Meditation for enlightenment is somewhat of a buzzword today and perhaps you have given some thought to what it involves, and some consideration as to why people do it. The reasons for meditating today are widespread and the benefits are well known to many thousands of people worldwide. For example, meditation for enlightenment is regularly used when normal deliberation is either inhibited or ineffective. Today’s fast-paced lifestyle is not conducive to extended states of contemplation or reflection, and rumination and discussions of illumination are usually left to philosophy students or Buddhist monks. But increasingly people are becoming aware that meditation for enlightenment is for anyone seeking clarification about certain issues; to provide lucidity of thought. Some simply use meditation for stress relief and other health-promoting purposes. But by far the most august and ambitious motivation to meditate is the aspiration for Enlightenment, and correspondingly, the most significant benefit arising from Meditation is the experience of Enlightenment.

Meditation for Enlightenment is an activity aimed at realizing the highest potential of the human mind; of expending human consciousness until it permanently (re)unites with the fundamental principle that creates and sustains all life, often conceptualized as God (or Godhead); the Cosmic Consciousness; or whatever is thought of as being Infinite.

Throughout history many people have practiced Meditation for Enlightenment and some who have achieved this goal have initiated various religious and philosophical movements still prevalent in the world today. Perhaps the two most notable being Jesus Christ (Christ being Greek for “Annointed One”. His real name is said to be Yeshua or something similar); and Buddha (Sanskrit for “Enlightened One”, his actual name was Siddhārtha Gautama and is considered by ancient Buddhist scriptures [the Pali Canon] as the 28th Buddha).

The state of Enlightenment denotes freedom from illusion; illumination of the true nature of the universe, and once achieved inspires the beneficiary to help others along the same path. It also denotes the transcendence of the ego and freedom from the corrupting tendencies of lust, anger and desire. It involves the stilling of passions and emotions, although Enlightenment is said to bring the greatest happiness attainable and is commonly described as a state of “pure” Bliss. It is brought about by extended reflection on suffering and deliberation about the nature of reality.

From this it follows that the practice of Meditation for Enlightenment involves firstly a perceived need for clarification. Both Jesus and Buddha were described as being disillusioned by the existing social conditions, sharply divided as they were (and, alas, still are), which frustrated them and formed in them both a steadfast commitment to unearth the Truth and obtain Wisdom. It is written that Jesus went up a mountain for 40 days and nights and began his Ministry immediately afterwards. Buddha sat under the Bodhi Tree for 7 days during his quest for Enlightenment.

Other notable, though perhaps less familiar, people have used Meditation as a tool for devoting much contemplation and uninterrupted thought in a search for Ultimate Truth (Enlightenment). One such person was Zarathustra (c.660 BC), founder of the ancient religion of Zoroastrianism. Finding no peace from unanswered questions he reputedly left his family for the solitude of a mountaintop to meditate on the things that concerned him so deeply, eventually returning with great wisdom and inspiring what was perhaps the most influential, though short lived, religion of all time. Another aspirant of note was Mikao Usui, founder of the modern hands-on healing method known as Reiki. Usui meditated on a mountaintop for 21 days and returned with the power to heal energetically through his hands.

Meditation for Enlightenment is an august undertaking devoted to rumination about the nature of life and suffering in an attempt to better oneself and the world. It is an attempt to pierce the veil of ignorance and gain absolute clarification about what exists. Though considering things at a universal level, it requires vision no further than one’s own self, and thus, if not attainable, is at least practicable, by all people who have the capacity to look within themselves and reflect upon what they see. If you thought gurus meditating on mountaintops had no merit or social function, hopefully now you are enlightened.

By Kelly Cramer

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