Chapter 34 The Path Towards Enlightenment

“According to Vedanta, there are only two symptoms of enlightenment, just two indications that a transformation is taking place within you toward a higher consciousness. The first symptom is that you stop worrying. Things don't bother you anymore. You become light-hearted and full of joy. The second symptom is that you encounter more and more meaningful coincidences in your life, more and more synchronicities." 
Deepak Chopra: “Synchrodestiny: Harnessing the Infinite Power of Coincidence to Create Miracles”

I’ve read many articles and books on “enlightenment”, and I must be honest: I’m not completely sure what it is or whether

it can be completely accomplished in this life time. But I do know that because of Kundalini, I am journeying towards “enlightenment” and I believe in its possibilities. I relate very much to Deepak Chopra observation above about enlightenment as I continue to move towards greater light-heartedness and joy in my life, and being freed from worrying, about even death, since the renovation and restoration stage of kundalini. 


Advanced Yoga has provided some interesting information on “enlightenment” which helped to explain the evolving experience flowing from Kundalini. Enlightenment, in yoga is broken down into three stages. 

The first stage of enlightenment is evident with the rise of

“silence” in the nervous system. A characteristic of this deep silence is the awakening of "pure bliss consciousness" and a steady state of peace, happiness. This comes primarily from the discipline of meditation. In my previous posting, I spoke about the benefits of meditation and how this discipline has a profound effect on my life. In fact, in advanced yoga, meditation is a prerequisite to a healthy kundalini rising. I followed the discipline of meditation, not for the purpose of kundalini, but as a prayer practice that brought me close to God in a deep and experiential way. This practice over twenty-five years with increasing intensity resulted surprisingly in kundalini rising in 2005.

The second stage of enlightenment which results from kundalini is the rising of ecstasy from the three lower chakras

and its expansion in the nervous system. This prana energy accelerates the functioning of the nervous system and leads to deeper and more lasting experiences of pure bliss consciousness and deeper silence. The expansion and acceleration of this inward sensory experience stimulates greater flow of ecstatic prana which draws us into deeper realms of divine consciousness and deeper levels of meditation. It is a captivating experience as this divine flow heightened through practice, leading to an increased desire to enter and merge with deepening sensory experience. It is seemingly like falling into deeper and an endless abyss of ecstasy. It was in the years following my kundalini rising, with the increase in the flow of psychic energy, that I began to experience very deeply this pure bliss consciousness. The meditation and yoga practices that became a part of my discipline accelerated the flow over time providing the motivation to continue this path of development.

The third stage of enlightenment is the awareness and

expansion of a sense of unity with all things.  I-ness or that sense of separateness from all things created by the ego become like veils, thinly covering the essence of life. We see ourselves now, not as separate, but as the essence of all things. We begin to experience a "joining" of this veiled existence with the ecstasy of pure bliss consciousness and a presence of the divine. The world has not disappeared; we can still act in the world, but our motivation is different than before when we saw ourselves as separate. There is a sense of spaciousness as the “internal observer” is seen connected with all that is being observed. Intellectually, this cannot be understood, but the experience gives a new understanding of this universal union. This has certainly been a great source of inner peace, unshakable security and an increasing source of ecstatic blissful union with the divine as I venture along this spiritual path.

At first we may experience shades of one or all three of these stages, but as we continue along the path, they become deeper and more prolonged. As they become deeper and prolonged, what before were only glimmers of a different experience become more enduring, more real, until eventually, they become reality itself.

The reality of enlightenment becomes increasingly who we are in our interaction with the world.  As the self becomes more universal, our interest for the whole of humanity and for the whole of life also becomes more universal.  

Chapter 33 Beginning of Enlightenment

Krishna said to Arjuna, “Friend, if you want to realize me, you will not succeed if you have even one of the eight occult powers.” This is the truth. Occult power is sure to beget pride, and pride makes one forget God. An egotistic person cannot realize God. Do you know what egotism is like? It is like a high mound, where rain-water cannot collect; the water runs off. Water collects on low land. There seeds sprout and grow into trees. Then the trees bear fruit. “Therefore I say, Never think that you alone have true understanding and that others are fools. One must love all. No one is a stranger. It is God alone who dwells in all beings. Nothing exists without Him” Sri Ramakrishna on Occult Powers

I enjoyed this little story. It answers many questions, and deals with a lot of issues, about our desire for powers and attainment that relates to Spiritual Life. In our culture so

driven by individuality and self-seeking, our awareness is often blocked from the realization that spiritual growth is contingent upon setting self, with all of its desires to attain, aside.

To reach satisfaction in all, desire satisfaction in nothing.
To come to possess all, desire the possession of nothing.
To arrive at being all, desire to be nothing.
To come to the knowledge of all, desire the knowledge of nothing. 

St. John of the Cross

So if we look at “enlightenment” as something to be attained, particularly by our own efforts or for self-gain, then we are setting up the conditions that prevent its very attainment. Why? Because self-attainment is the product of the ego, and what we are trying to do is bypass or diminish ego involvement.

To surrender to the silence, stillness, and simplicity of

meditation is the only means I know of setting ego aside. There is little value in fighting ego involvement. This is like an alcoholic trying to convince him/herself not to take that next drink. Will power has never been very successful in dealing with our obsessions. The twelve-step program of alcoholics anonymous has proven that it is the acceptance of ones condition, and the surrendering of ones willfulness to the higher power "within" that will provide the pathless path through the maze of addiction to the discovery of a place that is beyond willfulness and obsessiveness.

