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nearoanoke
USA
525 Posts |
 Posted - Nov 24 2007 : 10:30:46 AM
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Hi All,
I have read the below passage in a book on Buddhas teachings. Sounds interesting...
quote:
After all, isn’t enlightenment about understanding everything?” Gadzooks!
A quick digression here: enlightenment is about understanding the fundamental nature of all things, and what they happen to be is ultimately completely and utterly irrelevant to enlightenment. Thus, very enlightened beings understand something fundamental about whatever arises or however their lives manifest, i.e. its impermanence, unsatisfactoriness, and emptiness, as well as all of the stuff about the True Self, which is the same thing. However, they have no more knowledge about the specifics of the world, i.e. content or subject matter, than they have acquired in just the way that anyone else acquires knowledge about the specifics of this world. They can even have all sorts of psychological baggage to deal with, and this is probably the norm.
Do let me know your thoughts on this |
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yogani
USA
5201 Posts |
Posted - Nov 24 2007 : 2:19:37 PM
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Hi Near:
Here is a lesson that touches on this subject:
http://www.aypsite.org/260.html
In this case, the word "perfection" could be equated with knowing everything, which enlightened people do not. But they keep smiling anyway, due to the inner illumination radiating from beyond worldly knowledge, and their obvious limitations. 
All the best!
The guru is in you.
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Chiron
Russia
397 Posts |
Posted - Nov 25 2007 : 02:32:12 AM
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| I have read that when a Devotee is close to final liberation, there comes a siddhi which enables one to know one's past lives. A person with this ability fully developed may not know everything, but they may have thousands of lifetimes worth of knowledge at their disposal. Compared to a 'normal' person it may indeed be fair to say that they do know everything. |
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nearoanoke
USA
525 Posts |
Posted - Nov 25 2007 : 11:10:17 AM
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Hi Yogani,
Thanks for the reply. Enlightenment seems less and less powerful the more and more I know about it. 
Chiron,
A senior meditator (who claims to be enlightened) told me that he can have all the knowledge in the world at his disposal and he just needs to tune his mind to the frequency of the desired knowledge and he can get it
I am not sure how true this is. If enlightened people do have such a facility, I would consider them know-all. But I see lot of gurus trying to read and get to know things than acquire knowledge through the frequency tuning method.
-Near |
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gumpi
United Kingdom
546 Posts |
Posted - Nov 25 2007 : 11:48:40 AM
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It strikes me as the heart of madness that the concept of a man that knows absolutely everything can be created
Yogananda didn't know everything all at once and could answer any question ever, because there are writings about him saying that he said, "i couldn#t remember". Even in his Autobiography, there is a person who's name he could not remember so he called him Baba, which means "sir".
Maybe people can tap into a state of all knowing but beyond an intelligent mental process i cannot find any means of conveying any such information.
Also, if self-proclaimed enlightened "teachers" really did know everything, why are they lecturing and doing nothing about it? Why aren't they assisting science and technology? |
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yogani
USA
5201 Posts |
Posted - Nov 25 2007 : 12:13:19 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by nearoanoke
Enlightenment seems less and less powerful the more and more I know about it.
Hi Near:
Actually, it is just the opposite, where less can be more. One of those divine paradoxes.
Which is more powerful, that which is manifest, or that which is the inner source of all that is manifest?
Which is more powerful, worldly knowledge, or all peace, creativity and divine love? Can worldly knowledge add anything to divine love? Not really. Can divine love add anything to worldly knowledge? Everything. Without the flow of divine love, worldly knowledge has no meaning whatsoever. What is life on this earth without love? Nothing.
The story of the destination of loveless (unenlightened) knowledge has been told a thousand times -- always a dark tale. And when the happy ending comes, it is always brought by love. The only happy ending there can be for worldly knowledge is enlightenment producing outpouring divine love. The story always leads to that outcome, sooner or later.
Knowledge can be found when needed. Divine love is the need itself. Enlightenment is not about getting something. It is about learning to release the unifying flow of divine love within us, which is the greatest joy that can be known in human life, and the fulfillment of all knowledge. It is our destiny.
The guru is in you.
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Shanti
USA
4854 Posts |
Posted - Nov 25 2007 : 12:29:24 PM
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Hi Near,
I personally don't know any enlightened soul.. so I cannot tell you what enlightened souls know.
However the one thing I can tell you is, in my experience, whenever I need to know something and I am in a place where I can accept it, I get the information in some form.. be it the forum, or a book that comes my way, something someone tells me, an experience I have, etc. I think that is what is meant by enlightened souls knowing everything. You don't have to consciously know it all... but when required you will get what you need in form of experience, knowledge, advice etc.
I did have some strange experiences a few weeks back.. I went through a few nights of intense training by someone in my sleep. Don't know who.. but I knew I was being given real huge lessons and when I woke up I felt like I knew so much more of something.. dunno what.. but its like stuff was taught to me... and I will have access to it when I need it. Like I have said before.. these experiences are hard to put into words.. but there is a kind of knowing when you do experience them. |
Edited by - Shanti on Nov 25 2007 12:58:39 PM |
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emc
2072 Posts |
Posted - Nov 25 2007 : 12:41:56 PM
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A funny note on this:
A few weeks before the retreat when I spoke to Bernie, we talked about the evolution of the nervous system, and he dismissed it rather quickly, which made me see that even enlightened only bring the knowledge with them that they have gathered during their path. He knew nothing of the neurobiological transformation that Yogani knows heaps about.
At the retreat I mentioned this to a friend and we talked about it a bit, and I expressed some disappointment of Bernie not knowing it all.
The satsang that took part a few hours after started with Bernie looking firmly into my eyes and then he began to explain the whole neurobiological part of the transformation of the nervous system!!!
It was rather common that he would pick up what was in peoples minds or what had been spoken of during breakes (him not physically present) etc. He knew what questions was "in the air". But it also seemed as if he just downloaded the whole knowledge package just to show me he knew! Hahahaha! (But I guess it was rather a trigger for him to transmit something of importance, without any agenda behind.)
Shanti, that has happened to me also - lessons during night - more so in the beginning of the journey. Now it feels as if I download loads of info when sun or moon gazing. |
Edited by - emc on Nov 25 2007 12:44:02 PM |
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Eddie33
USA
120 Posts |
Posted - Nov 25 2007 : 3:01:20 PM
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i like this topic. i been thinking about the same thing.
i think it's al reletive. people can think they know everything and they may very well be able to come up with very suitable answers for the circumstances that are presented. seeing into past lives, who knows. a guy that i talk to claims that he was able to do that and maybe he could. i don't see how it is anymore fascinating than dreaming.
and i also think that being enlightened doesn't miraculously solve all your problems. i think a person can be enlightened in some way but still be very emotionally underdeveloped, or intellectually underdeveloped. I think that it's just a change in perception, albeit a big one.
To Shanti.. this happens to me sometimes. Just the other day I had my 3rd or 4th dream with Adyashanti in it. I'm sure that they are something real because there's a very distinctive vibe that each of the dreams have. In the dream we were in some type of conveniance store and we were both buying some type of drink. As we were paying I asked him a question "how do you deal with your reletives, and friends who suddenly have this enlightened guy in there family and feel wierd about it. ".. I don't remember exactly what he said but it revolved around death and the fact that this is just another fear and perseption that one recieves.
Namaste |
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Enlightened = know everything?
