---Thanks, I disagree with the 100%-er viewpoint below. Enlightenment PLUS tons of money, perfect health, clean environment,...etc; is better than just E with no particular concerns about the relative. That's where MMY comes in, at least as to the goal. He's a 200%-er. Are you aware that Ramakrishna died of throat cancer, and looked like one of those Holocaust survivors near his demise.? That wasn't a good way to go. Ramana Maharshi also had cancer. Jean Klein had a stroke and was a total vegetable for 6 months before he died. (that's Enlightenment for you!).
> > Yeah, dang that is my experience too. Great description. In a > nutshell of a short essay this about says it all, in words western. > That is wonderful. Thanks for taking the time & concern in posting > it. > > -Doug in FF > > --- In [email protected], Vaj <vajranatha@> wrote: > > > > Enlightenment Does Not Mean Being Psychic > > > > by John Houseman > > > > [This is the third essay on Enlightenment by John Houseman. His > first > > essay can be seen by clicking here, and his second by clicking > here. > > John has written two more essays which will follow, and he will be > > avilable for personal enlightenment coaching and counseling when > our > > EnlightenMentor program debuts in the next few weeks.] > > > > > > "Heaps of rubbish." Swami Ramakrishna, on psychic powers > > > > > > "They are obstacles to samadhi." Patanjali, on psychic powers > > > > > > Most people involved in spirituality have at some point had some > > experience with people who are healers and psychics if not being > > healers and psychics themselves. Over 2,000 years ago, the Buddha > had > > a name for the extraordinary abilities of some people to see into > the > > future, talk to disincarnate beings, miraculously heal potentially > > fatal injuries, and display other great powers that defy our > common > > experiences of life. He called these abilities suffering. Yes, > > suffering. In his teachings, the Buddha described three types of > > suffering: the ordinary suffering of everyday life, the > extraordinary > > suffering of terrible tragic events, and the third type he called > the > > suffering of high mystical states. > > > > All of the work of experiencing ecstatic awareness, astral travel, > > long-distance healing all of this, to the Buddha, was just more > > suffering. It was suffering because none of these experiences > could > > release a person from the illusion of separateness. As long as a > > person lived under that great burden of the illusion of > separateness, > > no matter how miraculous his or her spiritual talents, that person > > was suffering. > > > > From my own experience, I can see that the Buddha was right. > > Throughout my long 15-year journey to enlightenment, I studied and > > worked with many of Americaís greatest psychics and healers. They > > cleared me of much of my karma, and taught me to develop my own > > psychic and healing skills. Yet virtually none of them had even > the > > slightest clue of what enlightenment was. They had not read the > > classics of enlightened writing, like the Tao Te Ching, the > Bhagavad > > Gita, or the Heart Sutra; they had not plumbed the depths of the > > Gospels or the writings of the Sufi saints. Few had sat at the > feet > > of living enlightened masters to ponder the deepest truths of > > existence. As a result, these great healers and psychics who I > > studied with were almost totally ignorant of the highest goal of > > spiritual growth. > > > > > > Enlightenment is not about being psychic it is about > > identification. Enlightenment means identification with God. All > the > > healers and psychics I know of in America still cling to the > orthodox > > Western theological position that God and humans are fundamentally > > separate. Most will occasionally pay lip service to the idea > that "We > > are all one," and many will share their rare and precious peak > > experiences of unity with the Divine. But almost none live in that > > state of unitive awareness permanently. I have rarely met a > psychic > > or a healer who could say from the core of their being "I am > > that, I am awakened God Consciousness, God and I are one." > > > > About ten years ago, I went to see one of the most highly regarded > > healers on the East Coast, a real spiritual powerhouse, one > regarded > > as a true philosopher and wise man. It took me six months before I > > could even see him because his wait list of clients was so long. I > > arrived with great anticipation. He asked me how he could help me, > > and I told him I was seeking enlightenment. "Enlightenment!?" He > > exclaimed with horror, "Enlightenment!?" He was so shaken he could > > hardly work on me for the rest of the session. This was one area > > where he had nothing to give. My hour with him was a disaster, and > I > > almost asked for my money back. Truly, many wonderful skills are > > taught in Americaís healing schools, but enlightenment, union with > > God, is not one of them. And what I have seen in these great healer- > > > teachers is not the Bliss Consciousness of enlightenment burning > > eternally