What is Enlightenment in 60 Seconds
What is Enlightenment, What is Awakened? Being Enlightened or Being Awakened is a special state of mind where you see things clearly. This Episode of Buddhis...

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What is Enlightenment in 60 Seconds - Video

In the most ancient civilisations of the world one finds great truths discovered by sages through meditation. Religions talk freely of what their Prophets discovered but cannot offer anything to anyone. Before proceeding any further, it is important to understand two things: 1) what is meditation? and 2) what is meditation for?

There is a very old statement which says that meditation starts when thought stops and there can be many different forms of meditation. But the subject of meditation I am talking about has nothing to do with any religion, any form of religion or any denomination of religion. Its about expanding a persons awareness, increasing their identity, their sense of self, and ultimately, it is expanded to infinity or Enlightenment, which is what lies behind everything and makes the universe possible. Now, that can sound very big, and to some people out there, it might even sound scary. But the reason a man lives a life of fear and anxiety, in fact, it can be said that a man is frightened to live and scared to die, its because living down here, he is as far away from the Cause of infinite love as he can actually get. So, as we get closer and closer to the source of everything, the energy and bliss and the love we experience gets greater and greater and greater.

For thousands of years mankind has been baffled by the question as to what is the purpose of human life, why am I born? Where have I come from? And where will I go when I die? Such questions remain un-answered, questions such as what does spirituality really involve, and is it possible to answer this for ourselves? The answer is yes. We are neither here by chance nor by accident, but there is a definite purpose to our life on this physical plane.

The very reason for the purpose of this life is to discover for ourselves the inseparability of man from God through the Grace of an Enlightened Teacher.

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Spiritual Enlightenment - Meditation to Enlightenment

Spiritual enlightenment is a concept mostly associated with Buddhism and Hinduism. Enlightenment implies complete perfection, which involves qualities such as detachment and awareness. This spiritual belief purports that life is full of suffering produced by desire and other emotions that attach the soul to worldly things; suffering is the inevitable result of attachment to these necessarily transitory things. A soul thus becomes enlightened when it remains in the world yet becomes free of attachment to it. Enlightenment is considered the end of a being's spiritual journey, be it within one life or across many.

In Buddhism, enlightenment is called nirvana. Nirvana is believed to be a state of peace and unity with the cosmos. Different forms of Buddhism teach different techniques for achieving nirvana. Orthodox Buddhists, for example, try to directly follow Buddha's teachings: in particular, the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path. Others, such as Zen Buddhists, may use challenging mental exercises, such as koans. Most forms of Buddhism also use regular meditation as a central element of the path to spiritual enlightenment.

Hinduism also uses the concept of nirvana, considering it a representation of freedom from desire and other worldly passions. Spiritual enlightenment is also part of the conclusion to the Hindu cycle of reincarnation. In this belief, souls enter many different bodies through the course of their existence. In each of the lives they lead, they develop spiritually. The ultimate goal of this spiritual development is moksha, a liberation from the system of earthly suffering, which includes the idea of spiritual enlightenment.

Enlightenment is generally considered a mystical concept. That is, it contains the promise of a spiritual clarity lying beyond description by words and attainment by action. For example, one cannot become enlightened by reading, even if one can recite the words of every sage. Enlightenment is a potentially universal experience, but each being comes to it through a unique path. Teachers may provide assistance and provocation along the way, but they cannot impose enlightenment on their pupils; one becomes enlightened alone.

The concept of spiritual enlightenment in Buddhism and Hinduism is related to but distinct from ideas such as salvation and transcendence associated with Christianity. Whereas most versions of Christianity emphasize love of Jesus Christ as a prerequisite to spiritual completeness, enlightenment usually implies liberation from teachers and doctrineone famous Zen koan suggests: "If you meet the Buddha on the road, kill him!" Enlightenment also does not involve the existence of a heaven distinct from earth. It places more emphasis on a transformation of the soul's relationship to the world of objects. The enlightened being continues a corporeal existence after having gained awareness of the illusory nature of reality. There is no separate space to which one ascends.

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What Is Spiritual Enlightenment? - wiseGEEK

JEHANABAD: Spiritual guru and founder of the Art of Living(AOL) Sri Sri Ravi Shankar on Wednesday said corruption has assumed alarming proportions in the country during the past five years eating into the vitals of the body politic. More than 30 scams have taken place during the said period.

An astronomical 1.4 trillion dollars of black money stashed in the European banks is, in fact, a sad reflection on the deep-rooted corruption embedded in our political system, he said adding in a lighter vein, "Our Lakshmi (goddess of wealth) is fair-complexioned in our land but how come she becomes black after reaching the foreign shores?"

Addressing a 10,000 strong congregation at the historic Gandhi Maidan here, Sri Sri exhorted the voters to ensure hundred percent participation in the electoral process. Asserting that coalition (khichdi) governments are detrimental to the health of the nation, the spritual leader said past experience of coalition governments in India has not been pleasant. He said the national economy is on the brink of a precipice. The industrial production in the country has nosedived to minus 2.5 % and any further spell of coalition government at the Centre is likely to sound the death knell for the national economy. Advocating for a decisive mandate this time, he called upon the people to elect a strong and stable government.

Replying to a question, the spritual guru said, "I cannot say who to vote for. Being a spritual leader, I cannot campaign for or against any particular political party in the elections. I can only make a fervent appeal to elect candidates with clean, spotless image to help overcome the hydra-headed monster of corruption."

Describing Magadh as a land of enlightenment, the spritual leader said the hoary past of Magadh always beckons me to my ashram at Bodh Gaya. He informed that AoL plans to set up a training centre for priests at the Bodh Gaya ashram and a few skill development centres for youths in Aurangabad and Jehanabad. Referring to his emotional attachment with Bihar, he said, "40 % of the employees working at our headquarters ashram in Bangalore hail from Bihar. We have also provided for reservation of 20 seats each for students of Magadh and Mithila regions for admission to management courses at our university in Odisha," he added.

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Elect strong and stable govt: Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Austin, TX (PRWEB) March 14, 2014

According to bullyingstatistics.org, 77 percent of all students reported being verbally bullied while at school in the year 2013. Recently, 49 states have passed anti-bullying laws in the hopes of seeing that percentage decrease; however, as far as author Linda Bartlett is concerned, the damage is already done.

In her new book, Never Alone, Bartlett looks back on her journey of raising a child with disabilities and the intense battle against bullies her family faced. This heartbreaking and inspiring story is a true account of her sons powerful determination to live against all medical odds and other obstacles he faced on his way to spiritual enlightenment.

I wrote this book to provide hope to people who have experienced, or are currently experiencing, overwhelming challenges in life, as well as to bring more awareness of the everlasting effects of severe bullying that is occurring in todays society, Bartlett said.

Never Alone will inspire readers to overcome any obstacle. It provides hope and encouragement, especially to those dealing with the effects of bullying as a result of a disability.

Never Alone By: Linda Bartlett ISBN: 978-1-4525-8628-1 (sc); 978-1-4525-8630-4 (hc); 978-1-4525-8629-8 (e) Softcover: $11.99 Hardcover: $28.95 Ebook: $6.99 Available at Barnes and Noble, Amazon and Balboa Press

About the Author

Bartlett grew up in a central Texas town and has always had a passion for travel. After traveling through Europe, she moved back to Texas to raise her family. Today, she works as an operating principal at a real estate franchise in Austin, Texas. She enjoys spending time with her children Jeffrey and Stephanie, traveling and sharing the message of her book.

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New Book Describes Winning the Battle Against Bullies