Enlightened Spirituality
and How To Get a Glimpse of It Today
Enlightened Spirituality simply has to be the ultimate goal of all personal development efforts. I’ve glimpsed this timeless, peaceful, mesmerising state several times in my life, and frankly, this quickest of snapshots has changed me irreversibly. All of my goals and actions are now built around trying to access this state at will.
This article will explain to you what enlightened spirituality is, how I experienced it, and detail my renewed practice to attempt to access this life-changing state every day. It is not easy, it is certainly not easy, but if you are committed to attaining lasting states of peace and happiness, this has to be the path for you.
Enlightened Spirituality – What is it?
It is almost impossible to describe the state of enlightened spirituality, or simply enlightenment, in words.
The feelings experienced when enlightenment suddenly flirts with you are far beyond anything that you or I could hope to experience in our day to day lives. There is a depth to this power that transcends language, transcends time, and transcends “me” or “you” as a person.
All that is left is a sense of infinite connectedness to everything that exists, and a deeply held sense that everything is perfect and in its own perfect place.
Now, admittedly this description probably hasn’t helped you much – unless, of course, you have been fortunate enough to have been shown this magnificent nirvana yourself. If you have, the simplicity of the above statement probably resonates deeply within you.
If pressed to detail the experience further, I would describe enlightened spirituality as follows – although please note, as mentioned above, that the words alone cannot hope to do the experience justice.
Enlightenment is a place where happiness and joy abide in abundance. In fact, these are the only emotions that exist here, aside from a sense of compassion and love for everything and everyone.
Whilst you will personally feel an unshakable sense of well-being, the paradoxical nature of this special place means that your own well-being is (for once) the furthest thing from your mind.
The sense of isolation that typifies our human existence immediately vanishes, replaced instantaneously with a serene sense that we are all one – every human, every animal, every tree, every plant – everything - we are all one, we all came from the same place, we will all end up in the same place – we are all just one, wholly integrated and connected organism.
The need for success, the desperate need for achievement, the desire to be loved and applauded by all immediately implode, as does the inescapable fear of death that pervades our lives and haunts our dreams at night. When experiencing enlightenment for the first time, it is immediately clear that not only is all of life indisputably infinite, but we are foolishly mistaken to think otherwise for even a second.
With enlightened spirituality, the world around you suddenly explodes in an awesome array of the most vibrant colours and sensations. Within seconds of glimpsing enlightenment, you see and feel and experience firsthand the energy that pulsates through every living thing, and you immediately understand deeply the wisdom and strength that exists in everything from the garden weed to the mighty tree.
Best of all, your mind...just....stops.... there is sublime experience, yet there is no analysis. The quietness in your mind is accentuated by the mammoth explosion of energy and power inside your body. You have returned to the source.
As you can imagine, if you took the best experience of your life so far, multiplied it by 10, added in a sprinkling of powerful psychedelic drugs and the naked woman / man of your dreams, you wouldn’t be coming close to the abundant sense of perfectness that enlightened spirituality provides.
I know from my few, fleeting experiences of this utterly perfect state that it is within our power as mere mortals to access enlightened spirituality – however, first we need to transcend the very thing that we are led to believe is “us” – the mind.
Enlightened Spirituality and The Mind
The human mind is all that is stopping you from accessing the state of enlightenment now.
The constant chattering of your brain, with its never-ending analysis, judgements, theories, summaries, questions, murmurings and “feedback”, acts as the ever-present security guard to the gates of enlightened spirituality.
Our biggest mistake is in presuming that the voice we hear in our heads is actually “me”. It’s not. The majority of “thinking” is actually just unconscious regurgitation from our subconscious mind. We don’t mean to think, yet we do. Non-stop. Even when we are dreaming. Even when we are distracted by the TV, a book, a movie or a friend. Unconscious thinking is a compulsive disease, which affects the vast majority of people on this planet. It just takes a bit of practice to realise this. But practice we will!
When we are caught up in our minds, we barely notice the world around us. We are almost continuously distracted by thoughts of the past and the future, and engage in a near constant analysis of what we can do to make our lives “better”. We spend so long planning how to make ourselves happy, that we forget to learn how to be happy at the only time that ever really exists – now.
