Awakening to Oneness
(Frequently Asked Questions About
Enlightenment)
Guides (monks) from the Oneness
University |
"Awakening to Oneness is the only solution to all
problems faced by man today; economically,
socially and spiritually." – Sri Bhagavan
I
have heard a lot about the idea of
enlightenment. What is it really? Is
enlightenment really possible in this day and
age?
Simply stated, enlightenment is the dissolution
of the sense of a fixed, separate self. Once we
realize that our concept of the self is an
illusion, we become capable of experiencing
ourselves as a flow of consciousness that is no
longer subject to the limits and conditioning of
the mind. And yes, it is possible in this day
and age.
Why is that?
It has to do with an evolutionary cycle for
humanity and the Earth. We are moving out of a
Kali Yuga, an age of darkness and chaos, into a
Satya Yuga, an age of awakening into light. This
transition began in the year 2003 AD, and will
reach a ‘critical mass’ by the end of the year
2012 AD.
How can Bhagavan claim to simply give
enlightenment to people?
Many people associate enlightenment with
extraordinary effort, struggle, discipline, and
asceticism – resulting from a total renunciation
of the world and complete dedication to the
spiritual path. Nothing can be further from the
truth. Enlightenment cannot be achieved through
effort, no matter how hard you try. In fact,
these efforts themselves can become our greatest
obstacle! It is would be like trying to pull
yourself out of quicksand by tugging at your own
hair. Most Indian traditions teach that
enlightenment can only be given as a gift of
grace. In this case, the grace is a product of a
neurobiological change in the brain.
How does this neurobiological shift
happen?
It happens through means of a transfer of energy
known as the ‘deeksha’, which is programmed by
Bhagavan and Amma to repattern the structure and
physiology of the brain. Once this process
completes itself, a person finds himself or
herself in a permanent state of enlightenment.
This is not necessarily a mystical state, but
simply a state of experiencing reality as it is,
without the limiting filters and conditioning of
the human mind.
Would I have to give up my present
lifestyle if I were to become enlightened?
Only if you want to. You do not have to go
vegetate in a cave somewhere, unless you feel
like it. Bhagavan emphasizes that enlightenment
is a very natural state, and that a person would
if anything become much more functional, joyful,
loving, and efficient in every aspect of life.
Do I have to change my religion in
order to come to the Golden City?
Religion has nothing to do with enlightenment,
nor even spirituality. It is a purely
neruobiological phenomenon. Once enlightened,
your guiding light will come from within
yourself, and you will reconnect with the
essence within whatever religion or spiritual
tradition you belong to or don’t belong to.
How long will it take to become
enlightened?
It depends on many factors, including the state
of your chakras and nadis, your childhood
conditioning, your fears and resistance to
change, your concepts of God, and your karmic
destiny. Some people have become enlightened
with just one deeksha, others require a much
longer period of time. Bhagavan says that
everyone, as long as they are in a human body,
WILL become enlightened.
What about people who have died?
Once the mass enlightenment takes place, they
too will become enlightened, says Bhagavan.
How can you promise enlightenment in
such a short time, when so many of us have been
struggling for lifetimes without coming an inch
closer to this?
It is not so short a time. Humanity has been on
the path for a very long time. We have now
entered the Golden Age, and new energies are
available to humanity that were not available
before. Bhagavan says that we have already done
our sadhana. Now is the time to complete this
journey as a human species.
Is enlightenment the end of our
spiritual journey? What comes afterwards?
No, it is like stepping through a doorway into a
new world, but the journey is without limits!
The journey is just beginning.
How will I know when I become
enlightened?
You will know you are enlightened when you are
no longer trying to become enlightened.
Suffering is essentially the resistance to
experiencing reality as it is. Once enlightened
you will no longer be forever seeking to change,
deny, defend, or deify your experience of
reality. You will naturally experience the
present moment for what it is.
What does enlightenment look like?
Bhagavan speaks of enlightenment as making a
hole in the wall of your mind. For some people
it may take a little longer than for others. For
some people it may be a tiny crack at first,
while for others the entire wall may collapse at
once. Regardless of how it happens, once you
experience the hole in the wall, you can walk
through the hole into a different perception of
reality. Our senses become much more acute.
Mystical realities begins to interpenetrate the
ordinary realities of our daily lives. As we
dissolve the sense of separateness that has kept
us walled off from the rest of the universe, the
entire universe can move and flow through us!
But this must be experienced directly!
Will I be able to perform miracles
when I become enlightened?
All life will become a miracle when you release
the rigid conditioning of the human mind. What
you call miracles then become the normal
experience of life.
Will I be able to do my ordinary work
when I become enlightened?
You will not be plucked out of the world. You
will continue to live your life, do your work,
engage in your relationships. As you become more
present with each moment, each ordinary moment
will become an extraordinary experience.
Will my relationships change when I
become enlightened, and how?
You will discover that what you have called love
was simply the survival needs of a neurotic
self. You will begin to experience unconditional
love and limitless joy in all your
relationships, including your relationship with
yourself!
Is mass enlightenment really
possible, or is this wishful thinking?
