by Doug Mcmillan

Created on: August 08, 2007

Enlightenment is a state of Being beyond the thinking mind where there are no more psychological or emotional problems, fears, doubts or worries. It is the end of suffering or unhappiness. It is not to be confused with the so called age of enlightenment, which was a purely historical period/movement, and lets face facts here, it did not bring us to a new age of enlightenment did it? If it did why on earth is there so much psychological and emotional pain, suffering and unhappiness still on this blessed earth?

So, the enlightened state of Being is one where I am no longer in a "condition" of psychological or emotional pain, suffering and unhappiness. This is because I have moved beyond all my "conditioning" within the subconscious mind and re-entered the natural state: Enlightenment.

If I carry a heavy rucksack on my back for several miles there is going to come a point where I am going to want to remove the "burden" of its load. Wouldn't you agree? Well, the subconscious "conditioned" mind is just such a "burden" that we, each of us, are carrying around in our mind/psyche and its weight prevents us from simply being in the natural state of "Being." This natural state is free from ALL burden.

"The Normal Condition of Living in the World" is what prevents the reader from being in "The Natural State of Life on Earth", which is the enlightened state itself. This layer of conditioning in the mind is so "Normal" that most of us never take the necessary time to pay attention to it for long enough to see that although it is indeed normal (in our day to day experience of life) the fact is that it is not "Natural". It isn't meant to be there . . . or is it?

Could it have a purpose, this layer of conditioned pain, suffering and unhappiness, or do you "think" that our mental misery is all some kind of cosmic mix up? One big mistake? Perhaps it is there to wake us up, is that a possibility?

The unenlightened condition is the normal way of life for most people on this planet. This normal condition is easily identifiable as all your likes and dislikes, what you think of as being good or bad and all your attitudes, beliefs and opinions. Then there are all your attachments to concepts, notions, ideas and ideals. Not forgetting all those emotions such as fear, frustration, self-doubt, worry, anxiety, anger, jealousy, guilt and regret to name just a few. I bet you can name a few others I've left out, yes?

Those who remove the condition by simply becoming aware of their conditioning are the enlightened. They do this by being the observer of themselves: all their thoughts, feelings and actions on a moment to moment basis. They do not run away from the horror of themselves . . . they FACE themselves every moment and observe all that is within them: the good, bad and yes, even the ugly aspects of their conditioning.

In observing and facing up to the Truth of themselves they dissolve all the normal but false conditioning that has accumulated within their mind/psyche and return gradually to "The Natural State of Life on Earth: Enlightenment."

In doing this they go nowhere and do nothing . . . other than live in the world just like you and I. A great man once said "I am in the world but I am not of it" and that was because he had returned to the natural state of enlightenment. Now it's your turn.

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