By Gurudevi Nirmalananda

Enlightenment is not what you think.  Firstly, enlightenment is not what you think it is.  Secondly, and more importantly, enlightenment is not about your mind, so it’s not about what you are thinking.  Yet your mind can keep you from being enlightened.

In other words, you must use your mind to get enlightened, but you use your mind in a way that gets you beyond your mind.  Enlightenment is a state of being, not a state of mind.  It is a deep inner feeling, but not an emotion. Best of all, it’s effortless.  

Being unenlightened is hard!  You have to constantly review your anxieties and limitations.  Your sense of self worth is dependent on how others see you, which means you’re always performing, trying to win their good opinions.  Worse, your opinion of yourself needs help.

Enlightenment is a state of profound ease and joy.  It needs no external support or feedback as it arises from within.  The ever-arising flow of Divine Consciousness washes away all anxieties and limitations.  This is called freedom, freedom from who you thought you were so you can be who you really are – Consciousness Incarnate. 

How do you get enlightened?  You get it from one who has it. It’s just like if you are shopping for shoes.  Don’t go to the florist.  You’ve probably been trying to get enlightened by learning from unenlightened people.  No wonder it’s hard!

It’s time to go shopping for enlightened beings.  Find a few, meet them in person if you can. Try out the practices they give and see what you get.  Just like shoe shopping – slip them on and walk around in them for a bit. 

But the difference with enlightened beings is that you want one that both uplifts you and challenges you, so you can’t stay in your old ruts.  It’s dark in there.