We somehow manage to convince ourselves that if we get X,Y and Z in our lives, THEN... and only then, will we feel at peace. Naturally, when we do achieve the goals we set, the pain and the fear don’t go away. In fact, the more we achieve, the unhappier we can be, for when we actually get what we thought we “needed” to make us happy and whole, and it doesn’t do what we expected it to, we can get even more depressed, isolated and confused.
Don’t give up just yet, however. There are ways to transcend this disease of the mind – if only for a few fleeting moments at first. If you practice (and you will need to practice), you can expect to experience a respite from the exhausting, continual barrage of unconscious thoughts that are driving humans to lives of unfulfilling work, substance abuse, depression and unhappiness.
Treat your brain as a muscle. If you exercise it with the techniques below, you will begin to control your thinking, be happier, worry less and become a gentler, more compassionate person. All muscles need work to become strong, supple and responsive – and with regular training, you can learn to fix your brain the way Arnie fixed his arms – with no steroids required.
Enlightened Spirituality – Exercises
The following exercises are meant to be practiced as often as you can remember. Even if you just practice for a few moments a day, you will gradually begin to take charge of your brain, feel happy and peaceful, and you may even get a glimpse or two of the elusive state of enlightenment!
(1) Pay Full Attention.
The quickest and easiest way to transcend your mind is to pay full attention to whatever it is you are doing, here and now.
Practice this on otherwise “boring” tasks, such as washing up, climbing stairs, taking a shower, walking to the bus stop and waiting in line.
To do this, simply give your full attention to the task at hand.
Catch yourself whenever possible and make a mental note to just s...l...o...w ... down.
Notice your breathing. Notice your posture. Notice how your muscles feel. Notice the warmth inside your body as your blood pumps through it. Feel your heartbeat. Feel your feet in your shoes. Feel your skin beneath your clothes. Realise how much is continuously happening that you have been blocking out unconsciously.
Look around you, as if seeing the world with fresh eyes. Look for cracks in the pavement, for reflections in water. Realise how intricate everything is, without you needing to know about it. Notice creases in your clothes, or look at the individual hairs on a stranger’s head. Just watch them – don’t analyse – don’t explain – just watch. See the simplicity and beauty in everything.
Feel the sensations of what you are holding, touching, or standing on. Smell the subtle fragrances that abound, wherever you are. Hear the sounds around you, again without analysing. Let the sounds flow through you. Feel the wind on your skin. Let the birds sing, without your mind saying “that is a bird singing”. Appreciate its beauty and magnificence.
Notice how the simple act of swallowing reverberates round your entire body. Notice how a leaf flutters and flurries and falls to the ground. Notice anything. Just pay full attention to whatever it is that is happening. The smallest, most trivial experience can be an opportunity for enlightened spirituality, and for a profound sense of connectedness.
Notice how the sun reflects in the puddle. In the shower, listen to the incredibly relaxing pitter-patter of the water streams crashing to the floor. Smell the shower gel as it hits the steam. Watch the formation of bubbles on your body, and the intricate and unique patterns they create, as beautiful in their own way as a snowflake at Christmas.
Whatever it is you are doing, pay full attention to it. You will quickly realise that nothing is quite as you thought it was.
Don’t be distracted. Be present, now. Experience the world as it is. See through the eyes of a child.
(2) Breathe.
Taking measured, deep and controlled breaths is a fast way to
become present,
and to quieten the mind.
Whenever you remember, simply take three slow, deep breaths.
Breathe through your abdomen (so your belly expands), hold it for a few seconds, and then release slowly.
Try to imagine a feather hovering in front of your mouth. When you exhale, attempt to breathe out so gently that this make-believe feather would not even flutter. Be sure to breath all the way out though, as slowly and as measured as you can make it.
You’ll find that after just three breaths you will feel more centred, calmer, and closer to the state of enlightened spirituality. This is a great tool to use if you have something important to do which requires you to feel assured, level-headed or relaxed.
Simply put, the more you practice, the better you will feel.
(3) Laugh!
If you have had the privilege and pleasure of glimpsing enlightened spirituality, you will know that the closest we can come to replicating the state in our day-to-day lives is by laughing.
Now, I’m not talking about a gentle chuckle, I’m talking about a deep, bellowing belly laugh that reverberates around your entire body and causes you to immerse yourself fully in the moment.
For me, Will Ferrell is as close to a spiritual comedic guide as I’m likely to encounter. You may have a favoured comedian who never fails to crack you up. If you do, watch them as much as possible and notice how the effect of a belly laugh can change your entire perspective of life in just a few seconds, whilst you are clutching your sides and gasping for air.
