The Quest For Enlightenment Is Bullshit
You’re already (t)here.
There are a lot of misconceptions around the topic of enlightenment. Chances are that every single person you’ll ever speak to will have a different idea of what this 13-letter word should (or shouldn’t) imply, what it actually means, and how to achieve it.
A lot of people think that being “enlightened” means turning into some sort of spiritual guru or monk that meditates 4 hours every day, that does yoga at least 7 times a week, who has spent years travelling to India and Nepal to learn the ancient secrets of the sages, or has lived in a zen monastery for decades.
There is this really toxic and discouraging idea that in order to be enlightened you need to be trained a lot, have to spend a lot of energy and time doing weird, useless tasks, and put a lot of effort into your practice.
But nothing could be further from the truth. The funny thing is that everyone who claims to have reached enlightenment by doing this is in fact enlightened, but not because of the things they’ve done and claim to be the “secret ingredient” to it.
They’re enlightened because, very simply put, we are all enlightened. Everyone is fundamentally “enlightened”: from people, to non-humans, to plants, to the entire universe. We just have to realise it.
So, what does it really mean? What is enlightenment?
To be enlightened means to be illuminated — hence, aware of the truth. Of course, it’s very difficult to know The Truth, especially considering that there isn’t just one, but many different truths out there.
The most fundamental truth I’m referring to, however, is that everything that exists is connected, and therefore, at the very core, we are all one single entity.
We are all different parts, or bits, of the same all.
Once you understand this concept you are automatically enlightened, because you are aware of what’s going on under the veil. Once you realise that we are all part of the same thing, you instantly become present.
You are here, alive, in the flow of things. In the now. You start appreciating your existence as the simultaneous existence of all there is. You feel connected to plants, to other animals, to people — even though you might not personally know them.
You just feel a deep, strong connection to everyone, and are certain that everything is going to be okay, because no matter what happens, that’s how the universe works. We are (in) the universe, so everything that happens in it is automatically aligned with the purpose of this global, universal entity —in other words, with the Tao; way, or flow of existence.
Some people might say or think that they feel as if their own desires and interests are going against the interests of the cosmos, but in reality that’s impossible: what you want is necessarily what the universe itself wants. Your desires and the universe’s desires — or plans — are qualitatively the same; they’re just quantitatively different. In fact, no matter what, those goals are all perfectly aligned, and there is absolutely no way that your true interests are going against the interests of everyone else and those of the cosmos itself.
True here is the key word, because of course, if you’re not pursuing your true interests, and don’t recognise that you’re being an integral part of everything, then — at least for now — you’re on the wrong path, because you can’t help but think that you’re a separate entity that’s not participating in the dance of the universe. You’ll have a mechanistic, partial view of existence, and you’ll inevitably try to take advantage of others, of nature, of your fellow earthlings.
But when you realise that you’re in fact a fundamental part of it, suddenly everything aligns, and beautiful things start coming to you.
This is what it means to be enlightened: to realise that you and the universe are the very same thing, and are essentially cooperating for the same goal, which is to simply exist. In harmony.
To be.
And since we are all part of the same thing, everyone is already enlightened. No need to stress about it.
