Enlightenment – You are already there! (It’s BS)
While listening to another video, I saw this one about people searching for enlightenment wasting their time because they are already there, in my YT feed.
Stop Searching for Enlightenment – You Are It!
This is pure nonsense. I’m not sure where this movement came from, except possibly from teachers who have tried everything, gone nowhere, and then decided they can tell their students this made-up nonsense to increase enigma and make themselves look like they have some higher knowledge.
I can tell you without any doubt, and without believing myself to be enlightened in the classic Buddhist sense (following their system). Even the state that I am in, I can plainly see that nearly nobody else is in this same state. States. I may coin a new term here. Schizophrenic Enlightenment.
I haven’t thought about it much yet, but the term Schizophrenic implies 2 brains. Two sides of one brain. At least I think I remember that from my university classes. I’ll research it before I post this, of course.
I seem to have some sort of Schizophrenic Enlightenment that is not harmful in the least, it’s only beneficial, and it is there constantly as a baseline. Only when I start being Vern on the other side of the brain is the ‘enlightened’ or lightened side muted and covered up by the noise of Vern.
Anyway, I’ve talked endlessly about that.
Let’s look at people who are teaching that Everyone Is ALREADY Enlightened.
What does that even mean? Where did it come from? Who started this absolute bullshi*? Why did it come about and capture so many people in its tentacles?
What Is Enlightenment?
To me, it seems to be a number of things that can exist in unison, or in part.
Without Ego
Temporarily or on a recurring basis, enlightened people will have periods of time when there is no Ego present at all. No idea of I/Me/Self at all in the conscious mind while awake. Nor is there any idea that you are anything in particular – cow, horse, airplane, Jesus, etc. There is no identification with any other character.
Absence of Suffering
Permanently, temporarily, or on a recurring basis, those who are enlightened will have some time in a state where there is no suffering possible. The ego is unresponsive (gone) and nothing can hurt an egoless person. I’m speaking about emotion pain here, not someone holding a flame to your arm.
Mind Content
During the temporary or recurring states where there is no ego, there is no awareness of any dichotomy whatsoever. No this and that. No white and black. No good and bad. No here and there. No up and down. No fat and skinny. No effort/non-effort. When the Ego isn’t present, all of these things go with it.
I may go on and on with this idea – What Is Enlightenment at another page dedicated to that topic. I think I should. Click that link to see that post.
The “You Are Already Enlightened” Movement
Here is some information that sounds correct, I’m not saying it’s 100% right on, but it seems to be at least close to the truth about this movement.
1. Where did this idea start?
It didn’t come from one clean source. It’s basically a Frankenstein made from a few older philosophies that all got mashed together in the West in the 20th century.
The main roots:
- Advaita Vedanta from India
- Zen’s “ordinary mind is the Way” stuff
- Ramana Maharshi’s “self is already the Self”
- Western New Age culture that loves shortcuts more than practice
But the actual modern movement that says “You’re already enlightened, stop trying so hard” comes mostly from Neo-Advaita, which blew up in the late 1980s and 1990s.
Who started this trend?
Here are some who have taught this way of looking at reality.
Sri H.W.L. Poonja
- Also known as Papaji
- Ramana Maharshi’s student
- Pushed the “instant awakening” idea to Westerners
- Many of his Western students built the Neo-Advaita movement
He’s basically the spark. Then a wave of Westerners took his message and industrialized it.
Key Spreaders:
- Gangaji (real name Merle Antoinette Roberson)
- Mooji (Anthony Paul Moo-Young)
- Andrew Cohen
- Eckhart Tolle (not fully Neo-Advaita but heavily influenced)
- Adyashanti (Steven Gray)
- Tony Parsons
- Sailor Bob Adamson
- Francis Lucille
Their styles are diverse, but they all promote some version of “you are already that.”
Why did this movement start?
A. Western spiritual seekers wanted shortcuts
People in the West were (and still are) desperate for awakening without doing the actual grind.
- no jhana
- no discipline
- no sila
- no deep meditation
- no renunciation
- no years of training
- no pain
Neo-Advaita basically tells them – “You’re already enlightened, relax!”
This scratches the itch perfectly.
B. Teachers wanted to avoid accountability
If enlightenment is defined as something you already are then nobody can challenge the teacher.
Nobody can verify anything, and nobody has to show results. Nobody can call bullshit on bogus techniques.
Great business model though!
C. It removes effort
Actual liberation traditions require a lot of mental work. Neo-Advaita removes effort entirely. It’s the spiritual equivalent of “Six-pack abs with zero exercise.”
D. Ramana Maharshi’s message got distorted
Ramana said the self is already pure consciousness but he also practiced intense self-inquiry and hardcore meditation as many teachers do. Neo-Advaita cut out the hard part and kept the slogans.
E. Charisma-driven Western gurus
Charismatic Western teachers realized they could turn “instant enlightenment” into retreats, books, satsangs, big audiences, and $$$. So it snowballed because both teachers and students thought they were getting something out of it.
The Bottom Line
The “you are already enlightened, stop searching” thing is essentially:
- Advaita philosophy watered down
- Ramana Maharshi misunderstood
- Papaji amplified to Westerners
- Western teachers commercializing it
- People wanting shortcuts buying into it
If you want the real deal, Theravada, Zen, Vajrayana, and hardcore Advaita all say the same thing:
- Your nature might be pure but you sure as hell aren’t living from it. You certainly aren’t ‘done.’
- This movement is basically spiritual fast food.
[Top Image: Like mindless zombies roaming the streets, we’re already enlightened! Can’t you tell? Me neither. :)]
