What happens at the
time of enlightenment?
The descriptions here are all
from recent enlightened advaitists.
The person cannot hasten the
process. When it is going to happen, it will happen. No amount of
spiritual practice, sadhana, can bring on enlightenment. Other people are
unable to see the transformation in the enlightened (jnani). Some times, the
jnani himself realises it only days or months after the event!
What transpires at this event
varies from person to person. Ramana Marhashi and Eckhart Tolle both had
great fear at the time of enlightenment. With Ramana it is fear of death.
Ramana lies down as if his body is dead, but his Consciousness is still
aware of a current of energy playing on his rigid body. The fear dropped
off, and from then onwards he is ‘perpetually absorbed’ in that current of
energy in his daily chores. In Eckhart Tolle’s case, he felt reborn. His
deep depression (with suicidal tendencies) was replaced by bliss and peace.
He remained in this state of peace and bliss for the next 5 months. Tony
Parsons was just walking in the park, when it happened. The stillness and
presence descended upon him as the timeless eradicated ‘him’, the
experiencer. From thence onwards ‘he’ did not exist. R. Balshekar was
translating a talk for Maharaj, when he suddenly became almost like an
automaton: the translation was being done for him and his voice became
louder and clearer. Most of these people have various grades of bliss,
rapture and peace. All of them finally either got used to these states or
they wear off. Some of them cry out with joy. Some of them realise that they
have finally returned to their original Self. Some behave as if they are
insane. There is no uniform formula.
Enlightenment is an impersonal understanding
that there is no 'one' being enlightened. It is an understanding that there
is no comprehender; there is no longer a separate entity or a doer. It is a
surrender to the fact that there is nobody surrendering to anything. It is a
vertical impersonal experience. It now becomes an awareness witnessing the
functions of the psychophysical complex. The witnessing is like a mirror
with no separate entity mirroring the events or actions of the individual.
He still functions in duality for the rest of his life, but he does not
experience dualism anymore. Duality is a condition of the phenomenal world
in which the opposites are mandatory, but dualism is the delusion that one
is separate. There is only Consciousness acting through everything in all
the universes. Nothing is separate and there isn't an 'I' or 'me'.
Suffering of the corporate body.
Physically there is no change. In time to
come he may age more slowly, because there are now no more worries,
anxieties or problems of a personal nature. The Absolute functions through
his psychophysical complex, whether the individual realises it or not. This
is true also with the unenlightened. Physically the body suffers and feels
the pain and joy, but there is no one suffering the pain. The pain is there,
but there is no suffer. The psychophysical complex may even groan or scream
with pain, but there is no 'person' suffering. The pain and the screams are
merely witnessed by the impersonal Consciousness.
Emotions
As the psychophysical organism
is free of a personal entity, there is no involvement in others and their
problems. Similarly there is no mental projection of enjoyment in good
company or listening to music or eating good food as before. The pure
awareness merely witnesses the situation as it arises, and there is no
involvement in that situation. Love and wisdom prevail in those with these
qualities prior to enlightenment. If the individual was an angry one, after
enlightenment anger still prevails as a reaction when irritated, but no one
is angry.
The Mind and Intellect
Mentally and intellectually,
the individual may be just as intelligent as before, but his aim in life
may change. From a menial worker, he may be transformed into a teacher of
spiritual growth. The individual, who was never interested in writing,
suddenly becomes a consummate writer. Public speaking becomes second nature
to a former shy and fumbling talker. In the religious line, they are
converted into tireless workers in their respective religions with
insurmountable energy. Some may resign from very onerous jobs to go into
seclusion. Some may suddenly start to heal. With the grace of enlightenment,
most of them accept and surrender to the Tao or G-plan.
Enlightenment means not
identifying one’s psychophysical organism as a separate doer, but its
impersonal Consciousness must still continue to identify the organism as an
individual for the rest of his life. Otherwise he cannot function. He must
answer to his name and know where he is living and who are his friends and
relatives. He is now merely acting as a psychic operating-centre to activate
his thoughts, voice and body movements. The Absolute is the functioning
centre of his pure Consciousness. This is what Ramana Maharshi meant when he
said that there is a centre of energy working on his body. Another good
example is when a man gets an out-of-body experience while performing a
complicating task, like a surgical operation. Although his spirit is not in
his body, he is able to perform the surgical operation impeccably. The
spirit outside his body is the functional centre and his shell of a body is
the operating centre. The enlightened man (jnani) is truly in this world
and not of this world.
The Ego and Mind
In the
unenlightened, the ego is composed of the body, emotions and a mind, which
can be notionally divided into the working mind and the thinking mind. In
the enlightened, the ego is devoid of the thinking mind. This thinking mind
is the conceptualising component, which is always separating the ‘me’ from
the others. It draws on memories to project fears, worries and anxieties. It
also forms images of future successes and failures. The working mind is only
concerned with the functioning of the moment. It also draws on memories to
work for the present. It does not judge or differentiate. So in the
enlightened the thinking mind is no more in existence, and the mind
becomes silent. Words just flow out without prior imaging. The thinking mind
is the source of trouble: all negative thoughts arise from the thinking mind.
