Enlightenment is Ordinary

Enlightenment is Ordinary, Anxiety is Not..

I know why it is so tough to believe what you just read. It is the stories that they tell us. Renunciation, sacrifice, austerities are commonly heard in the stories of enlightenment and ‘after struggle and hard work comes success’ in the stories of anxiety. We choose the path of struggle and hard work to create a success narrative, even if it entails anxiety, because it feels easier compared to abandoning everything, similar to how Buddha did in his quest for enlightenment. Deep down, we also acknowledge the distinction between Buddha's journey and our own. We tell ourselves, “That was Buddha, I am not one, I can’t do it”.

Renunciation isn't a prerequisite, but when Osho made that statement, he faced criticism because it felt offensive to many individuals who had sacrificed much in their pursuit of enlightenment. While Osho, as mentioned in his autobiography, identified as a spiritually incorrect mystic, in this particular aspect, he was undeniably correct.

Enlightenment is not the grand event it is often portrayed to be. Life doesn't undergo a magical transformation overnight after achieving enlightenment. Instead, the change occurs from within, altering your responses to situations. However, the challenges faced by those around you—your family, your work—remain largely unchanged.

The transformative effects of enlightenment are gradual; there is no overnight magic. For instance, upon realising your true self, you might no longer feel compelled to endure a job that causes stress due to the commute, quality of work, and its impact on your health. Consequently, you may choose to resign and pursue a more meaningful path in life. Alternatively, you might recognise that the challenges at work were influenced by your own responses and thought processes, which have evolved with enlightenment. This shift may lead to a newfound enjoyment of your work, and you become a positive contributor. The outcomes of enlightenment vary, and they don't manifest immediately, contrary to what is often taught.

One prevalent outcome of enlightenment is the realisation that pursuing material gains holds little significance. Consequently, many individuals, post-enlightenment, gravitate towards teaching, viewing the act of awakening others as the most fulfilling endeavour. Guiding fellow humans towards a deeper understanding becomes a primary focus for those who have experienced enlightenment.

Let me share excerpts from the Autobiography of Osho:

You ask me what happened when you became enlightened??

“I laughed, a real uproarious laugh, seeing the whole absurdity of trying to be enlightened. The whole thing is ridiculous because we are born enlightened, and to try for something that is already the case is the most absurd thing. If you already have it, you cannot achieve it; only those things can be achieved which you don’t have, which are not intrinsic parts of your being. But enlightenment is your very nature.?

What he is trying to convey to you is to drop all your projects and relax. This state is already within you. There's no need to run around the earth, from temples to ashrams, to seek what you already have within you.

What temples and ashrams do is help you cut the noise—the distractions—by providing an environment where you can focus on yourself to realize your true nature. This is what I have come to understand after spending many days and months in temples and ashrams. However, it's essential to be mindful and not turn this into spiritual escapism (more on this in some other memo).

While I mentioned that austerities and renunciation are not prerequisites for enlightenment, they can certainly be the after-effects of it. The day you realize your true self, desire ceases. You become a river that flows, navigating trials and tribulations, touching every rock, stone, plant, and animal on your way, yet flowing without resistance. You keep flowing.

Initially, you will feel hopeless and helpless. You have been so conditioned to prepare, plan, and become productive that this can feel like a completely new and unknown world. Now that you do not look forward to the future, i.e., you are fully in the present, there is no hope. There is no running, only being [in the present], and that is deeply uncomfortable. Most people have never experienced this kind of peace. It is unsettling at its best and completely misunderstood at its worst.

The potential for enlightenment [as a state of being] exists for anyone, but it's not necessarily easy. What proves to be challenging is breaking free from the conditioned instinct to strive, which has been ingrained in us emotionally and socially since birth. However, if the effort to try can be halted, then it becomes possible to experience enlightenment. The difficulty lies in overcoming the habitual tendency to constantly strive and allowing oneself to transcend that mindset.

Back to an excerpt from the same autobiography.

“You don't know about thousands of enlightened people who have lived and died, because they had no special talents so that they become visible to the ordinary man. They may have had something unique; for example; they may have the immense quality of being silent, but that would not be noticed much. They surrender to the existence [nature] and existence will use them as deemed fit. These people will remain unrecognised. A dancer can be a buddha, a singer may be a buddha but these people will not be recognised for the simple reason that their way of doing things cannot become a teaching. It cannot help people really to come out of their sleep. But they are doing their best, whatever they can do, they are doing.”??

Becoming enlightened and becoming a master are indeed two distinct endeavours. The former is a natural state, often unrecognised, while the latter demands a combination of talent (nature + nurture). This is why those who achieve mastery gain fame and recognition; books are written about them because of their innate ability to convey teachings to the masses in a simple and practical manner. However, it's essential to acknowledge that the understanding of enlightenment often comes through relating to the stories of these masters. Unfortunately, countless unrecognised enlightened beings might not reach us with their message due to the perceived ordinary nature of their experiences.

Having lived in and around ashrams and temples, I have, so far, come close to knowing one enlightened person, and he is not a monk. In fact, he has a family and a simple job. He maintains no social media presence to proclaim his enlightenment, and he never speaks about it. Through our random discussions and my personal observations alone, I reached this conclusion. However, it was sufficient to break the notion of enlightenment as an elite concept. This understanding later got validated by a series of events and incidents that I prefer not to discuss online.

In the end, I would still advise not to take what I say as absolute truth but rather consider it as a hypothesis. Embark on your own journey to validate or challenge this insight based on your unique experiences and understanding.

“??? ??, ??? ??, ????? ?? ????? ?? ???, ?? ?????

“Keep flowing, keep flowing, don’t try to swim, you will get tired”

The credit of the title goes to this tweet by Dan Goldfield. It inspired me to write my thoughts on the subject.?

Send your thoughts and feedback on [email protected]. I personally answer all emails to this address.?

Some Updates:

• I was MIA on my memos because I decided to take some time off this month to consolidate all my programs and workflows in one place by automating the scheduling and payments side of my work.
• As a entrepreneur, I always have a lot on my plate, but I wanted to take time out to automate aspects of my work that I don't enjoy, such as payment reminders and coordination on calendar bookings. This allows me to focus on things I enjoy, like writing and research.
• So TAADAAA!! Here we are; Santim.
• After a long journey (which is still ongoing, by the way), I found this to be the best alignment of all my skills, ideas, knowledge, and time so far.
• A big shoutout to this anonymous person who was literally my saviour this month. She has done the majority of the work on websites and workflows. A big thank you to people who read between the lines and message me to offer help. I feel genuinely supported. Gratitude.

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Disclaimer: Take this whole memo as a hypothesis worth validating and not the ultimate truth. I am still evolving in my thought process on this subject and my views may differ tomorrow. In subjects like this; like everything else, I am allowed to change my mind. I am naive, learning and this is the current representation of my thinking. Upwards and onwards :)