THE SECRET OF ENLIGHTENMENT IS......

Did you ever drive on highways? What happens that, while driving on highways, a time comes, when you really, don’t have to do much except, that you just use your one foot and keep applying gentle pressure on the accelerator pedal and the vehicle just rolls on, at the desired speed. Driving on highways, becomes even much easier and virtually entails no effort, on your part, if you have the cruise control device, in your vehicle and you just put it on. The vehicle, then, just moves, at the chosen speed. What, I’m trying to say is that, if you remain, in one state of consciousness, for long, then one of the two things are bound to happen to you – either, you will, fall asleep i.e. you will slip into unconsciousness, which is the usual case with us, or you will come awake, in metaphysical sense, commonly known as enlightenment, which is very rare. That’s why, frequent and terrible accidents on highways.    

Now, why, I’m talking about highway driving? What, highway driving has to do with the spirituality? Let me tell you, that it has and in fact, a lot. Will explain, how? You must have noticed that, if you just sit or lie down, for a while, without doing anything, what usually happens is that, you soon slip into sleep. You tend to fall asleep, if you remain in one state, for long, for the simple reason that, right now, unconsciousness is our quality. Sleep is nothing but a state of unconsciousness only. However, if you become a bit alert and bring awareness, to this state of oneness, then this could lead to your awakening. 

Now, it doesn’t matter, what state but what matters, for awakening, is to remain in one state, sufficiently for long time. Even, if you can be, say for example, in a state of anger or in a loving state or state of suffering, sufficiently for long time, then, too, you will come awake. The reason, you don’t come awake or you don’t become enlightened, is that you are off and on i.e. your states keep changing, every moment. This moment, you are angry, next moment, you are loving. One moment, you are sad, and next moment, you are happy. In this moment, you may be disturbed but in the next moment, you are peaceful and so on and so forth. 

Just pay attention to yourself and you will find that, this exactly is happening to you. In your waking i.e. the moment you wake up, until you go to sleep, you are never in one state but in different states of emotions, at different times. Because, you can’t be in one or single state, for long and that’s why enlightenment does not happen to you. Now, the different states are nothing but various states of the same mind only. But, one state of awareness, is state of consciousness and hence, a state beyond all states. It’s an existential state, which transcends all other states. 

Now, let me tell you, that we all, too, are enlightened, in some way, because, in certain moments, when you are just aware, you are in a state of enlightenment, in that moment. Because, enlightenment is nothing but just awareness only. But what is important for full-time enlightenment, is to sustain that state and stay in that one state of awareness, all the time, uninterruptedly. Maintaining or staying, all the time, in that one state of awareness, is all the sadhana about and that is what is needed because, awareness is key to enlightenment. 

That’s the difference between, we, part time yogis and a full-time yogi or an enlightened being. A full-time yogi or enlightened being, means, he is in one state of awareness, all the time, and that too, effortlessly because meditation or awareness, has now, become his quality. Awareness has now become his habit or way of living. What, we know as an enlightened being, is the one, for whom, being aware, is a way of living, now. He is always, in the same or single state, all the time. That’s why a yogi or enlightened being, is awake in his sleep and asleep in his waking, meaning, he is awake or conscious all the time. He is full of light or of consciousness, all the time. 

So, by giving you the analogy of highway driving, all what I’m trying to say, is that if you can practice, being in one state of emotion, which you are familiar or comfortable with, you will come awake, in metaphysical sense. The secret, of your awakening, is to be, in one state, and that, too, for sufficiently long time. Meditation is nothing but practicing to be in one state of awareness for long. A time comes when you don’t even need this practice and you even have to drop this practice of medication, too, because meditation or awareness has now become your habit or way of living.