Saturday, August 28, 2004

Last words on enlightenment: Really, the topic isn't that dear to me.

Anyway, once enlightenment is attained, there is no enlightenment. That's one of its idiosyncrasies – it disappears once it is attained. Sort of like time stopping once you reach the speed of light.

If you ask an enlightened person if they are enlightened, they shouldn't be able to answer, because to them, there is no such thing as enlightenment. There is no answering "yes", there is no answering "no".

As long as one strives for enlightenment (or not), there is such a thing as enlightenment. It's an idea, a concept, a goal, and as a goal, it is also a barrier. It can be mulled over and meditated upon. There is a separation between the thinker and enlightenment.

Enlightenment erases that duality, and it is no longer an idea or a concept that can be mulled over, and the goal/barrier disappears because there is no separation between the self and enlightenment. That's what it means to be enlightened, but to the enlightened, it doesn't mean anything because those dualities are gone.

Given all this, I still think it's possible that enlightenment changes with changes in reality and perception.