In meditation, we are not trying to attain anything. We are merely saying our mantra or focusing on our breath, or concentrating on an object. If we practice the discipline of meditation with some consistency, then we begin to discover the “inner witness”, the observer of passing thoughts and

feelings. The “inner witness” learns to see all of these thoughts and feelings as coming and going, passing through. We discover that we are not our thoughts, our feelings, our obsessions. So we learn to let them go and return to the stillness and silence of the “inner witness”. And through the miracle of silence and stillness, allowing the “inner witness” to grow, we begin to see that the “inner witness” is also what is being witnessed. The “seeker” becomes the “sought”, which cannot be understood at the intellectual level, but understood from experience.

This is the beginning of “enlightenment”.  Enlightenment is not

something we earn, like money, or learn like a university degree.  It is something we discover we already possess as we let go of all desire to possess anything.

Chapter 9 West Meets East

The three veils or sheaths in this metaphor (together) constitute the subtle body.  The veils are the energy sheath, the mental sheath, and the discernment sheath.  Energy, mind and discernment-the subtle body is the central portion of the continuum of the human, bordered by the physical body on one side and spirit on the other.  The subtle body is not as gross as our physical body, nor as refined as our spirit.  Being the astral plane, the subtle body is sometimes called the astral or ethereal body.

Joan Harrigan: The Science of Spiritual Transformation

In Jungian psychology, an "archetype" is an inherited pattern of thought or symbolic imagery derived from the past collective experience and present in the individual unconscious. Archetypes are often used in myths and storytelling across different cultures. Archetypes are real in that they provide for us an intellectual model so that we may understand and communicate sub-conscious experiences that could not otherwise be understood or communicated.

I am always surprised when some of those from my Christian faith tradition will conclude that I am putting my Christian faith at risk when I use an archetype that flows from another faith or cultural tradition that is not Christian. Even when I insist that I am fully engaged in my faith practice, suspicion arises because the archetype symbol expressed is not rooted in Christianity. Whether we realize it or not, we are all engaged in and governed by archetype symbols that are not a part of our particular faith tradition. Even those who refuse allegiance to any faith tradition have lives that are governed by archetypal symbols. One, which I renounced years ago after the time of my conversion to Christianity and very prevalent in our society today, is the secular model for happiness linked only to personal achievement and success, and the acquisition of things. Because of the prevalence of this secular model, we live in a society addicted to consumerism, work and activity, without regard to health or balance, resulting in greater dysfunction in our many relationships.

I have again produced an expanded explanation of this archetype of the subtle body below taken from Harrigan's book. In my next posting, I would like to show how this spiritually transforming experience, that began at the conclusion of my six week Christian retreat in Arizona, came to be understood through the use of this archetypal model of the subtle body. 

The energy sheath is a vital process that animates the human system that allows it to sense and function. It is partially made up of nadis or energy channels that intersect with six major chakras or energy centres. The six principal chakras are associated with the physical body’s nerve plexuses and gland systems that manifest from their energy. Chakras, called spinning wheels, function properly when there is a balanced flow of energy through the nadis which cause a cyclical sensation in the chakra area. The chakras are:

Root Chakra at base of spine and perineum area,

Sacral Chakra in genital area, 

Solar plexus Chakra in the navel area,

Heart Chakra in heart area between the breasts,

Throat Chakra in throat area and back of neck,

Third eye Chakra between the eye brows.

Crown located at the top of the head is another critical point of the energy sheath.

The mental sheath consists of the conscious and unconscious mind and is broken down into three aspects or functions:

The first is called “Chitta”, or the unconscious storehouse of past impressions or imprints. This function of the mind might be described as a vast reservoir of memories, parental injunctions, unresolved issues, cultural conditioning, contradictions, tendencies, repressed habits and drives and impressions from life’s past experiences. All of these sub-conscious drives become the source of our motives and emotions. They drive our behaviors and restrict us within our characteristic patterns. They are the source of our distractions and must be dealt with as we attempt to still the mind and go inward. Contained here are our defense mechanisms that strive to protect us from any of its conflicting, traumatic, and unacceptable contents. Thus, we can remain largely unaware of the sources of our feelings and actions.

The second is called “Manas”, or the sensory motor mind. This function is objective, reflexive, the carrier out orders. It can be trained but also responds to habits, instinct or impulse. Data from the senses is registered here, and actions coordinated. Acting automatically, doubts arise here as well as perceptions by selection inattention. By means of this faculty, sensory data is taken in, and reflexive actions are made.

The third is called “Ahankara” or the ego. It is the superimposed sense of I-ness that allows us to have individual awareness. In its active function, it includes mental faculties such as memory, thought processes, and concentration. This function is one of self-definition and self-concepts. The boundaries of the personality, our attachments, aversions, and habits are defined here creating its sense of I-ness. The ego denies what it cannot identify, and owns what it does identify. This mental sheath filters and shades our perceptions of reality and strongly influences the choices we made.

The discernment sheath called “Buddhi” is reflective consciousness. This is the higher mind carrying out the discrimination functioning. It is often referred to as the “inner voice” where reason, will, values, ethics come into play. It is the place where we make decisions and choose a course of action based on one’s true nature and purpose. It is the place of contemplation in relation to philosophical concepts, human qualities, culture or art. It is the gatekeeper of the unconscious from which there is both an inflow and outflow. It is our discernment that lets us find our way to our spiritual goal.

Casual body or celestial realm: In order to give a more complete picture of this archetype, a further extension must be added to the above called the casual body. Just as the physical body ends with the skin and the subtle body begins, the subtle body ends at the discernment sheath, and the casual body begins. Others terms that could be used to describe the casual body are the celestial realm, pure consciousness or bliss consciousness, the point of contact with the “Ultimate Reality”. This was referred to by Phillip St”. Romain in his book as the “zero point”. I have referred to it previously as the “still point". It is the place where one has moved beyond false and limited identification with the transitory world of illusion, beyond space and time, beyond phenomena, beyond dualism.