Be Presence – a Key to Enlightenment

by Frank M Wanderer

The ultimate goal of our spiritual growth is enlightenment, that is what we all wish to achieve. But why do we seek enlightenment? Perhaps because at present we feel that we are not yet what we should rightfully be, we are not yet enlightened.

What can be the reason why we are under that impression? In the first years of our life it never occurred to us that we needed to change, we needed to become somebody else, that is, we were in need of enlightenment. Then, some time during our life, that urge arose in us. It is imperative that we examine the circumstances and reasons why that emotion appeared in us, since it is that very emotion that prevents us from becoming enlightened.

Enlightenment is not a remote state of Consciousness that we need to achieve some time in the future, but it is the very heart of our nature.  Our spiritual quest, however, diverts our attention to that imaginary, future state of Consciousness that we believe to be enlightenment. In this way, the spiritual quest detaches and diverts us from our true nature, enlightenment. We are therefore unable to ever reach enlightenment through the process of spiritual quest.

Enlightenment is, as we can now see, our true inner nature. But what is in our true, inner nature? Unfortunately, during our spiritual search, most of us have been alienated from it; so much so, that we have even forgotten about it. It is, however, permanently present in our life, but we simply disregard it. Our attention is always engaged by something, something that we need to deal with, so we very rarely take the trouble of looking into ourself. Still, if we were able to concentrate our attention on ourselves, that brief moment of alert Consciousness would be enough for us to recognize that the alert Consciousness, free of emotions and thoughts is our true inner nature. We are now enlightened, we have never been anything else.

The question now arise, where that enlightenment, that alert consciousness has disappeared from our life? As children, playing free of problems, we live in the present moment, in the state of alert Consciousness (so if we wish to meet an enlightened human being, all we need to do is go out to the nearest playground).

Then, carefree playing was replaced by more serious things in our life. From our parents we learned who we are and what our mission in life is. We were told that we are young human beings, still in the process of developing and shaping, and becoming an adult is a hard work.

[More…]

Philosophers stone – selected views from the boat http://philosophers-stone.co.uk