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| I've thought about this before, and I've come to the conclusion that there are probably more enlightened people then we think in the world. I'm guessing that once a person becomes enlightened they simply disappear into the background, telling very few people about their state, and living very humble lives. With everyone else in the world trying to stand out, it's probably very difficult to notice them. The few that are famous are only famous because people have found them and questioned them endlessly (I'm thinking of Tolle here). Do you guys agree with me? How many enlightened people do you think are alive today? A few hundred, a thousand, more? I'm curious as to people's estimates on this. Erock
__________________ "I just kind of expected to win" - Pete Sampras |
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| Imagine how the world would change if just one person became enlightened. Imagine how your world would change if that one person was you!
__________________ The greatest gift you can give anyone, is the example of your own life working. --Orin |
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| I don't believe there are any truly enlightened people in the world. If they were, they would find a way to pass on the good news. Isn't that what enlightenment is all about? To bring us wisdom, joy and meaning. I'm sorry, but it hasn't happened yet. Quote:
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The works of Buddhism, and the 15th chapter of the Tao te Ch'ing, don't refer to 'Enlightened' people as being 'out there'. It refers to the active qualities we are to find within our self.
__________________ "Is there anyone so wise as to learn by the experience of others?" - Voltaire |
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No one is as enlightened as His Holiness The 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet. Yet he does not claim to be enlightened. The Dalai Lama says he's "just a simple monk" with no exceptional wisdom to impart. "Others are always making too much of my words," he says. "People are too serious. All the time, too serious."
__________________ "Is there anyone so wise as to learn by the experience of others?" - Voltaire |
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Its funny how many paradoxes the world has and especially something so simple as enlightenment. At one of Tolle's tapes in the middle he suddenly switches from a 'tolle is talking' to 'you are talking'. It was very subtle and difficult to explain. The thing is, enlightenment is inside you, yet there are also enlightened people 'outside' of you. Told you this stuff is full of paradoxical things. Just like the dalai lama is a simple monk, yet at the same time so much more. Quote:
A lot of the ancient masters spend years living a relative poor life. Eckhart Tolle spend 2 years on a bench. The thing is, your coming from a viewpoint; They need to save me, they need to bring me wisdom, joy and meaning. You will only find that within yourself. Nobody can give it to you.
__________________ Don't think...Act |
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| I read somewhere once and I now agree that it only takes one "enlightened" person to save the entire world - you are the ONE. |
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| I don't know if they would fade into the background like you said. I follow the traditional Buddhist definition of enlightenment, meaning that it is like "God flowing through a person." This person is so filled to the brim with compassion and spiritual energy, completely without a self, that all they would spend there time doing would be trying to get the message out to others. These people are noticed.
__________________ http://www.tms-recovery.com/ Helping people recover from chronic illnesses of all kinds using a highly effective mind-body approach. No pills, no surgery, no BS, just free information. |
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| I agree with this. Maybe you mean how many people have fully tapped into this Enlightenment. I feel there's a scale of how connected we are to Source, and it's so personal that it's really hard, maybe even impossible, to label someone as Enlightened. We'd all agree, I think, that the Dalai Lama is enlightened, but we can't really judge that. |
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| I guess I didn't phrase my question right, and I guess for someone to answer it they would have to agree with my view of enlightenment haha. Okay, question rephrase: How many people do you think are enlightened in the sense that they have completely dis-identified with the body and their mind is infinitely silent? This question is assuming you believe, as I do, that this is possible. Erock
__________________ "I just kind of expected to win" - Pete Sampras Last edited by Erock : 01-22-2008 at 07:50 AM. |
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Your body is a part of you just as much as God/The source/Higher self/The now is a part of you (and the mind, and the tree's, and the bunny, and the lollipop)
__________________ Don't think...Act |
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I like to think my spirit is enlightened, as everybody's is. Then we are stuck in ego land and forget that part of us actually is enlightened all the time. |
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| The answer to the original question can only be one or zero.
__________________ Steve Pavlina www.StevePavlina.com Pre-order Personal Development for Smart People (shipping Oct 15, 2008) |
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| Enlightenment - The highest level of human consciousness, where humanity blends with divinity. Extremely rare. The level of Krishna, Buddha, and Jesus. Even just thinking about people at this level can raise your consciousness. http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/200...consciousness/ |
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| I heard that a little differently. Like: we're all in this together, we're all one consciousness. Either we're all enlightened, or none of us are. |


