Below is a translation from Russian of a text addressing the question of what enlightenment is. The translation is by Petya Stoyanova, and the author of the text is the creator of the Russian website “Self-Knowledge – the Path of Enlightenment,” who states that he prefers to remain anonymous and therefore withholds his name.
I decided to share his account of the experience of enlightenment because there are many different answers to this important question. It is important because the attainment of enlightenment is one of the names given to the goal of the spiritually seeking person. But what does that which we strive for actually look like in practice?
Here is one possible answer to this question — with gratitude to Petya for the translation.
“Enlightenment (awakening) is a remarkable state, but it is very difficult to describe it accurately, because it lies beyond concepts and words. Words can only mutilate it. Therefore, without clinging to the words themselves, look in the direction toward which they are pointing.
Remember that the words describing the phenomenon are merely labels. The label and the phenomenon are not the same thing. Words cannot convey the exact meaning of the phenomenon, but they can indicate the direction in which one should look. This is like a road sign showing that you have left the city — the city and the sign are by no means the same thing. Take this into account in order to avoid unnecessary problems.
Enlightenment is the primordial state of consciousness.
It is a state of pure, unlimited consciousness — it was such until you invented all sorts of things for yourself. ‘Unlimited’ means ‘without any boundaries, dimensions, or restrictions.’ Words, thoughts, concepts, representations, beliefs, worldview — all of these are limitations.
Enlightenment is the true nature of the spiritual being — that is, of you.
It is unchanging, eternal, infinite. Everything changes except your primordial nature, which the human being has simply forgotten.
THAT IS WHY EVERYONE CAN ATTAIN ENLIGHTENMENT.
In practice, ‘attaining enlightenment’ is not a very accurate expression. How can one attain something that already exists? It would be more correct to say that it is necessary to free ourselves from the illusions that prevent us from seeing the Truth.
Most techniques that lead to enlightenment clear habitual patterns of thinking and behavior, mental limitations that do not allow us to live ‘here and now,’ to be present (simply to be) and to perceive.
It should not be said that enlightenment is a state of joy and bliss, because that would be a limiting statement: it would imply that all other emotions and bodily sensations disappear.
Enlightenment does not rid us of any emotions or bodily sensations. A person does not turn into a robot or a plant. Enlightenment frees us from the ego, which, identifying itself with the body, the mind, and many other things, believes that it is the one experiencing these emotions and sensations, thereby creating suffering. When the ego disappears, emotions and sensations remain; consciousness perceives them, but it does not say ‘these are my sensations,’ ‘I feel this,’ and so on.
Identification with the body is absent.
It is also true that the quantity and intensity of unpleasant emotions sharply decrease. Thoughts, emotions, and sensations arise and disappear without leaving a trace. They do not ‘get stuck’; they do not have the duration they once had. Each new moment brings a new perception, freeing us from what was present a moment ago. For example, at one moment a feeling of sadness may arise, but only two seconds later you realize that a smile is shining on your face, and the sadness has disappeared without a trace.
There is also no identification with the mind: you can no longer say ‘I thought,’ ‘I decided,’ ‘I concluded’ — this would not correspond to the truth. Rather, you will say something like: ‘a thought came,’ ‘a decision arose,’ ‘the conclusion is such.’ At least there will be a sense that this is how it is now. You do not perceive yourself as the mind; you are more like a present awareness observing the mind, although many enlightened people continue to use ordinary human expressions such as ‘I,’ ‘me,’ ‘I think,’ and so on.
Enlightenment is characterized by an understanding of the nature of the mind and of life as a whole.
Regarding the mind
Does the mind remain after enlightenment? The functional mind — yes, it remains, because the mind and the body are, in a sense, one mechanism. The functional mind is simply a mechanism that supports the functioning of the body. It is not self-aware; it simply works, performing specific functions. This is the mind of the body, as in animals.
The other mind — the ‘ego’ — disappears.
The ego is the ‘thinking mind,’ the endlessly chattering entity that produces judgments, evaluations, comparisons, is constantly worried about something, and argues with itself. The ego is felt as ‘I’ and considers itself something like the center of consciousness. Ask yourself the question ‘Who am I?’ and the ego will give you answers. All answers to this question are identifications.
When the ego disappears, what remains is pure perceiving consciousness and the body with its functional mind. Identification with the mind and the body disappears. You continue to have a mind and a body, but you understand that you are neither one nor the other. Responding to your name, you understand that the name is merely a label attached to this body-mind that you perceive. Identification with the name disappears.
Complete spiritual freedom — which we so ardently seek through various practices — is a synonym for enlightenment.
It is an awakening from the illusions in which the human being has been entangled. It is pure presence, witnessing, observing the illusions of life without involvement in them. It is like a real awakening from nighttime dreams: in the dream you were involved and unconscious, the dream seemed so real that the question of its reality never arose. But then you awaken and realize that it was unreal — it was simply an illusion.
Enlightenment is a state beyond dualities; you are no longer caught in their traps. This is an important part of the description of enlightenment.
Unfortunately, enlightenment is difficult to describe with words, because significant distortion occurs. That is why there are so many misconceptions about enlightenment. Nothing can be done about this. Do not think that there exists one single correct description of enlightenment. No — there is none. There are only signposts pointing in the right direction, but in order to fully understand what enlightenment is, one must be enlightened…
…no technique will give enlightenment — and certainly not absolute enlightenment. Enlightenment may happen, but NOT at the moment when you are doing something in order to attain it.
Because any ‘doing’ is movement within duality, from one pole to the other.
As long as you are moving within duality, you are moving within duality — even if at the same time you are clearing the mind (of those very dualities), which in itself is useful and appropriate.”
Source: pro-svet.at.ua, Description of Enlightenment
Translation: Petya Stoyanova
