| According to the Buddha, being enlightened is being | | | | it hardly remains in the absolute. It returns to the limited |
| "awake." When you are awake, you recognize the | | | | world of the physical, eager to learn, discover, and |
| world for what it is-a conglomeration of illusions | | | | experience itself. Enlightenment is simply being aware |
| passing off as reality. | | | | of this process-realizing that the soul is perfect and |
| Perceptions are varied; of them all, the perception on | | | | fully enlightened wherever it is and whatever happens. |
| the earthly plane is the narrowest. On earth, you | | | | Why would a soul want to leave the ideal world of the |
| perceive only part of the reality. You believe illusions to | | | | absolute? Only the soul knows the answer to this |
| be the truth. You might wonder what we are doing on | | | | question. Possibly, it does so for the joy and |
| earth if this is the case. We are on earth because we | | | | experience of realizing itself and reuniting with the All |
| need to be here; we need to learn something or | | | | again and again. |
| experience something here. Otherwise, we would | | | | Your enlightenment doesn't depend on where you are. |
| never have chosen to be born on earth. | | | | Getting into the astral realms need not necessarily |
| Think of enlightenment as a chalkboard bearing some | | | | mean that you are enlightened. You can get |
| writings. On earth, the chalkboard is black and the | | | | enlightened on the earthly plane itself. Just as you are |
| writing is white, which accounts for the way we | | | | the only person responsible for your enlightenment, you |
| perceive things. Owing to the contrast, life on earth | | | | are also the person who stops yourself from getting |
| appears very real and rational, but feeling this way is | | | | enlightened. |
| not true enlightenment. | | | | Your soul is actually in no need of enlightenment; it is |
| If you move into the astral realms, you will realize that | | | | perfect and enlightened. You simply have to submit to |
| the chalkboard has turned gray, while the writing has | | | | the present, be where you are, and do what you are |
| turned white. You can hardly read what is written | | | | doing...not rush where your ego drives you. The soul |
| because it is not clear. But your perception in the astral | | | | has nothing to do with the ego. Hardly anybody |
| is much broader than it is in the physical. | | | | realizes this truth in the earthly plane. |
| In the higher realms, the chalkboard turns white, while | | | | You don't have to go to the astral plane to get |
| the writing remains white. This is the highest way of | | | | enlightened; you can get enlightened wherever you are. |
| perceiving things. In this state, there is no ego, no sense | | | | Moreover, enlightenment is not the highest |
| of separation, and no illusion. This is the best place for | | | | achievement of your soul. The very process of |
| a soul to be in, where the relative is absent and only | | | | learning, discovering the nature of the ego, discarding |
| the absolute exists. Here, the individual soul reunites | | | | the ego, failing, and so on is not only highly significant, |
| with the All. | | | | but also perfect. When you realize your own |
| However, the soul need not remain in the absolute, and | | | | perfection, you are enlightened. |