essence, there is the original oneness from birth until about age 3 years old and then self-consciousness took place. At this point there are two of you: Your original state and the ego brain. In the world of form, if there are, say 7 billion apparent individuals in this world, perhaps a few hundred who are enlightened. So I will usually assume everyone with whom I make contact is in the ego brain.

2. The activation of the Witness is usually done by focusing on the back of the head and allowing seeing of the brain processes take place. Usually, the chakra a few inches above the head is also activated. This is not the brain being aware of itself; when the brain observes itself, such as in Buddhist Mindfulness, one is just caught in an endless loop and this has nothing to do with awakening. This might be called an opening to the transpersonal space which includes the space inside the body and outside.  

3. As the Impersonal seeing takes place—without judgment or evaluation—there is an openness to the boundlessness of one’s being. This feeling tone is often call “unconditional love,” or “joy without cause.”  

4. The ego mind which thinks it is in control finds out that things just happen without any cause. So emotions, body sensations, awareness just arise from nowhere. The brain makes up stories which will match the these emotions and will convince one that’s why “I am angry”; in fact, the anger was preordained to occur as an invitation to shift one’s attention from the self-destructiveness of the ego brain to oneness with God. 

5. There is a possibility that one sees that the ego mind is just an artificial construct which just sucks up the energy of God, instead of allowing the energy to flow in unconditional love. Once there is this seeing, the concept of free will or doership dissolves and then all there is is a love affair with whatever arises. In this openness, there can be moments of clarity as well as moments as contraction back into the ego brain. All is perfect as it is.

6. Although the above five points point to a direct path, it probably is the case the being who views himself as separate will need clarity. In my view, the text, Consciousness Speaks, by Ramesh Balsekar is the most thorough presentation of key insights into enlightenment. Good luck on your final journey into returning to your original state: On the day you were two, you became one again…All there is is unconditional love.