It therefore interferes with the smooth functioning of the working mind.
When an unenlightened uses only a working mind, as when he is totally
engrossed in what he is doing, time goes by very rapidly. In no time three
hours have passed by. Neither is he tired. The working mind does not exhaust
a person. In an emergency, the enlightened does not panic being devoid of a
thinking mind. He acts quickly and instinctively with only the working mind.
The mental chattering and daydreaming are both of the thinking mind. The
working mind is a silent witness, if there is anything to witness. If there
is nothing to witness, it goes deep into pure Consciousness. In one’s
practice of the spiritual path before enlightenment, the thinking mind
gradually gets subdued on the way. When the ‘me’ becomes less obtrusive, the
working mind takes over more and more. Of course the working mind also must
use memory to bring in judgement for the execution of the present action. In
identifying with the body and there is no image of a doer attached, then it
is still the working mind. Habits are not necessarily that of a working mind
only. If there is judging or evaluating a situation from the personal point
of view it is from the thinking mind. To help staying in the working mind is
to truly believe that flowing of one’s G-plan or Tao is beyond one’s
control. Just do it without worrying or anticipating the consequences.
While using the working mind,
one must totally be present and the mind is not a blank. One could call it
an intuitive mind. Most imaging especially when projecting the dire
consequences of the future is of the thinking mind. However, drawing images
from the past to execute the task at hand is that of a working mind.
Summarising the above,
the Absolute or Cosmic Consciousness acts through the psychosomatic organism
of either an enlightened or unenlightened individual. The enlightened merely
reacts to the situation or external circumstances without the thinking mind
and there is no 'me' or 'mine' involved. The unenlightened on the other hand
will deem himself as a separate self, acting out his experiences with a 'me'
and 'mine' fully in the background. As less and less of the thinking mind is
being used, the individual will be less and less stressed, worried and
anxious until one day he functions only through his working mind. The ego is
still there, but this ego is devoid of the thinking mind.
Can an enlightened
individual perform criminal acts?
As the enlightened person
does not deem himself as a separate individual and all his actions are
unselfish, it is highly unlikely that he will perform criminal or antisocial
acts. All his actions are for the benefit of other people. If in order to
save 100 people he hurts one or a few, he will not hesitate to do so. All
his actions are spontanesous and he has no malice aforethought. None of his
actions are premeditated except at that moment of execution. He has no
worries for his future. He does not seek gain or fame. There is no
self-gratification in his actions. In this way, humility, compassion, love
and wisdom are his guiding principles.
Although the enlightened
does not resort to criminality, his reaction sometimes do not conform to
social mores, e. g. his predilection to sex. To explain away his
promiscuity, he tends to say that he is above the social etiquette of the
general public. Or a more likely explanation is that it is merely the
psychophysical organism's normal reaction to that organism's instinct. It is
like when he is hungry he just eats. When he is sleepy, he sleeps. When he
is sexy, he likes to have sex.
His Auras
To those who can see auras,
they will be able to visualise that the jnani’s auras are much larger than
normal. They are also clear without smudges. The main colour would be
purple. Any body remaining in the same room as the jnani would be embraced
by his auras, which can fill up the entire room. This embracing aura is very
healing, especially if the jnani is a healer. Otherwise peace and
tranquillity will be emanated by this aura.
Bliss
Enlightenment is also being
with his soul, which has its 5 sheaths. The soul is also known as Sat-Chit-Ananda.
Sat is being. Chit is consciousness and Ananda is bliss. Having
disassociated oneself with the body-mind complex (body, emotions and mind),
he is left with his auras and the 1st covering of bliss. The
auras are just his normal armour, which he cannot discharge. He is now left
with bliss, which is also a component of the soul. That is why the very
first reaction of enlightenment is the utter bliss and joy, but having
entrenched himself in the pure consciousness of his soul for sometime, the
bliss becomes a normal accompaniment and it is nothing special.
How does the enlightened view the world?
The enlightened realises that
Totality or Cosmic Consciousness is the same as individual consciousness,
and therefore he is not a separate entity. He and the myriad of entities,
vegetation and insects are activated and powered by the same Consciousness.
