{"id":103127,"date":"2023-05-23T11:32:26","date_gmt":"2023-05-23T15:32:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=103127"},"modified":"2023-05-26T15:33:28","modified_gmt":"2023-05-26T19:33:28","slug":"how-to-reach-enlightenment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-reach-enlightenment\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Reach Enlightenment Just Like the Buddha Did"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>What happens when you gain spiritual wisdom? How do you reach enlightenment?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to <em>The Mind Illuminated<\/em>, the foundation for achieving enlightenment is strong mindfulness. Once you&#8217;ve mastered mindfulness, it prompts five realizations that trigger an enlightened state of mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Find out <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/eckhart-tolle-enlightenment\/\">how to reach enlightenment<\/a> and become your superior self.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-achieve-enlightenment\"><strong>Achieve Enlightenment<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The authors say that <strong>you\u2019ll eventually learn how to reach enlightenment as you continue practicing mindfulness. <\/strong>Recall that realizations reveal the truth of reality\u2014since mindfulness is about observing what\u2019s <em>really<\/em> happening in the present, it primes the mind to experience these realizations:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1) Interconnection (<em>paticcasamupp\u0101da<\/em>)<em>:<\/em> <\/strong>Everything is interconnected. All of the world\u2019s matter and energy, such as the matter in our bodies, came from something else. The saying \u201cWe\u2019re all made from stardust\u201d gets at this idea.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>2) Impermanence (<em>anicca<\/em>): <\/strong>Nothing lasts. This means that there are no <em>things<\/em>, only <em>events<\/em>\u2014much like in the saying \u201cYou never step in the same river twice.\u201d A river is the <em>event<\/em> of water flowing, not a collection of unchanging <em>things<\/em> such as water droplets.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>3) Suffering (<em>dukkh\u0101, <\/em>also known as the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/first-noble-truth\/\">First Noble Truth<\/a>): <\/strong>We suffer because everything is impermanent. For instance, you might suffer when your experience of temporary fame ends or when you notice your body aging.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>4) Emptiness (<em>su\u00f1\u00f1at\u0101)<\/em>: <\/strong>Your mind creates your reality, and you therefore can\u2019t know what the world is <em>actually <\/em>like. In other words, the world is <em>empty <\/em>(lacking inherent meaning), and we fill it with meaning. For instance, having children isn\u2019t inherently meaningful\u2014but some people choose to fill their life with meaning by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/becoming-first-time-parents\/\">becoming parents<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>5) Selflessness (<\/strong><strong><em>anatt\u0101): <\/em><\/strong>The ideas of interconnection, impermanence, and emptiness apply to <em>you<\/em>, too. You\u2019re an impermanent event dependent on other events and you therefore have no persistent, inherent self.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The authors elaborate that <strong>you can\u2019t consciously bring about these realizations, but strong mindfulness makes them more likely to occur. <\/strong>For instance, closely following your breath or watching your mind may lead you to realize that every sensation and emotion is constantly changing. This may prompt the realization of impermanence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(Shortform note: The idea that you can\u2019t consciously bring about realizations may make <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/eckhart-tolle-meditation-mindfulness\/\">meditation<\/a> feel challenging: Perhaps you\u2019ll feel impatient to experience these realizations. It may help to recall the authors\u2019 earlier assertion that strong concentration and mindfulness are <em>themselves<\/em> beneficial. Therefore, you can <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/focus-on-the-process\/\">enjoy the journey<\/a> to enlightenment\u2014even if it\u2019s long. Remember that strong concentration strengthens your ability to be in the present, and strong mindfulness allows you to behave intentionally. One meditator who <a href=\"https:\/\/vajrayananow.com\/journaling-a-staged-path\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">documented their journey implementing the advice in <em>TMI<\/em><\/a><em> <\/em>corroborates some of these benefits: They say that practicing strong concentration made their daily life beyond meditation <a href=\"https:\/\/vajrayananow.com\/the-mind-illuminated-a-journal-day-20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">feel noticeably more peaceful<\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The Realization That Prompts Enlightenment<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>While all five realizations are necessary for enlightenment, <strong>the fifth realization, selflessness, prompts it. <\/strong>You realize there\u2019s no \u201cyou\u201d to suffer, so you experience <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/freedom-from-suffering\/\">freedom from suffering<\/a>.&nbsp;<br>Because you can\u2019t control exactly when any realizations (including the fifth realization) occur, you can\u2019t control exactly when enlightenment happens. However, the authors insist that <strong>you <em>can<\/em> make enlightenment likely to happen. <\/strong>Do this by persevering in your practice, learning new strategies, and making meditation as enjoyable as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Enlightenment and the Ego Illusion<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The authors of <em>TMI<\/em> aren\u2019t the only people to discuss the benefits of accepting selflessness. In <a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/the-book\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>The Book<\/em><\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/philosopher-alan-watts\/\">philosopher Alan Watts<\/a> similarly explores the upsides of abandoning the idea of a separate \u201cI,\u201d which he calls the <em>ego illusion.<\/em> Watts notes that this illusion <a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/the-book#the-ego-illusion-and-our-true-nature\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">is a pervasive idea in Western society, specifically<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Watts suggests that Western society will improve if more people overcome the ego illusion (through achieving enlightenment, for instance). He argues that the illusion <a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/the-book#consequences-of-the-ego-illusion\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">has disastrous consequences for Westerners, Western society, and beyond<\/a>. It makes Westerners feel lonely and separate from nature, makes them perpetually unsatisfied, and leads to conflict with others. Applying Watt\u2019s ideas to those found in <em>TMI, <\/em>a Westerner who experiences the fifth realization and reaches enlightenment will arguably feel more connected and satisfied, and they\u2019ll be less likely to perpetuate harm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Furthermore, Watt\u2019s suggestions for overcoming the ego illusion could make enlightenment more likely, since enlightenment requires the dissolution of the ego. For instance, Watts says that <a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/the-book#do-things-for-no-reason\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">prioritizing enjoyment for the sake of enjoyment helps dissolve the ego<\/a>. When you do things to experience happiness, rather than to advance selfish goals (such as being \u201cthe best\u201d), <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/your-ego\/\">your ego<\/a> begins fading. This could make experiencing the fifth realization more likely, in turn making enlightenment more likely.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What happens when you gain spiritual wisdom? How do you reach enlightenment? According to The Mind Illuminated, the foundation for achieving enlightenment is strong mindfulness. Once you&#8217;ve mastered mindfulness, it prompts five realizations that trigger an enlightened state of mind. Find out how to reach enlightenment and become your superior self.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":70413,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,43,6],"tags":[1033],"class_list":["post-103127","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle","category-self-improvement","category-spiritual","tag-the-mind-illuminated","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.3 (Yoast SEO v24.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How to Reach Enlightenment Just Like the Buddha Did - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The ultimate goal of meditation is to achieve enlightenment. 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