Enlightenment exists?

This question indicates that there is a lack of understanding what enlightenment really is. Or there is a misunderstanding. Probably because the last thirty years this conception became overloaded with religious and mystical luggage.

Let us see what the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English tells us: Enlightenment = the act of enlightening: This law is so difficult to understand that only a lawyer can provide enlightenment. 2: the state of having been enlightened: The family owed a great deal to the enlightenment of their mother's opinions about the bringing up of children.

Enlightenment = the period in the 18th century in Europe, when certain thinkers taught that science and the free use of reason would improve the human condition.

So far it doesn't say much to enlighten the subject. So let's continue to read: enlighten = to cause to understand; free from false beliefs: Peter thought the world was flat until I enlightened him!

Aha! "Free from false beliefs" This makes it a little bit clearer: If one is free from false beliefs then one is 'enlightened', at least in this specific part, but not totally of course. So to follow the 'use of reason' it would mean if somebody is free of ALL false beliefs then this person would be 'enlightened'! It seems to me that this is still not enough. I am convinced that it doesn't matter if a belief is false or true, - as long the belief is just a belief and not realized in one's personal growing process. I even want to go further: A person is not really 'enlightened' if there are still remaining beliefs and concepts and as long one's existence is based in confirmations of one's self image.

Resume: 'Enlightenment' is possible, but it doesn't mean that there exist or had ever exist any humans with a complete realized state of this being.

BeiYin

these people are next to you.

what do you expect from an enlightened person? light coming from the forehead perhaps? or ability to fly? :) these merely are images, discriminations, circles on the water. superman is an action hero, no real man. enlightened people look, talk and act generally like anyone else. enlightenment is an alteration in one's mind, not appearance.

enlightenment is nothing tricky, really. it rather is a plain thing, which is constantly exposed for examination to anyone willing to do this. enlightenment is a method for achieving a goal. it is a tool. like when you know how to cook pizza, you can cook it. enlightenment is a tool to aid in any activity, including cooking pizza or building a space shuttle, because it alters perception logically in a way free of discrimination. a tool to see things for what they are, hence act for results, not images. no mystics, no light from forehead.

how to achieve it? well, just do it :) i do not know you to give a better instruction, sorry. it's a very individual thing because perception warps ideas heavily, so to give in any way a helpful instruction one needs to know the listener well. otherwise old texts work better.

from my experience i can tell that your question here is not whether enlightenment exists, but whether you need it. well, it's a question for you. perhaps indeed liberation is not what you need currently. perhaps studying on other subjects is more beneficial for you at this time. it is your call.

good luck to you.

Mickael

Enlightenment is in thinking about the creation of the Creator and finding the real faith in One God. Bible is partly message of prophets read it, Quran is fully message of God read it and again think. You will find it but in search phase just read don't ask, dont get guidance from so called pastors.

I'm sure an epiphany about the reality of the nature of the universe and our position in it is extremely possible. That having been said, you have to learn and forget something seven times before it sticks in your permanent long-term memory, and often describing such epiphanies can lead to a gross misinterpretation of your original epiphany.

Under enlightnement influence ENgland and France had slavery flourish even before the lame excuses of Darwin. And after Darwin social Darwinisms and racisms.

Christianity reminds us of the worth of the individual because they were made in the image of God and thet there is only one race, the human race.

Endarklement is a better term

:cursed is the man who trusts in mankind" Jeremiah the prophet

To all that has gone before, and yet, to all that comes after.