However, the unenlightened does not know this, and he identifies himself
with his psychosomatic organism with its attendant suffering. He has the
erroneous view that he is separate and that he controls his life. That is
why some sages deem the entire world as unreal, because the trillions of
‘things’ are merely the manifested shadows of the Unmanifested, Cosmic
Consciousness. These diversity of beings and other ‘things’ are the ripples
on the surface of the ocean: everything is part of the ocean. Everything in
the universe is powered or activated by the same electricity
(Consciousness). All there is, is Consciousness. Every mineral,
vegetable, animal and human has the same Consciousness. It is only the human
that has ‘self-consciousness’, and therefore he suffers the most, because of
his thinking mind. With enlightenment and the destruction of the thinking
mind, there are no more concepts with its trail of fears, doubts and
worries, because the ‘me’ is not present.
How does the
enlightened react?
He reacts spontaneously with no
aforethought, but according to the genetic makeup of that particular
psychosomatic organism. A large dose of his samskaras (innate tendencies) is
infused into this makeup. So if the particular jnani has characteristics of
impatience or anger before, he will still be impatient or angry after
enlightenment. If he is addicted to cigarette smoking, he will continue to
smoke cigarettes after enlightenment. If he has a predilection to sex, he
will continue to be attracted to sex. But after all his activities are
witnessed and finished with, there is no more attachment after the event.
There is no pining or stalking of the sex object in the intervening period.
His basic understanding is that he has no control over his reactions: he
cannot predict how he will react to his addiction or succumb to a weakness,
which comes with his psychosomatic organism. The Absolute or Cosmic
Consciousness simply acts through that psychosomatic organism with that
failing or addiction. He accepts the changes that come about in his daily
life. He does not plan for the event to come about and therefore there is no
disappointment. He does not follow a discipline or become a recluse because
it conforms to a jnani. As there is no personal doer and as he may have to
live with other people, his natural behaviour will have to include
co-operation and harmony. His surrender to circumstances is spontaneous and
not because of an image he has to build up. He does not have to lead, or to
teach or to heal. If doing nothing all day long is his style of living, then
he will be seen as a loafer, even if he had been a most industrious worker
before enlightenment. There is no telling what transformation or changes a
jnani will make to his life. Every conversation, action or thought is
spontaneous and his lack of control makes him look like an automaton, but he
is not. He merely witnesses the events as a mirror.
The above are the views of an
enlightened advaitist.
How does a jnani see
the unenlightened (ajnani)?
A jnani does not differentiate
between a jnani and an ajnani (unenlightened). To a jnani everybody is
powered by the same electricity or Consciousness, and therefore he views all
sentient beings as the same. The ajnani, who is veiled by ignorance, cannot
recognise a jnani and sees him only as a person who performs action like any
other person. So he treats the jnani like any other person without realising
that the jnani is devoid of the essence of a personal self. This jnani is
propelled and activated by Cosmic Consciousness without a doer performing
the acts. A jnani knows that it is the same Consciousness that acts through
every sentient being and every form in the universe. Both (jnani and ajnani)
are equal to him. Every single individual is unique in that its
psychosomatic organism has inherited characteristics from his genes. Every
individual must also act out his own G-plan with his samskaras. These do not
change with enlightenment. Even his addictions remain.
Is the jnani subjected
to karma and cause and effect?
The psychosomatic organism
definitely is subjected to karma and causality. If he breaks a law, that law
will punish his psychosomatic organism. Jesus Christ was a good case in
point. He was crucified according to the law of that country at that time.
However, as there is no being or doer in him, he went headlong into
Jerusalem on that day knowing full well that he would be crucified. Being a
jnani, the ‘me’ was not there and therefore ‘he’ did not suffer. The
psychosomatic organism suffered, but not ‘him’. This reminds us of a
Buddhist Zen Koan, in which a monk was asked whether an enlightened person
was subjected to karma. He answered wrongly: ‘No’. As a consequence of this
mistake, the monk had to be reincarnated 500 times as a fox! The retribution
of course was an exaggeration, but the lesson was well taught. A jnani does
not create future karma, but its psychosomatic organism is subjected to past
(prarabdha) karma. Of course after his death there is no more karmic effect
because he will not be reborn again unless he has decided to be a
Bodhisattva.
Witnessing is just
Being.
In witnessing, there is no
observer. It is the state of Consciousness witnessing when there is
something to witness. If there is nothing to witness, Consciousness goes
deeper into a state of rest of non-witnessing. Ramana Maharshi calls this
the ‘natural state’. It is like the automatic gear in a car. In witnessing,
the car automatically changes gear when accelerating. But Consciousness
automatically goes back to neutral i.e. non-witnessing when there is nothing
to witness. In this non-witnessing state, the jnani hears the sounds and
sees the sights without any personal involvement at all. If this state
continues, he goes into samadhi. However, when a reaction is required, the
non-witnessing state moves back into a witnessing state again. It is
automatically smooth and spontaneous. In the jnani, his Consciousness is
impersonal and is similar to the Consciousness of an ajnani in deep sleep.
