Understanding That There Is No Self
“Enlightenment is first of all coming to understand that there is no self in the conventional sense.
People tend to think of the self as, “Well, I’m the guy who went to this high school and had these parents, and I’m the guy who’s got an accounting degree, and I worked my way through it all and achieved these things.”
Now that’s purely an illusory self that we’re talking about. Enlightenment is coming to understand or experience that there is no objective self-there is a being, but there’s no objective self-and it’s in the process of letting go of that notion that one experiences what one truly is in the universal sense. That’s when enlightenment comes-when you realize that you are not in control. And because of that, you are very much in control.”
–Vernon Kitabu Turner (African American Poet, Martial Artist and Writer, 1948-)
A Ray of Clear Light
“A ray of clear light travels throughout all creation.”
–Ralph Metzner (German-born American Psychologist, Researcher, Writer and Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco, 1936-)
“The Unfolding Self: Varieties of Transformative Experience” (Ralph Metzner)
Real Enlightenment
“The real meaning of enlightenment is to gaze with undimmed eyes on all darkness.”
–Nikos Kazantzakis (Greek Writer, 1885-1957)
Receiving the Truth
“There are very few human beings who receive the truth, complete and staggering, by instant illumination. Most of them acquire it fragment by fragment, on a small scale, by successive developments, cellularly, like a laborious mosaic.”
–Anaïs Nin (French-born American Writer, 1903-1977)
Nonduality Is Reality
“Enlightenment is the sudden recognition that non-duality is, has always been, and will always be the reality of our experience. Duality is an illusion. Consciousness is not private and personal, but impersonal, universal, and eternal. There is no limited personal entity, no conscious ego. The ego is a perceived object, not the all perceiving awareness.”
–Francis Lucille (Canadian Advaita Teacher, 1950-)
The Light of Truth
“The truth dazzles gradually, or else the world would be blind.”
–Emily Dickinson (New England Mystic Poet, 1830-1886)
What Is Enlightenment?
“Enlightenment is that state of being so mature and unshakable by any circumstance. Come what may, nothing can rob the smile from your heart. Not identifying with limited boundaries and feeling “all that exists in this universe belongs to me,” this is enlightenment.”
–Sri Sri Ravishankar (Indian Spiritual Teacher and, in 1982, Founder of the Art of Living Foundation and the International Association for Human Values, 1956-)
Your Invisible Source
“Having access to that formless realm is truly liberating. It frees you from bondage to form and identification with form. It is life in its undifferentiated state prior to its fragmentation into multiplicity. We may call it the Unmanifested, the invisible Source of all things, the Being within all beings. It is a realm of deep stillness and peace, but also of joy and intense aliveness. Whenever you are present, you become ‘transparent’ to some extent to the light, the pure consciousness that emanates from this Source. You also realize that the light is not separate from who you are but constitutes your very essence.”
–Eckhart Tolle (German-born Author and Spiritual Teacher, 1948-)
Inner Peace Is Enlightenment
“Inner peace is also enlightenment, a state where your life is governed by God-centered nature, as opposed to self-centered nature.”
–“Peace Pilgrim” (a.k.a. Mildred Norman, American Peace Activist, 1908-1981)
Detach, Empty and Enlighten
“Enlightenment cannot be attained nor forced. It can only happen when it is given a vacant space to appear in.”
–Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj (Indian Spiritual Teacher and Exponent of Jnana Yoga and Advaita Doctrine, 1897-1981)
