This past weekend was the Quantum Ho’oponopono event led by quantum psychologist Dr. Garland Landrith and myself. It was a meeting of science and mysticism. It was exhilarating. We filmed it and we’ll release the DVD set later. For now, I wanted to talk about something that surfaced at the event.
A few days earlier a woman mentioned that at a dinner party her friends discussed how to tell when you’re enlightened. I thought that was a fascinating topic. It’s certainly better than discussing the latest exploits of actor Charlie Sheen.
Their conclusion was this: if you could resolve a trigger in your emotions in thirty minutes or less, you were enlightened.
Meaning, if someone said something nasty and you got upset, you’ve been triggered. But if you could release that trigger quickly, they said you were enlightened.
I don’t agree at all.
Dr. Garland Landrith and me at Quantum Ho'oponopono event
Anyone who can handle emotional upsets fast is simply a skilled psychological technician. They have tools and know how to use them. That’s wonderful. That’s terrific. That’s healthy. That’s inspiring.
But that’s not enlightenment.
So at the Quantum Ho’oponopono event, I asked , “What is enlightenment?”
If you do a Google search, you’ll find the word “enlightenment” refers to an 18th century intellectual movement sometimes called the Age of Reason. I’m sure that’s not what the dinner party was discussing.
If you dig deeper, you find the word used to describe a state of awakening in Buddhism and Vedic thinking. That’s probably what the dinner crew meant. I prefer the word “awakening” over “enlightenment” but let’s go with the latter.
What is enlightenment?
It’s the state where you have merged into the background consciousness of life. You’ve dissolved as ego into the Witness of life. “You” are the Divine.
I describe all this in my book, The Awakening Course. One of my favorite books on the subject is Awakening to The Dream by Leo Hartong. It’s worth reading. (And no, I don’t know the author.)
The Awakening Course
At the Quantum Ho’oponopono event, I urged people to look past their thoughts…past their emotions…past their body…to the “background” sky to it all.
Something in them (and in you) is observing it all.
What is that?
That “background” in your awareness is the shared quantum field in each of us. When you merge with it and become it, you are enlightened.
I don’t know of any way to make enlightenment or an awakening happen. That would be the ego trying to manipulate the Divine. In my recent books and audios, I say you can prep for it, but you can’t will it.
Enlightenment comes by grace.
How do you prepare for it?
There are countless books, courses, rituals, laws, suggestions, principles, meditations, techniques and more, all created by people seeking to be enlightened (or even enlightened) and wanting to help you achieve that state, as well.
I’m not sure you need any of them. Including my own.
Meditation seems to be the most popular way to invite enlightenment. To help you understand where I’m coming from, let me give you two meditation related insights.
First, here’s the greatest meditation quote of all time:
“Meditation is not what you think.”
Think about that. (Or not.) 🙂
Second, here’s the greatest meditation of all time:
Relax into this moment…
Note what you are thinking but also note you are somehow noting that thinking…
Note what you are feeling and note you are not the feeling but something observing the feeling….
Note how your body feels but also note you are not your body but something inside of it aware of your body….
What all of this “noting” has in common is an observer.
That observer of it all is the source of it all.
The more you can meditate on it — listening to it, watching it, feeling it — the closer you will come to merging with it.
That’s where you will find enlightenment.
That’s where you can experience an awakening.
And it doesn’t take 30 minutes.
It’s there (here) right now.
And it’s free.
Ao Akua,
PS –Another way to find this “background” to life is to look at the off-white space this blog post is set on. The words are on it. The off-white space behind the words is the backdrop to life: it’s a sort of “witness.” You have a Witness in your mind. Note it right now. It’s there. (Here.)
TIP: Bodhidharma said, “Only one person in a million becomes enlightened without a teacher‘s help.”
Member BBB 2003 – 2011
19 Comments
The weekend was truly amazing!
Thank you both again for wonderful time and some new tools to try out.
Thanks for the post Joe! I’ll take this as my second green flag to pursue this experience more. The first was finding Maslow’s “Religion, Values, and Peak-Experiences” in the $1 box at the local book store yesterday. 🙂 I knew immediately that book being there was the reason I had felt compelled to drive over there.
Thanks again,
Rick
As always Joe you share insights that make me smile and rest assured that there are teachers who have the depth and wisdom to help open the door to the truth. I love this post. It is clear, it is relevant and it is written from a place beyond.
