Enlightenment / Advaitanubhavam / Anubhavam

'Enlightenment' We keep hearing this word every where in spirutuality. What is enlightenment? Whom do we call enlightened?

It is commonly said Enlightened person is one who knows self/Brahmam/Atma/Paramatma। If we examine the upanishads, we will come across several verses defining/explaining the above names: Notably, there is this verse :"Aanando Brahma" = आनंदो ब्रह्म = Aanandame Brahmamu = Happiness/peace/calmness is Brahmam.

Enlightenment is nothing but calmness/peace/bliss/happiness. It is experiencing what is experienced in deep sleep/susupthi. In deep sleep, there is no second. There is no awareness of the existence of the self. When there is no "I", there is no "other than I"; i.e., no existence of two (dwandwam). What is there is there. Everyone agrees that deep sleep is pleasant. Everyone yearns for it. We have doctors prescribing drugs for insomnia. We have patients flocking hospitals if they cannot sleep properly. Why this obsession with sleep? Sleep refreshes both body and mind. By sleep what do we mean? sleep filled with dreams or dreamless sleep? It is the deep dreamless sleep that we yearn for. Because it is pleasant/bliss/happiness. Enlightenment is experiencing the same bliss/happiness in wakeful state and dream state.

An enlightened person is one who is always in that experience and who in fact is that experience because in state of deep sleep or when experiencing the bliss there is no seperate existence of "I" or "other than I" (I apologize for the choice of words like state but right now I cannot think of any other). This is the advaitanubhavam that is talked about. The enlightened person, as he is experiencing the calmness/peace/bliss without the second (advaitaanubhuvam), sees the whole universe as one; as self. He is the constant unchanging observer and at the same time the change (Just as our body and mind (thinking/thought process) undergoes change yet we are still unchanged). He is the expressed (vyaktam as anu roopam; as universe) and unexpressed (avyaktam as akasam/space). He is gyanam (pure consciousness). He is mounam (silence).

You may wonder from my explanation how a person experiencing the advaitanubhavam sees the whole universe (the vyaktha - avyaktham) as self. The answer is by the simple experience of the experience. Due to his anubhavam, he realizes the fact that there is no question of "I" or "other than I". What exists exists and what exists is not sepearate from the one who is experiencing the existence. Hence, he sees all as self. When a person realizes that everything (vyaktha - avyaktham) as self then what will he do. He will be silent. When some one approaches him and asks him about self or some related things, then he will speak. Why will he speak? Why should he tell any one for he has realized all is self? then to whom will he have to tell this for to acknowledge the existence to someone seperate means that all is not self? and you are right to ask all these questions. The answer is simple. You know that your whole body is you, right!. Now, if there is a feeling of itching in the leg and you use your hand to scratch it or you neglect it, either way, are you or is your arm doing a favor to your leg or does scratching mean that you have acknowledged a seperate existence of leg and identified it as not your body.
Simply, for an enlightened person, he is experiencing himself.

When people see an enlightened person, they see the calmness/bliss/happiness in spite of his physical condition. So, they go to him and ask, "we have money, job, house, family. we are happy and thankful for what we have but in spite of all this when things go wrong or circumstances are not favorable we feel sad and depressed. But how can you be happy always? what is it that you know that makes you so?" and so on. Then the enlightened person will say, "I know myself. I know that my nature (tatvam) is calmness/Peace/bliss. I know that the nature of anything is silence/peace/bliss/calmness." Thus it goes on and thus is born a guru and a sishya.

In short, enlightenment is silence/calmness/peace/bliss/happiness/advaitaanubhavam/that which is experienced in deep sleep/without second. Enlightenment is knowing one's swaroopam (one's self; how one is). By knowing swaroopam (self) its nature becomes self evident.

I hope this article has some clarity in it. I apologize for any confusion. Always examine any truth told in terms of ones experience. Only then can the true meaning of the words grasped. To understand an enlightened person, examine your behaviour towards your body and mind. To understand the enlightenment/oneness, examine and understand the oneness that you experience with your body and mind and the oneness that is present in dream, wakeful and deep sleeps.

Thank you for reading.