So here's a question for the group. One of the most fundamental assumptions within the TMO, and in many paths that see enlightenment as the end product of their spiritual sadhana, is that *in* the state of enlightenment one's perceptions are accurate, a true reflection of reality.
The reasons given for this assumption are many, and depend a lot on the set of buzzwords that the spiritual tradition tends to use. In TM, the enlightened ones can perceive accurately because they have dissolved all their stresses, or because they have gone beyond karma, or they are in tune with the Laws Of Nature. In other spiritual traditions it might be because they have dissolved their samskaras. Whatever...the assump- tion is still there. This assumption forms the entire *basis* of guru yoga. "You should do what the guru says because he's *right*; his perceptions are accurate, free from distortion, unclouded by the things that cloud our perceptions. The enlightened being's 'take' on things equates to Truth, because only in enlightenment can one begin to *perceive* Truth." And so on and so on. So who believes that this is true? I, for one, do not. Based on my own experiences with altered (or higher...your call) states of consciousness, I find myself after four and a half decades on the spiritual path leaning towards, "Before enlightenment, chop wood and carry water; after enlightenment, chop wood and carry water." I don't think anything changes in enlightenment. It's not really "achieving" enlight- enment or "reaching" enlightenment; it's more like realizing that enlightenment has always already been present. Having experienced this "always already present-ness" aspect of enlightenment experiences, and having realized that my perceptions of the world around me were no more accurate or "unclouded" while these enlightenment exper- iences were going on than when they weren't, it's a little difficult for me to believe in the "the enlight- ened perceive perfectly and act perfectly" model. I spent a whole story in the silly book I wrote dealing with this ( http://ramalila.net/RoadTripMind/rtm52.html ). So let's open the question up to the group. This *is* a really interesting group, full of strong spiritual seekers who have spent the better part of their lives pursuing enlightenment. So whaddyathink? When you realize your own enlightenment (or now that you have), will your perceptions be (or are your perceptions now) 100% accurate, unclouded by any stress or samskaras or anything that could render them less than objective truth, or Cosmic Truth? I'm interested in hearing what people have to say. *Not* to argue with, but just to hear the different points of view folks here might have when dealing with what is, in my opinion, one of the most fundamental assumptions underlying the TM approach to enlightenment.