In deep dreamless sleep, the ajnani does not identify his Consciousness with
his psychosomatic organism but he does so when awake. The jnani does not
identify with his psychosomatic organism when awake. To him it is an
awakened dream, when awake. In this state he does not witness his thoughts.
His thought gets witnessed. This means there is no one witnessing. In this
pure witnessing, there is no ‘me’ involved and therefore there is no
judgement or comparison. The jnani is just like a mirror: what is mirrored
does not effect him. He mirrors only what is presented to him, who himself
is a non-entity.
The Inherent
Characteristics of the Jnani
Due to his G-plan and prarabdha
(karma to be spent in this life), the jnani still has to suffer or enjoy the
effects of karma. Additionally due to his samskaras he also has desires and
anger. When desires and anger arise, he may or may not succumb to them.
However he does not hold any lingering anger against what makes him angry,
neither does he scheme and plan to acquire the objects of his desires. When
these desires, thoughts and anger are over, they are all totally forgotten.
If the psychosomatic organism has inherent fear, the jnani may also have
fear and even terror, but then it passes. That means pain, pleasure, grief
and gratification etc will all arise depending on the individual organism.
All these will be witnessed and acted upon if necessary and then they are
all cut off. If he is hungry, he eats. If he is thirsty, he drinks. If he is
sexy, he may or may not go and look for sex, for this process involves some
one else. If the above emotions arise with accompanying personal involvement
then he is not a jnani. The jnani knows that these desires, emotions and
anger are beyond his control: he is merely the instrument for the Absolute
to act through. Therefore, enlightenment does not make that individual
perfect. He simply becomes whole and awake. With understanding, he is
peaceful, blissful and tranquil.
Lack of motivation and
consistency
As the thinking mind is absent,
there is no motivation for his action, which is spontaneous, not judgmental
and not confusing. His actions may also not be reasonable or consistent. If
before enlightenment, the individual is full of love and compassion, then
the transformed jnani will also be full of love and compassion. If these are
not his qualities before enlightenment, then he may not manifest them too
readily after enlightenment. However, agape, compassion and wisdom are
usually the basic qualities of the Absolute. Totality is unadulterated,
unconditional love!
Moral Issues concerning
a Jnani
Is a jnani virtuous? Having
destroyed the thinking mind he is now merely a psychosomatic organism. He is
absolutely without self-interest. Everything he does is for the benefit of
others, who are not treated as separate. He knows that he and the rest of
the universe are charged by the same electricity or impersonal
Consciousness: there is no difference between him and others. Therefore he
needs not go about to be virtuous. He simply acts. Selflessness and humility
are now part of his normal character. He does not have to be selfless or
humble. He simply is. This is in contrast to the hypocritically, assumed
virtue and humility of the so-called pious people and clergy. In them, there
is no spontaneity or naturalness. The altruism of the rich is always overtly
seen and advertised. The false humility of the powerful is often too
obvious. They try too hard, whereas the jnani does not have to pretend. He
just simply is what he is. He knows what Jesus said: ‘I and my father are
one. The kingdom of God is within.’
Summary
Every unenlightened or
enlightened being has a unique psychosomatic organism, a body-mind complex.
Every form in the universe is charged by the same Cosmic Consciousness. This
Consciousness is impersonal until it inhabits a psychosomatic organism, when
it becomes personal. The jnani knows that every one on earth is propelled by
the same Consciousness, but the ajnani is veiled by ignorance and believes
that he is separate from others. In this way he thinks that he controls his
own life, and all his activities will either fail or succeed by his efforts.
His ego consists of his body, emotions and mind. His mind is notionally
divided into thinking and working mind. The thinking mind is the one that
makes him suffer. All negativities, fear, and anxiety arise form the
thinking mind, which always regrets the past and fears the future. In the
jnani, the thinking mind is totally destroyed, and he knows that he is
selfless. The jnani knows that Cosmic Consciousness acts through his
organism and he has no control over it. So he flows with the Tao. He cannot
explain the Tao to his unenlightened friends, because the Tao that is named
is not the Tao. The jnani in all probability will not be reborn again when
he dies, unless he wants to come back as a Bodhisattva. The psychosomatic
organism has its own inherent characteristics, which are derived from its
samskaras and genetics. When the organism is born angry, he may remain angry
throughout life whether enlightened or not. However, he does not carry the
anger over even to the next second. He is very natural and spontaneous.
There is no pretension at all. He does not have to put up an image of being
saintly or virtuous. In fact he is as imperfect as before enlightenment, but
he is whole. Generally, he is healthier, because there is no fear, anxiety
or worry due the absence of the thinking mind. However, if a major illness
is in his G-plan, he will suffer that illness. All his actions are for the
benefit of others, whom he deems as part and parcel of Self (Cosmic
Consciousness). Love and compassion are accentuated if they are there
before. He is characteristically wise because it is the wisdom of Totality
that shines through him.
