What is Spiritual Enlightenment or Spiritual Awakening?
A definition of spiritual enlightenment or spiritual awakening is hard to pin down. This is, in part, because the words "enlightenment" and "awakening" have been used in so many ways to describe so many things, similar to the way in which the word love is used to describe everything from a preference for ice cream to an unconditional acceptance of and merging with everything. And it is also because spiritual enlightenment and spiritual awakening are such rich and complex experiences that they are innately hard to define.
There are definitions of enlightenment and awakening that are very specific and narrow. Spiritual enlightenment has been defined as not only the end of any sense of separation, but as a complete dissolution of the usual identity as a separate self with no trace of the usual egoic mind remaining. This sets the bar very high and means that very few people qualify as truly enlightened or awakened. And even if someone appears to be fully enlightened to one person, another may say that their remaining personality quirks disqualify them.
Another opposite approach is to say that everyone is enlightened, that there is only awake consciousness. In this view, it is just a question of whether this natural quality of awakeness has been recognized or not. Of course when a word describes everything or everyone, it loses some of its usefulness. If everyone is enlightened, then why even talk about it?
Combining perspectives on spiritual enlightenment
Perhaps there is an approach that combines both perspectives on enlightenment. What if consciousness itself is always awake and full of light or enlightened, and yet there is still the possibility of distinguishing how much awakeness or aware consciousness is present in any moment? This would mean that there can be a difference in the amount of awakeness or enlightened consciousness that different people experience, or that one person experiences at different times. And yet it also suggests that the potential for awakening or becoming enlightened is the same for everybody. If every apparent individual consciousness is infinite in its potential, then each individual also can be infinite, both in their capacity to expand or awaken into infinite awareness, and in their capacity to contract or identify into a narrow or limited experience of awareness.
Here is a short video that tells a fairytale about how infinite Being can have so many individual expressions of itself, and yet how each one can still be infinite in potential:
If all consciousness is made of the same essential awareness and light, and if everyone has an equal potential for enlightenment and awakening, then all expressions of consciousness are equally valid and valuable. Everyone truly is a Buddha or enlightened being at least in potential. And now it is possible to define the word enlightenment in many ways depending on what is being pointed to. One person can use the word to point to the ultimate state of realized consciousness if that is what they are addressing, and another can use it to point to a specific shift or point along the way. There is a spiritual teacher who has created a scale of consciousness from 1-1000, and interestingly he defines enlightenment as the end of duality or a sense of separation which is only at 600 on his scale. This suggests there is a lot of potential for further awakening beyond what he calls enlightenment.
In addition to being used to point to different states of consciousness, the word "enlightenment" tends to imply a finished and constant state. But what if consciousness is constantly expanding and contracting in and out of different states? The word "awakening," in contrast, has more of the active quality of a verb and, therefore, suggests a movement or shift in consciousness. An awakening may be defined as a sudden increase in the overall amount of consciousness an individual is experiencing. There can be small awakenings and big or even huge awakenings. Not only does consciousness have unlimited potential for the amount of awakeness, but it also has an unlimited potential to shift in any way, at any moment. Consciousness can and does shift from very contracted states of fear, anger, or hurt to very expanded states of peace and joy in an instant. And unfortunately, it can also shift in the other direction. There is no fixed state to consciousness.
What about the spiritual awakening happening now?
So in this definition, "spiritual awakening" points to one of these sudden expansions or shifts, especially the more dramatic ones. (We don't usually call a small realization a spiritual awakening.) And the word "enlightenment" can be used as a marker of a particular level of realization or awakeness, even if the exact definition varies depending on who is using the word, as it does with every word. But what really matters is what your awareness is doing right now. How is your consciousness appearing or shifting in this moment? Are you awakening to more of your experience and your essence right now? Or are you contracting and limiting your awareness with thoughts and identification? Can you feel any shifting that is happening even from reading these words?
When you read about the experience of enlightened beings or the words written by an enlightened being, what effect does it have on you? How does that contrast with the experience when you read an ordinary piece of writing? What if everything and everyone you encounter does affect your consciousness to some degree? (Here is a recent blog post on this site that explores the mysterious interplay of all of the factors that can be involved in a spiritual awakening.) If we are all equal expressions of the one Being that is the source of all awareness, then it is important how our own consciousness is unfolding and not so important to define or pin down the exact definition we use to describe the movements and states of consciousness.
How awakening happens is a profound mystery, and perhaps the best definition of it is found in the actual experience of our own sudden shifts into expanded awareness. Just as it is more nourishing to eat an apple than to read about one, so it can be the most rewarding to explore and distinguish the movements of our own awakenings. And for that, while it sometimes helps to have a clear definition of the words we are using to talk about awareness, it also sometimes helps to not have any thought or concept in the way. Thankfully, language is not so fixed or defined, including when we use it to describe our deepest spiritual unfoldment. Maybe the best definition of enlightenment is no definition. Then there is only what is found in your own direct experience of awareness.
About Nirmala:
Advaita spiritual teacher, Nirmala has been offering spiritual teaching and spiritual mentoring in the U.S. and internationally since 1998. Nirmala offers a unique vision and a gentle, compassionate approach, which adds to the rich tradition of inquiry into our true nature. He is the author of several books, including Nothing Personal: Seeing Beyond the Illusion of a Separate Self, Living from the Heart, and a collection of poetry entitled, Gifts with No Giver. In his mentoring sessions with individuals and in the book, Living from the Heart, Nirmala points to the wisdom within each of us, and fosters the individual’s own potential for spiritual awakening. Free ebook downloads of several of Nirmala’s books are available here. If you enjoy the enlightenment teachings of Ramana Maharshi, Eckhart Tolle, and Adyashanti and "The Work" of Byron Katie along with the tenderness, wisdom and grace of Nirmala's own teacher, Neelam, you will especially appreciate Nirmala's writings about spiritual enlightenment,including the story of his own spiritual awakening. Contact Nirmala on Facebook.
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