I am so happy to have met another friend who is doing the work that allows sharing like this to come forth.
I had to drop you a line to say thank you. It’s refreshing to read something like this. I am not enlightened, but I have tasted the place you speak of. It IS that state of witness consciousness that dissolves the personal story. There is awareness of the self (ego) and yet it has nothing to do with what IS.
Funny to talk or write about… but really beautiful to experience. May many people read your post and get clear by getting back on the pillow 🙂
Tristan
P.S. Once you’re off the pillow be sure to stay in the awakened state… the world needs more sharing from this dimension 🙂
Loved the post!
“Enlightenment comes by grace.” – these are golden words to be quoted over and over. I wonder if it’s your own words, Joe, or the quote comes from somewhere else. It is so true!
Having awakened once, does one remain enlightened for the rest of life? I feel as though I’ve been awakened a few times in my life, but then lost the touch with the background…
It seems that many people get the enlightment when they listen to the silence for days, for example, while being in a hospital, or in the nature.
Conscious enlightment vs. Unconscious. I guess once we are aware we got enlightment by grace, and we are conscious of what’s going on, we may try to prolong the state of enlightment by doing all to stay in touch with the background.
Thank you!
What about music? I just got blue healer and just going through those tracks gave me multiple satori experiences. Isn’t music a great way to “fall’ into enlightment. I know a satori when I see one. You feel whole. You know because when you pop out of a satori all the ego stuff just looks like a load of bullshit. And while listening to that CD you really get to a graceful state.
I see Mathew Dixon posted here. Your Cd is fabulous. I am in Italy and I have listened to it on my trips to work and the other day it kept me company on a trip to Rome. I really hope you feel proud because you really should. Your guitar gives me the shivers.
Thanks to you all for this elightening experience! Good bless you!
Wonderful post, Dr. Vitale – thank you for sharing! I just read ‘Attract Money Now’ and it certainly opened my eyes (and heart), particularly about the ‘giving aspect’ (so much so that I included a bit about it in my latest blog http://newmanimage.blogspot.com/ – hope you don’t mind!) Again, many thanks for all that you do!
Thank you for wise words Dr. Vitale. “Enlightenment comes by grace”-
that is so true and I try to remember it every single day!
Hello Joe. I just got my copy of The Abundance Paradigm 2 weeks ago and I’ve been listening to it everyday. I also practice the whiteboard meditation, story session and the sanskrit clearing session everyday.
My question is: I can watch anything except the news, right? Thanks.
Joe………i feel enlighted after I had big belly laugh… when i think of everything I love/like and when I am in the state of gratitude for my life.
Michelle
Joe, I can’t thank you enough for the graceful impact you had on my life, since I discovered you online! I am so grateful for your insights and your contribution! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
Mr. Vitale, are you enlightened? You seem quite frequently to imply as much, and I find myself wondering whether you perceive your state of enlightenment in the same way you would have your readers perceive it.
Read my books. Never said I was enlightened.
Thanks, this is a great article and I love the simplicity.
I’ve been using ho’ oponopono for a couple of years now, thank’s to you Joe and have recently started tapping along with Brad yates’s Eft with ho’ oponopono video which I have found very effective. Thank you always.
Wendy
“Who cares if you’re enlightened forever? Can you just get it in this moment, now?”
— Byron Katie
“Enlightenment must come little by little — otherwise it would overwhelm.”
— Idries Shah
Last question too tough, Mr. Vitale? I apologize; I thought it fairly straightforward. Here’s a simple one. How much does enlightenment cost if it takes less than 30 minutes? I’ve not been able to find a price list in any of the ancient texts.
Curious. The answer is right in the very post you are commenting on: It’s free.
Hi Joe, This is my first visit to your blog. Thanks for a great resource:-) I don’t think I have yet experienced any moments of enlightenment, but I do experience myself as witness quite frequently. I think of enlightenment as a BIG thing, not “just” witnessing. Plus I read accounts of others experiencing enlightenment and nothing I’ve lived to date, measures up, lol!
Oh, another “thank you”! I am delving into Ho’oponopono via the Zero Limits 3 Online DVD’s and loving it:-) The hardest part for me so far is no expectations…
Love,
Tracy
I have many things to say but I am feeling difficulty in expressing so do you posses such a quality that you can know my feeling and take the necessary steps to solve them most qualitatively.