from their eyes, but suffering. In addition, psychic and > > healing powers can and do inflame the ego. Many talented healers I > > know have enormous egos, which deepens their suffering. > > > > Just as enlightenment means identifying with God (or Source), the > > opposite of enlightenment, suffering, means not identifying with > God. > > Unenlightened beings take a very small portion of all of > existence, > > the part that starts at their feet and ends at the top of their > head, > > and say "This is me." Then they takeeverything else in the > universe > > and say "This is not me." This is a very lopsided way to divide up > > the world, to say the least. And it leads one to feeling > alienated, > > alone, and scared. It leads to defensiveness, and to the assertion > of > > oneness at the expense of others. Even for those who find some > degree > > of happiness in this way of life, there is inevitably a degree of > > existential anxiety from this illusion of separation. Surely, this > is > > suffering. > > > > A few wise beings, however, are able to break out of the mold of > this > > highly limited structure of awareness. They are able to see that > what > > is around them is not composed of separate things and people, but > > there is a flowing unity and connectedness to life. These > individuals > > have shifted their perceptual horizons, made a paradigm shift, and > > discovered that they too, are a part of this oneness. It is an > > important realization, for they have achieved identification with > the > > world of the senses. Those who have discovered this truth can be > said > > to be enlightened on the level of the personality. However, this > > degree of enlightenment is so minor that it is not normally > regarded > > by enlightened masters as a true level of enlightenment. > > > > From the pool of these few wise beings, a smaller group will go > > beyond the dimension of the five senses to see an even larger > > reality. They will come to know the multidimensionality of > existence, > > and they will become aware that they are eternal beings, souls > that > > live beyond the body. For those few who hold to an intention of > union > > with God, at some point in their spiritual development, they will > > heal themselves to the point where they will release their > > identification with the personality and identify themselves with > the > > soul. Knowing themselves fully to be eternal and beyond space and > > time, they are still not enlightened. > > > > At a still later stage, these spiritual heroes will heal the > karmic > > wall around them caused by the causal body, which separates the > > individual from the rest of creation, and creates and sustains the > > illusion of separateness. With the release of the causal body, the > > higher spiritual energies of the entire universe will flood the > > individual. This creates an awareness of being one with all > creation. > > Persons in this state of awareness know that everything in the > > universe is a part of them. This new identification with creation > is > > the first level enlightenment. > > > > However, there is still one more step to go, the most important > step > > of all. This individual may experience themselves as one with the > > world around them, and one with the higher dimensions of elemental > > beings, angels, and so on. But a wall of separation still exists > > between those beings on the first rung of enlightenment and God. > In > > the final step, the individual releases his or her identification > > with all he or she is, and simply dissolves back into Source. One > > returns to the Source of Being, known in Kabbalah as Primordial > > Cosmic Light. One says, in effect, "I am All of Created Existence, > I > > am the Universe, and I give it all to you, God, I give it all to > > you." In this ultimate act of love and surrender, the soul returns > to > > Source, and is then reborn from the Source as Awakened God > > Consciousness. The individual has made the final shift in identity > > from individual personality, to eternal soul, to Creation, to > Source, > > and finally, to the Totality. One is finally a fully enlightened > being. > > > > In Tantric Buddhism, psychic abilities are considered one of > > the"bonsues" of enlightenment. Traditionally, one does not seek > these > > powers but seeks enlightenment, and if these higher powers come > along > > the way, they are a gift to be shared with others in order to > assist > > them on their own paths to enlightenment. I have found through my > own > > journey that psychic abilities can be a very useful tool for > reaching > > enlightenment, but only because I was determined to apply them > > towards the ultimate goal of union with God. In addition, in my > > enlightened state, my own psychic abilities continue to grow, and > I > > am always happy to use them in service to others. It is my > sincerest > > hope that healers and psychics around the country will take a > fresh > > look at what spiritual growth means to them and re-center their > > efforts towards identification with God and the realization of > Unity > > Consciousness. > > >
