Debunking the Myth of Enlightenment
There seems to be a spiritual resurgence happening in popular culture at the moment. I can almost guarantee you that my TikTok’s For You Page will include many videos about manifestation, chakras, the properties of crystals, and more in that vein. Contemporary psychology is riddled with praise of the benefits of traditional Eastern practices such as mindfulness. Substances like Ayahuasca are having a moment, for the proclaimed spiritual breakthroughs it can provide. All around, it seems like people are collectively seeking something greater than themselves. It is safe to say that this reaching comes from a desire to experience life in a different way, maybe even a better one. The undercurrent of all this revived curiosity appears to be a search for enlightenment. Though the desire to reach this state of being is a commendable goal – we are often looking for it in all the wrong places.
Enlightenment, understood in Buddhist terms, is an English translation of the Sanskrit term ‘Bodhi’, a word that encompasses the knowledge and wisdom of the Buddha. In literal terms, the word means ‘to awaken’. So enlightenment can be recognized as an awakening of sorts. Its meaning is something that has been bounced around in pop culture for a while, with a very specific image of enlightenment forming in Western consciousness. One might conjure up the image of someone sitting at the peak of a mountain in a deep meditative state, transcending the physical plane and into the astral dimension. Or perhaps, the word stirs up a person cloaked in all white who has given up all their earthly possessions and lives off the land. Or maybe you imagine someone straight off your TikTok feed, surrounded by crystals and who journals ten pages of their manifestations each day as I sometimes imagine when I think of an enlightened person. Though these attributes can absolutely be a part of the journey, they are quite frankly very intimidating. What do you mean I might have to meditate in absolute silence for hours for the chance of reaching enlightenment?
Well, the good thing is you do not. The issue with the Western conceptualization of enlightenment is that it is understood as a final destination, a place you have to get to, and a place that you must earn your way to. There are many reasons why this misconception exists, but I think an important one is because of the capitalist conditioning that convinces us that in order to gain something, a trade-off is necessary. In order to buy an apple, I have to give away some money. We tend to apply a similar logic thinking that in order to be enlightened, I have to give away all my possessions or meditate for a certain amount of time. But luckily for us, enlightenment is not an expendable resource that can only be distributed scarcely. Enlightenment is something that everyone can achieve, and it’s not as unreachable as we might have thought.
As Thich Naht Hahn, world-renowned Buddhist teacher, explains in the opening quote: Enlightenment is always there. One of the most fundamental parts of being awakened is simply truly coming into the present moment often with the assistance of the breath as an anchor. By simply setting aside time to fully appreciate and recognize your surroundings, you can bring about a sense of enlightenment. I’ll go even further by saying I am sure almost everyone has already experienced moments of enlightenment at some point in their lives. Those moments where you are fully attuned to the wonder of a sunset, or feeling the ocean on your skin, or the smile of a loved one. Those instances where you momentarily feel the lift of a veil that separates you from the true and often beautiful nature of life. Even if this feels small, it can still be considered an enlightened moment.
A major shift that needs to happen in the Western comprehension of this awakened state, is that enlightenment is not a final destination we must work towards but should rather be understood as moments that can happen at any time. If enlightenment happens to you at the top of Mount Everest, so be it. If the use of crystals to assist you in feeling enlightened, that is perfectly okay because that is your own journey. But really, we don’t need much but ourselves and the willingness to bring our bodies and minds into the present moment. The more often we can practice this, the more we can prolong these moments of enlightenment until it can just become our natural state. And this state can be achieved by anyone.
Obviously, this is a condensation of the very rich and dense Buddhist concept of enlightenment, and if this concept interests you further I would recommend the book The Other Shore by Thich Naht Hahn. It is great for beginners and goes into more detail about this Enlightened state that so many people are striving for. As we see the popularity of spiritual practices, specifically from the East, begin to rise – it is important to remain grounded in the truth that Enlightenment can be achieved by all at any moment. It does not have to be so far away and so intimidating.