Esotericism
4 Paths That Will Lead You To Enlightenment
Is an unexamined life worth living, as Socrates suggested 2300 years ago?
Who wants to live a life with regret?
Who would prefer a life in ignorance, dogma, bigotry, superstition, false beliefs, attachments, fear, anxiety, worry, and obsession?
Who can live without learning about the bigger picture?
I guess the answer is — not so many people.
Since the rise of civilization in the neolithic period, we came up with more questions to find the world’s meaning, the cosmos, life, and our unique presence in the big picture.
Who are we?
Where do we come from, and where do we go?
What is the purpose of Creation and our unique existence?
What are the principles that govern life and the cosmos?
Is there a reason for this theater of life to exist? Is there a meaning of life?
What is the meaning of my life in this vast ocean of existence? What does it serve for?
Why are we the way we are? Why not in a different form and fate?
How do we know we exist?
Questions trigger more questions, and the list can go on and on. These questions above are one of those commonly asked by people around the world.
I have been asking such big questions to my poor mom since the age of 9, and I recall how she was panicking when I challenged her religious answers. I was looking for answers that both make sense and touch my seeking heart burning, with a huge desire to know the Truth. Truth is the absolute reality independent of the observers` perceptions. In contrast, the reality is the perception of Truth which changes by every person according to their paradigms.
A quest after started, and I found myself on a different path at the age of 23. It guided me to study western philosophy, eastern teachings, esotericism, Hermeticism, Kabbalah, Sufism, Gnosticism, energy healing, martial arts, personal development. I was lucky to meet remarkable wise people that shed light on my ignorance and expand my awareness. They have been my guides and gurus.
I am still on an endless search of self-realization and self-actualization, but here are the 4 paths, I see, that lead to enlightenment. Think about them as the 4 quadrants making up the whole circle. They will guide you to enlightenment holistically.
First of all, let me describe what enlightenment, in my opinion, is.
Enlightenment is a state of union with the universe, achieved through the process of spiritual development. It starts with knowing and continues with doing and being. Being means the ability to do without effort as if breathing. Taoists called it WU WEI — doing without doing, being without being, and knowing without knowing. It is an evolutionary process from ignorance to awareness and awareness to higher-consciousness, starting with an egocentric approach and ending with a cosmo-centric approach. It is transcending our ego, not killing it. Enlightenment is a by-product of the journey, not a result of it just like happiness.
1. SEARCH AFTER TRUTH
We are all different droplets of the same cosmic ocean, and both the droplets and the ocean are made of water. That means we all have greater potential. However, the ocean of existence is bigger than the sum of all droplets, so a droplet cannot be the ocean. The little droplet is curious to understand the bigger picture and to learn how it fits into it. That leads the droplet to ask the powerful open-ended questions like the ones above.
Asking for more is just the beginning of a long and endless journey of self-observation, self-inquiry, and inner transformation. It leads to discovering our higher-self, which is the gateway to higher consciousness levels. That is called the SEARCH AFTER TRUTH. Everyone is on that path, some way or the other, but only a few understand the path. Everyone is a philosopher and a seeker since evolution rewarded us with cortex and prefrontal cortex.
2. DISCOVER YOUR LIFE PURPOSE, YOUR UNIQUE REASON OF EXISTENCE IN LIFE
We all look for meaning in life. To best understand the importance of meaning, read Viktor Frankl`s favorite book `Man`s Search for Meaning`. He explains how finding meaning saved him in the concentration camps in WW2.
Most of us live the dreams, desires, and wishes of others they acquired in life simply because they have not found their unique purpose of existence. The ones who live by their life mission do not get tired. They wake up even at 4 am every morning afresh to realize their dreams and rise above the limits of the mind that often impose a scarcity mindset.
Every one of us is a greater piece of a cosmic puzzle, and there is no excess or waste in this system. Trust this first of all. Have faith. Faith is an unshakeable belief, while beliefs are subject to change when confronted by harsh waters and challenges.
IT IS FAITH THAT HELPS YOU PASS THROUGH THE HARSH WATERS WITHOUT ANY FEAR, ANXIETY, AND FEAR.
Recognize the value and the importance of your presence in life and try to find your unique purpose to exist. You will find it in your childhood dreams. Your passions, not the conditional desires, will help you unveil it. Anything that you cannot stop doing will lead to that. However, watch out for your ego’s dark side, as it will find ways to make your dreams a totem that will cloud your mind.
3. BECOME A TRUE HUMAN
Being born in the form of a human does not make us a real human. Being human is about exhibiting at every breath, a life of ethics, values, and virtues and shining like the sun to illuminate all the shadows. The Sufis call an ascended human, Hazrat, which describes the enlightenment stage of a wise person who acts with pure wisdom and morale as if he is in God’s presence in every breath. Such people are called saints in Christianity, Boddhisattva, or Jivanmukti in India, Insan-i Kamil in the Middle East, Adam Kadmon in Kabballah. Names are just labels, but the idea is that we are more than our personality now. We have a higher-self that illuminates our path. We can transcend into it as we unveil the light hidden behind our defense and coping mechanisms, attachments, false beliefs, comfort zones, and mental programming.
4. MASTER THE ART OF LIVING
Anyone on a path of self-discovery can fall to the trap of isolating himself or herself from life to avoid any disturbances. That is called detachment.
On the contrary, attachment to worldly pleasures, material possessions, and rewards of life will make us a slave.
The right approach is the middle-way as Aristotle, Buddha, and others called it. It is called non-attachment and is about living in the city without an attachment to the speed-pleasure-consumption culture.
The middle way is about inner balance, prudence in behaviors, and being in harmony with the universe’s flow, the zeitgeist, the spirit of the time, Tao, Ki, Chi, or whatever you call it.
It is living with compassion, joy, equanimity, and loving-kindness. Only a life by virtue can lead to such higher-consciousness. These 4 virtues, if lived unconditionally, are signs of ascension.
Understand the 4 paths above if you are seeking the light of wisdom. You will find what you see as long as you search for it with a pure heart. The universe will guide you the right people and cross your paths with similar minds, role models, or gurus that will contribute positively to your journey.
Search without hesitation.
Cheers,
Kenan