We all know the Buddha claimed to be enlightened. And most claim in that same regard, Jesus was too. Buddha described it as an end to suffering, Jesus saw it as salvation.
I know it's an apples to oranges comparison, but many who claim to be enlightened say that everyone is capable of this. Along with the process comes compassion, forgiveness, lasting happiness, gratitude for all life, and really every positive emotion without any of the negatives.
So how do you guys feel about the concept?
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[–] middle_path [S] ago
Why do you feel this way?
[–] Kromulent ago (edited ago)
Because we don't have any Westerners who have credibly managed it, as I've said.
Of course it depends what your definition of enlightenment is; there are certainly some folks who are unusually happy, and unusually kind, and who seem remarkable to those who know them. I suspect that many of these folks could't tell you the basics of any Eastern philosophy; they might have found their own way to an enlightened end, or they might just be on the long tail of the bell curve for no reason at all.
But I have never met, and never heard of, any living, accessible Western person who could credibly claim to have achieved enlightenment by following an Eastern Spiritual path to that goal. Some have become happier, healthier, better people, but enlightened, in my mind, suggests something more than that.
[–] heretolearn ago
Autobiography of a Yogi, Autobiography of a Western Yogi, and The Power Of Now. Interesting books. Touch on enlightenment from both angles. Judge for yourself and see if they've reached enlightenment by all definitions.
[–] middle_path [S] ago
I think that's fair enough. I don't think it's inherently eastern, I feel it does mainly come through meditation - and that concept has really only been around in the western world for the past half century.
But I guess I'm also including the saints in my definition of enlightenment - and they're westerners for sure.