Could Be 

Enlightenment could be knowledge. I supposed the definition is different for every individual. When I consider enlightenment I think of a “mental lightening”. Of becoming impervious to lacerating and degrading thoughts. 

The fluidity to move between dark and light without getting stuck in either place. The acceptance of change and loss. An increase of awareness, a raised consciousness. Perhaps an omniscience.  

Guru 

In the “Enlightened Up” documentary Guru says “You are the most important person under the sun. It is not important what you are doing but why you are doing it.” 

When traveling  to Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, or  Adelaide when I was 24, that I remember I would seek as much control over my mind as I could. A release (Moksha) of being controlled by my thoughts and an acceptance of what is. To follow the strong desire to rid myself of what I am not. To gain perspective on my life.  

Discipline

Enlightenment is probably discipline. The act of reacquainting with oneself each day. Of sitting in pain and discomfort, of a continuing and unrelenting search for inner truth.  

I’ve heard of people seeking enlightenment by way of psychedelics, which I interpret as a desire to see life through a new perspective. The altered state bringing to mind a new vantage point. I obtained this new way of looking at things through yoga teacher training.  

In the end, I figure there is no final destination you can’t go to Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Regina, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Toronto, Hamilton, Halifax or Montreal –  to become enlightenment.

Lessons

It is not for me to say what enlightenment is not. I can speak on the failures I’ve had, the lessons I’ve learned from those failures, and what it is that I seek.  

Most people would say they seek happiness, myself included. It is difficult to imagine happiness coming from within as for most of my life I have been my greatest source of pain. As I continue to pursue balance and faith, I must also believe that where there is pain there is also peace.  Call it a law of nature. Yin and Yang. Gravity and weightlessness. A pendulum swinging.  

Pursuit

Perhaps the discovery and pursuit of what we love is enlightenment. When you laugh and it causes those around you to laugh. 

When you share love and bring people closer together. When we let go of fear, stress and anxiety we open to the world around us. We see more, learn more and breath easier.  

In these first few days of contemplating these Yogic philosophies I feel lighter, fulfilled and rejuvenated. Already brimming with the possibilities of release and discovery. Grateful.