Enlightenment

Here comes a couple of definitions of Enlightenment by Roberto Assagioli:

“One of the most frequent manifestations of the superconscious in the conscious mind is that of enlightenment, which results from the opening of the ‘inner eye’.

There are many similarities between intuition and enlightenment, but there are also significant differences.

In general terms we can say that intuition is a flash of illumination on a particular aspect or manifestation of Reality. Enlightenment, on the other hand, is broader and longer-lasting. It is a vision that shows the essential nature and synthetic unity of all Reality, or of significant aspects of that Reality. It is the perception of a light that is different from its physical counterpart, a light emanating straight from Reality itself.

This type of enlightenment may be regarded as a revelation of the divine immanence, and as a revelation of the unity of Universal Life expressed in myriad forms. The most effective description is the one contained in the Bhagavad Gita, which refers to it as the ‘revelation of the Universal Form’.

Many poets have experienced this enlightenment and have attempted to express it. The greatest among them is Dante. His ‘Paradise’ is full of expressions of light. At the beginning of the book he states quite clearly that he has had the indescribable experience of the supreme light, the light that shines in the highest heaven, closest to the Supreme Reality, God.

The glory of him who moves everything Penetrates the universe and shines In one part more and, in another, less. ^[1]

This manifestation of light takes on various aspects in the conscious mind of the person to whom it is revealed. These aspects are not separate but interpenetrate and merge with one another to varying degrees, some aspects prevailing over the others, depending on individual differences between those who perceive it. Sometimes the dominant factor is beauty, as with Rabindranath Tagore; in other cases it is the cognitive aspect that occupies the conscious mind, e.g. Plotinus and Meister Eckhart.

For Christian mystics, as well as for Eastern ones, this phenomenon involves feelings of love and reverence. For others the main emotion aroused by enlightenment is one of joy reaching the point of ecstatic bliss. I would nevertheless repeat that we are dealing with a situation in which one aspect is being stressed above others: in general they are all present to some degree. Dante gave fine expression to the way in which they blend together.”

[1] have been in the heaven which takes most of his light,

And I have seen things which cannot be told,

Possibly, by anyone who comes down from up there-,

Because, approaching the object of its desires,

Our intellect is so deeply absorbed That memory cannot follow it all the way.

Translation CH. Sisson, Pan Classics

(From Transpersonal Development, 2007, p. 66-67)

The sixth group of symbols is that of light or enlightenment. As with the ordinary waking process, in a spiritual awakening one comes out of the darkness of night into the sunlight which is why the awakening of the spiritual consciousness has been called ‘enlightenment’, i.e. the passage from the shadows of illusion to the light of Reality. The first step, corresponding to the first step in the awakening process, is a straightforward (though not necessarily easy) view of ourselves as we really are. The second step, or another effect of enlightenment, is that it becomes possible to solve seemingly insoluble problems by means of the special instrument of spiritual vision known as intuition. (The etymological definition of intuition, as we said earlier, is ‘to see into’, in depth, or to see the reality of things.) Thus intuitive knowledge replaces the knowledge of the senses, intellect, logic and reason. Intuition complements and transcends the knowledge of the senses. It actually brings about complete identification with what one is seeing or contemplating, and enables one to perceive the intrinsic unity between subject and object.

But spiritual enlightenment is more than this. It is like a ‘flash of lightning’, the perception of immanent Light in the human soul and in the world of creation. There are many testimonies to this – that of St Paul on the road to Damascus, for instance – while in Buddhism, particularly Zen Buddhism, one aims, through special discipline, at producing this sudden enlightenment or revelation of the transcendent reality.

Dante’s ‘Paradise’ might be called the poem of Light. The famous verse:

Intellectual light, full of love;

Love of the true good, full of happiness;

Happiness which transcends any sweetness.

Translation: C.H. Sisson, Pan Classics^[1]

This is a wonderful expression of the intimate relationship between light, love and intelligence (from intelligere meaning ‘to understand spiritually’).

^[1] Translator’s note: the last line actually seems to have been mistranslated. The original is ‘Happiness which transcends any pain’.

(From Transpersonal Development, 2007, p. 87-88)

Clear evidence of enlightenment can be found in Dante’s Paradise, which, read with spiritual understanding can reveal its profound mystical and esoteric meaning. We also find interesting details on this topic in the book “Sermons and Treatises by Meister Eckhart” on p. 42, in: How God is generated in the soul.

“It is a property of this type of generation that it always proceeds as a new illumination, that it always brings a more vivid light to the soul. Because it is in the nature of goodness to have to pour itself out, wherever it is. In this generation God pours into the soul in this fullness of light, penetrates into the deep being of the soul to such an extent that it must burst forth and pour itself into the faculty of the soul and of the external man. This happened to Paul when God touched him on the road to Damascus with His light and spoke to him: a reflection of light, also visible to his companions, enveloped him externally, as happens to the Saints. The fullness that is at the bottom of the soul is poured out on the body and illuminates it.”

This light is not a metaphor; it is a physical reality, but not visible to the physical eye. The halo of saints painted by Fra Angelico was a light actually portrayed by him because it truly exists and is visible to psychics. This light is also in us in a latent state. The Tibetan in his teaching says that every cell has a core of light. With spiritual development, an inner third eye is formed and developed within us, which enables us to see this light. Many people have had the experience. An English doctor in one of his books, “Enlightenment Observed”, has collected more than twenty testimonies from people “in the street”. There is another book on this subject entitled Illuminanda. See also Ramacharaka Advanced Course, p. 84 and following.

Enlightenment is not a pathological but physiological fact; it is the manifestation of the highest latent human function in every man. It is our duty, indeed, one of our greatest duties, to study this manifestation. As for its nature, we can say that it is an overwhelming sense of unity with the whole; through it we reveal the fundamental truth that Life is one, and that separation is only an illusion. It is then accompanied by a sense of joy, bliss and liberation from the functions of the separate self, thus making us get out of our “steel cabin”, as Zucca – with a happy expression – has called our personality.

However, all this must not be done as simple mental acceptance, but as a real and lived experience. Intuition can be considered as a quick and fleeting act of enlightenment. In fact, when a flash of intuition reveals to us the nature of an object, of a truth, then we see, we know, we have certainty. We must treasure our intuitions, securing them immediately and adhering to them, since they represent the lightning that illuminates the stormy and dark sky of life. They are graces, they are aids that we should take into account, since they come from a higher plane. The role of the mind should be to grasp, to welcome and to secure these intuitions. The mind becomes the assistant and interpreter of the soul, thus performing an extremely important function; otherwise it can become an instrument which destroys reality. We must give the mind its due importance by putting it in its true place, that is, at the service of the soul. (Enlightenment, From the Assagioli Archive in Florence. Translated by Gordon Symons. Original title: Illuminazione)