"Do not think you will necessarily be aware of your own enlightenment."

-Dogen Zenji

So basically enlightenment is the pure beingness of existence. Not something we can possess.... not something that can be attained, had or found. Something that evades us upon seeking... The harder we try to grasp it, the more it appears to scamper away from us.

Enlightenment is not an experience. It is indeed not even a 'something'!

It is the unmistakable ordinary knowingness beyond all perception, far past the reaches of the understanding mind, it is the formless, boundless, undefinable, unwritten eternal spaceless space, wherein the truth unwaiveringly rests in timeless openess.

Enlightenment comes without words to acurately describe 'it' - for there is no 'it' to describe. Yet those who know elightenment have a sparkle of intense, profound joy and bliss that dances with them throughout their daily endeavours...

The question that begs to be asked is then. How does a person actually unfold into enlightenment?

With Love
Trin
x

This is a brilliant question for to try to do anything is to push it away. I can only offer my own experience and invite others to find there own internal way.

For me there came the realisation that there was a false self - an ego - efforting to create things and circumstances in my life. Then I got a sudden expansion and 'reconnection' with 'unity consciousness' and realised this was where the truth was to be found.

My false self continued to want to 'rule the show' so even when I found absolute inner freedom, the false self was not able to rest in this freedomn and wanted to own it. So I became Chris Bourne living in absolute freedom - another virtual prison cell albeit a cosier one that before!

Then I discovered that the true way for me is to 'yield the false self' on the altar of experience. Which means I follow a flow of energy which is perceived moment by moment. To do this, I use the process 'Openhand Spirit' - living with an open mind, open heart, receiving hand, giving hand (read more).

I am them continually drawn into events and circumstances which reveal my false self through fears, doubts, worries or ambitions, desires and illusionary goals. I surrender the false self to the pull of the true self and the false self dissolves leaving a life experienced through spontaneity.

Although the true self has no identity, we can identify with it. It's identity is revealed through spontaneous action in the moment. Even though the actions are spontaneous, there is a consistency to them - this other people would identify as my true self even though it has no identity.

So it seems that each moment of every day ordinary life presents an opportunity for us to dissolve the false self! Awesome :0))))

How would you then say that practices, such as Openhand's movement in meditation can assist us in our spiritual evolution?

Ordinary life is to me the way to dissolve the false self. Any spiritual practice, Openhand Meditation included, simply increases your awareness to what you are looking for. They 'point the way' to the door if you like. However spiritual practice will not (in my experience) take you through the doorway to enlightenment because you are already enlightened!

Perversely you are only not enlightened when you think you are not - because there is a witnesser within doing the thinking rather than surrendering to the flow of consciousness through you.

What you can do is apply a process to the way you observe life which will bring you into oneness with the pure awareness that you are. At Openhand, we apply a process called 'Openhand Spirit' which is to be living with an 'open mind', 'open heart', 'receiving hand' and 'giving hand' in every moment. To find out what this means, click on this link...‘Openhand Spirit’

Hi All,

I would like to add that applying the Openhand process to my everyday life over the past year, has been an incredible catalyst to becoming aware of my own enlightened self. I feel remarkably blessed to be part of such an openhearted supportive community!

Love
Ana

"Before a person studies Zen, mountains are mountains and waters are waters.

After a first glimpse into the truth of Zen, mountains are no longer mountains and waters are no longer waters;

After enlightenment, mountains are once again mountains and waters are once again waters."