Laugh often with your friends, family, colleagues, customers and strangers. Laugh as much as you physically can. Start your day with the intention to laugh as much as possible.
The loss of time, self-awareness and inhibition that occurs with a hearty fit of uncontrollable laughter is as close to enlightenment as you can come right now. Enjoy!
(4) Watch Your Thoughts
The final way I use to enter a state of near enlightened spirituality is to act as the ever-alert guardian of my thoughts.Whilst this is certainly the trickiest of my suggestions to master (or even become competent at), the impact is certainly proportionate to the challenge. If you can master watching your thoughts, you will be as close to enlightenment as anyone.
As mentioned above, the majority of thoughts that “pop up” into our heads are unconscious. We do not mean to think them – yet we tend to take the content of these unrequested thoughts much too seriously. We all seem to mistake these thoughts for “us”, and as such afford them the importance that we would if we had consciously sat down for years to brainstorm them consciously.
If we can learn to notice these thoughts, and not “become” them (by reacting emotionally), we begin to transcend the mind and the illusion of “me”.
In short, if you can learn to acknowledge the thoughts that arise, and then choose whether to act on them, we can separate our true selves from our minds.
To do this, you have to practice catching yourself as thoughts come into your head. In the words of Eckhart Tolle, you must begin to “watch the thinker”. Allow me to explain further:
When a thought arises, rather than immediately accepting it as “fact”, take a moment and just watch the thought. Step back and simply look at it. Don’t analyse the content or begin a to-and-fro as to its validity, just simply notice that a thought has emerged.
As you do this, you will feel a deep sense of energy and serenity within you. This, I believe, is enlightened spirituality in direct action.
The entity watching the thought is the true you. This entity can then choose whether to act on the thought, or merely to dismiss it, all without succumbing to the unconscious assumption that “anything that pops into my head is me”.The more you practice this, the more you will see just how many useless, debilitating and negative “thoughts” arise during any given day.
As soon as you learn to distance yourself from this unconscious affliction, you will become closer to enlightenment.
This is not easy, not at all. I’ve been practicing this for 2 years, and still there are periods of days and weeks where I “forget” to watch the thinker, and become consumed by negative thoughts and self-pity.
Rest assured that the cause of the majority of pain in your life comes from believing that every thought that arises is “you”. It really, really, really is not.
When you realise that this is a fallacy, your life will improve immeasurably. It is an on-going progress, but just practicing the above steps has transformed me from a depressive, self-pitying moaner, to a happy, energetic, enthusiastic and friendly young man.
Try these ideas out – and take a step closer to enlightened spirituality. I hope you’ll join me on what I imagine is the most important journey of all. I believe that the more of us who embark on this journey, the better our odds of helping humanity to rediscover what it means to leave a truly happy and peaceful life.
Recommended Resources
After reading the following texts (or after using the products), I was truly given a glimpse of enlightened spirituality. These powerful guides are expressly designed to take you into this state, far more effectively than I could hope to at this stage.
If this article has been interesting or inspiring for you, I’d heartily recommend you continue with the suggested resources below. I am sure they will help you like they helped me.
Over thirty of my friends and family have now read this book - and every single one has been similarly affected by it.
If ever there was a life-changing book that puts everything in perspective, and allows you to experience enlightenment for yourself, this is it. If you are only going to read one book on spirituality, this is it.
Dan's luck changes when he meets an old man he nicknames Socrates, who goes on to teach him lessons about enlightened spirituality and living a valuable life.
Powerful, transformational, moving, uplifting and sad, this is the perfect book for anyone who likes books similar to The Alchemist. Highly recommended for those on the spiritual path.
Binaural Beats
are low-cost MP3 recordings which put you in a meditative state quickly and easily. Meditation is a pre-requisite to developing your sense of enlightened spirituality, but it can be tough to learn with no help. Using binaural beats will allow you to meditate like a Zen Monk in minutes, with no skill required. Read my article to find out more.
The Mind Body Training Company
offers a number of study-at-home meditation courses, which teach you how to meditate deeply and balance your body's energy systems. If you just take a look at the testimonials for their products, you will see just how much of an impact they can have on your pursuit of enlightened spirituality.
Related Articles
What is Spirituality?
Becoming Present
Benefits of Meditation
How to be Happy
Binaural Beats
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