“Enlightenment”
The awakening process of enlightenment in life is spontaneous, uncontrollable and unpredictable, and the process happens every moment. The moment is spontaneous, uncontrollable and unpredictable as well, and neither the moment in life nor in the mind is made by man.
Therefore, the awakening process of enlightenment cannot be achieved by man, but enlightenment nevertheless happens, and it happens the moment it is meant to happen.... read further
Comment Article ‘Life is a process of awakening’
Diane, USA,
Dr. Shankar your article “Life is a process of awakening” is so timely for life is precise, like you always share with us, and very much needed for humanity especially the ones who call themselves the spiritual communities and so called teachers of spirituality practices. What I have enjoyed from the first talk I ever attended is your directness, your not beating around the bush one could say, what I mean with this is that you do not share pretty stories of ‘special experiences’ ABOUT enlightenment or awakening, which to no fault of anyone thrill the mind and install a longing for such experiences to happen and so the quest starts with the belief that one can DO something to speed up the process of awakening or enlightenment. In this article once again, you are direct no beating around the bush no pretty stories just a sharing of life as it is. What a refreshing sharing that enlightenment or awakening happens as the evolution process of life itself, it is life’s nature to evolve every moment so every speck of life’s manifestation evolves continuously and reaches a point of full circle or enlightenment when it’s meant to. Therefor it makes sense to me at least that enlightenment knows neither creed nor cast. Your sentences are wonderful and these are extra wonderful to me!!! "As everything evolves, it is obvious that the awakening process of enlightenment evolves as well. This is the reason why man cannot achieve enlightenment because man cannot achieve evolution.” So how on earth would a mind which is a product or could we say a child of energy or 'light in motion' be able to speed up the evolvement process or DO something about awakening. That it is believed is true, but that is all it is, just a belief and not the truth. Like you have sometimes mentioned it’s like the child wanting to go back into the mother’s womb to speed up it’s birth. So beautiful and complete you share in few words uncomplicated and easy to grasp: Everyone and everything is interconnected as one because everything and everyone is a reflection of all there is which is energy or light it’s like at the core we are one and the same and the play of reflection through the mind makes it to appear as dissimilar and diverse but this is illusory or it only APPEARS that way but in really is not how it is.
Letters to AOA:
Srividya, India
Hello Dr. Shankar,
Thank you for the article ‘Life is a process of Awakening’. It brings a new perspective to my way of thinking. I had never thought that enlightenment is an evolutionary process. There are two points in the article that are different from what I have read before:
Quoting: “Now, enlightenment refers to a state of mind. The enlightened state of mind is that everything and everyone are interconnected as one, though they appear dissimilar and diverse.”
Pont 1: I have read time and again that enlightenment is not of the mind. It is beyond mind and can only be attained by transcending the mind. Could you explain?
Quoting: “The basic element-energy in life is light. Light is intelligence that: makes matter and vegetation feel and respond instinctively in the mind, makes the animal kingdom feel and respond instinctively and intuitively in the mind, makes humans feel and respond instinctively, intuitively and intellectually in the form of thoughts in the evolved mind.”
Point 2: I have seen this said before, that life is light. But what of the tiny creatures that live in utter darkness at the very bottoms of oceans or inside deep caves? Please explain. Thanks AOA response to Srividya:
Dr. Shankar
Point 1: Understanding evolves in the mind and not beyond the mind. If understanding is literally beyond the mind, the understanding can never be understood by the evolving individual. Deep understanding of life that reveals that enlightenment happens in the mind is deeper than superficial understanding in the mind that leads to knowledge. The deep understanding is interpreted as beyond the mind, beyond the mind is a misnomer it indicates in the mind but deeper than knowledge. Deeper indicates nearer to intelligence or light than superficial understanding, which is intellect and sound.
Point 2:
Darkness is known by the human mind as a ‘word’ and not its existential nature. The human eye receives light-rays and not darkness rays. The light rays that are received by the human eye are interpreted as darkness by the limited human mind. Therefore darkness is NOT absence of light, darkness is light that the human cannot see but thinks it as darkness. Tiny creatures live instinctively in utter darkness in the bottom of oceans and in caves. Life is light and light is intelligence, which cannot be underestimated.
Roberto, Columbia,
Dear Regina,
Please excuse me for the delay in answering your beautiful email. To start with I had to look for the articles Dr. Shankar advised me to read too and I had a small problem with internet. Everything is Ok now. I reread too what you write to me, all full of wisdom. I read and read and reread but it seems that it is the first time I am reading it. I will go on reading but for the time being I have nothing special to comment. I will be very happy reading from you, you always have many thing to say. With love, my love to Dr. Shankar too, please. Response to Roberto: Regina AOA.
Dear Roberto,
Thank you for the mail Roberto,
Yes I understand when you say I read and read and reread but it seems that it is the first time I am reading it. That’s beautiful, wisdom is always new and the more it deepens the more understanding will come out by itself as new. You can get more knowledge by effort but not wisdom. Wisdom happens by itself by growth of understanding.
See this morning, the thought came up comparing growth by the baby. Mother (LIFE) gives milk to the baby the right moment. Later when the baby grows up the food changes (right moment). Milk changes to solid food. The growth goes on and the baby becomes a child and later a grown up man. Life takes care of the baby, child and the grown up man. Everything happens in the right moment by life.
The same happens for man, life gives man what is needed from simple knowledge to deeper knowledge. When the knowledge has deepening, understanding “life as it is” is happening. This is the growth for man by life. Life is the power of growth and not man.
See, what I understood by all the materials of Dr. Shankar of my daily life, the life in front of me. This daily situation gave me a deeper insight in my own mind. When you understand your own mind deeper, you will understand the other also more. Outcome is more patience, care and concern and that is for me the basic foundation towards understanding. Trust life is an easy saying but that trust happens only as understanding deepens. I will convey your love to Dr. Shankar.
Love to you and your wife.
Roberto, Columbia,
Dear Regina,
This is to let you know I am here. Very soon I will write to you longer.
Thanks a lot. With love Response to Roberto: Regina AOA.
Dear Roberto,
Thank you for writing Roberto. Yes, I was wondering why you did not write. My concern was, MAYBE you did not like your letter in the newsletter because I did not ask you if it was ok. I will tell you; this was the first time that writing was placed from me in the newsletter. I had never before the wish to write and it never happened and that was ok for me. Dr. Shankar saw my writing to you and he was happy with my answer. He noticed, this is beautiful and said let's place it in the newsletter. It will benefit more readers because it is straight, clear and full of love and care. Roberto to spread the words from Dr. Shankar is not as fast food. So every opportunity to point to Wisdom is care for Humanity. I am sure you will understand Roberto. From your writing care is in your words too and therefore Life brought you to Wisdom. I send lot of love for you and your wife.
Comment on article ‘The Done’
Andreas, Munich
Thank You very much for the article 'The Done' and again for the book 'Evolution of Mind', where I still find amazing things.
Comment: CD “Separateness”
Elisabeth, Netherlands
How come we feel so separate? We believe we are just separate from one another, that is all the separation we have come to believe to understand. All individualized events which happens to you in your life are within you in your mind, and of course man will feel separate from the other. What we think is happening in life is not real because it is not affecting the other equally as how it affects you. That should be our paramount observation. The essence is the very same in the other as it is in you, there is no separation. In everyday life where there is no separation we create the separation. It is quite an encounter to understand we create our own separateness. Thank you, Dr. Shankar. Very much enjoyed the satsang and Your articles, amazing jewels. .. to shop
Recommended CD: "Is man the doer?"
"Truth cannot be known, but yet man believes he is" to shop