The idea of mass enlightenment is based on
natural law. Whether you call it the ‘hundredth
monkey phenomenon’ or the law of ‘entrainment’,
the idea is that when you have a certain number
of people holding a ‘higher’ state of
consciousness, what we call a ‘critical mass’,
the mass consciousness automatically comes into
resonance with it.
What is a morphogenetic field?
A ‘morphogenetic field’ is a term coined by
biologist Rupert Sheldrake to represent a field
of consciousness specific to a given species.
The more members of a species that exhibit a
certain trait, or vibrate to a certain
consciousness, the easier it becomes for all the
other members of that species to ‘entrain’ with
that trait or consciousness!
Will I be able to heal people when I
become enlightened?
What often happens is that your chakras and
nadis become activated upon getting enlightened,
which in turn activates the capacity for healing
the body as well as emotional patterns from the
past. The capacity for healing increases even
more once you become God-realized.
Do you find that synchronicities in
your life increase once you become enlightened?
Once you become enlightened, you are no longer
trying to run your life from your limited
perceptions of life and reality. You find that
the entire universe moves through you.
Synchronicities become a way of life,
opportunities come your way with seemingly
little effort, and life becomes spontaneous and
easy.
It seems that enlightenment is
generally an Eastern concept. Is it the same as
becoming one with God?
It is a difference in emphasis. You can be
enlightened without being God-realized. You can
also be God-realized without being enlightened.
But when the two go together, then you truly
have the grace, power, and splendour of divine
consciousness radiating through everything you
are and do!
I keep hearing that Amma and Bhagavan
are avatars. What is an avatar?
An avatar is a descent of divine consciousness,
and can take many forms for many different
purposes in order to accelerate the process of
human evolution. We are at a time now as we
enter the Golden Age when we preparing to
transcend our current level of dualistic
consciousness. Amma and Bhagavan are here with
the specific mission to help humanity along this
path.
What happens during the process
offered by Oneness University?
You enter a fairly intense process of
self-examination called “samskara shuddhi”
during which you are offered the opportunity to
see yourself from many facets, including the
deep, dark and ugly. You see and clear your
emotional issues, your negative conditioning and
childhood patterns, and let go of the fixed
ideas that have held you in suffering for so
long. You then move along into a process of
emptying, through which you see “through” the
self, and thereby free yourself from the self.
From this new state of being, one is prepared
for the final phase of the 21-day process, which
is the Divine Descent.
I have experienced states of
enlightenment before. What makes this so
different?
Perhaps it is not so different in some ways. The
morphogenetic field of enlightenment is sweeping
the planet, and many who have never been exposed
to these states are spontaneously beginning to
experience them all over the world. What many
people experience with the deekshas, however, is
not just occasional peak experiences but a
neurobiological change in the brain, leading to
a permanent state of enlightenment.
What is this dark night of the soul
we hear so much about? It feels a bit
frightening to me.
When we bring more light into the body, there is
a corresponding emotional and biological
reaction. Old barriers, physical blocks, and
emotional patterns come to the surface in order
to be released. The dark night of the soul
represents a cleansing of the personal
unconscious in preparation for a deeper descent
of light, and is usually considered as a
prerequisite for the deeper stages of mastery.
Jesus experienced this dark night of the soul
prior to his public mission as he ‘wrestled with
Satan’ in the wilderness. Buddha also
experienced this during his process of
enlightenment as he fought the ‘temptations of
Mara’. It is only frightening as long as we are
afraid to die. Once we realize that there is no
‘self’ left to die, a new dawn can begin.
You say that mass enlightenment will
take place by 2012. Does this have something to
do with the Mayan calendar?
The Mayan calendar does refer to 2012 as the
ending of linear time, and the beginning of a
new phase of experience for all creation. The
Hindus also refer to this same time period as a
critical moment for our collective transition
into the next Golden Age. The two systems
coincide, along with the visions of many people
throughout the world, who have seen something
new and exciting emerge on the planet around
this time.
Does karma play a role in becoming
enlightened? What happens to karma when you
become enlightened?
Your personal karma is certainly a factor in
bringing you to the doorway. Once you are at the
threshold of enlightenment, however, only grace
can take you through the doorway. And once the
self is gone, so is your karma. There is still a
measure of ‘national’ karma or ‘human’ karma
that remains, but your ‘personal’ karma
disappears along with self.
I have heard of enlightened beings
who did not have a guru. How can you say that a
guru must give it to you?
The guru does not have to be in physical form.
He could be a divine being or even your own
antaryamin. For most people, however, it is
easier to trust and relate to someone who is
incarnate in a physical body. The fact remains
that it is a gift of grace, and must be given to
you. It is like trying to escape from the prison
of the mind using only the tools of the mind.
The key is on the other side!
Can I expect to be enlightened when I
come to do an enlightenment process at Golden
City?
Let go of all expectations. You cannot achieve
enlightenment through your own efforts no matter
how hard you try. And if it is your time, you
will be enabled to receive this gift no matter
how hard you think you can resist! All you can
do is to open your heart and say ‘yes’ to the
experience. Let the deekshas do the rest. The
universe will respond in perfect timing!
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Deeksha),
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