How Many People Are Enlightened?

[Genghis Khan]

Jesus, Muhammad, Buddha, and other religious teachers are generally believed be enlightened. Are these historic individuals the few people who have ever been enlightened or are there modern figures who are enlightened? Also, if so, are there higher rates of enlightened individuals in the far East than in west? 

Also another question, is it ever a possibility for many people to start becoming enlightened in the future and reach a critical mass in which enlightened people become the majority? In which case, how would society change?

I know these questions may not be possible to answer, but i am curious.

Edited February 10, 2016 by Genghis Khan

[Guest]

You never know who are enlightened. Not because it's easy to fake it but it's useless to claim for a person who is enlightened.

[Genghis Khan]

Aren't there signs at the external level to tell if one is enlightened?

[charlie cho]

3 minutes ago, Genghis Khan said:

Aren't there signs at the external level to tell if one is enlightened?

I tried to insult my teacher. To see if they have an ego.

[Emerald]

7 minutes ago, Genghis Khan said:

Aren't there signs at the external level to tell if one is enlightened?

I doubt it. Most enlightened teachers that I've seen seem to be really regular people. But they are generally pretty cheerful and free from affectation.

[TheFrown]

I don't personally belive enlightenment is a binary state of you are either enlightened or your not. 

A person who is considered enlightened In some manner or another may be deficient in some other aspect of life. 

If one belives themselves to possess "true" enlightenment,  then they lack humility. 

[Guest]

For the unenlightened enlightenment is an object of pursuit.

For the enlightened there is no need for pursuit of objects. 

If an insult is seen for what it really is, one who sees this will not react to it. He or she may respond to an insult, but it will not be of a reactive egoic nature.

joy

 

[Ayla]

The only way to actually recognize an enlightened being is through their vibration. The feeling that you have around them. 

There are countless people in the world who are enlightened... and yes, more tended to be in the eastern culture, now I doubt that is still the case or that it will remain like that in the future. 

Society will completely change, yes, as humans become enlightened now much easier, exactly due to their proximity to other enlightened people  - similar to .. "the plague" LOL 

And yes, they can be in the form of ms and mr nobody  

[Genghis Khan]

3 hours ago, Ayla said:

The only way to actually recognize an enlightened being is through their vibration. The feeling that you have around them. 

There are countless people in the world who are enlightened... and yes, more tended to be in the eastern culture, now I doubt that is still the case or that it will remain like that in the future. 

Society will completely change, yes, as humans become enlightened now much easier, exactly due to their proximity to other enlightened people  - similar to .. "the plague" LOL 

And yes, they can be in the form of ms and mr nobody  

Could you please elaborate on the feeling one would have around an enlightened person? I'm interested in finding someone who has attained Enlightenment. What do you mean by vibration?

 

 

 

 

[Leo Gura]

Most enlightened people are quite ordinary and you would not know from the outside that they are special in any way. Plus they are humble, so they don't go around shouting, "Look at me! I'm enlightened!!!!!"

In today's age there are MANY enlightened people. Thousands of them. Maybe even tens of thousands. They just aren't flashy, rich, or powerful, so they have little influence on mainstream society.

[Juan Cruz Giusto]

@Leo Gura Does enlightenment make you not wanting to be an influence on mainstrream society or it is because most people who become enlightenemnt are usually not interested in mainstream stuff?

[Neil]

Its funny how we all have so many opinions about enlightenment, and yet none of it is helping us to actually get there haha.

My useless opinion is to surrender.  Surrender everything, every thought, every belief, every voice in your head, until there is absolutely nothing left.  Then we might just have a chance.

[Tina]

5 hours ago, Leo Gura said:

Most enlightened people are quite ordinary and you would not know from the outside that they are special in any way. Plus they are humble, so they don't go around shouting, "Look at me! I'm enlightened!!!!!"

In today's age there are MANY enlightened people. Thousands of them. Maybe even tens of thousands. They just aren't flashy, rich, or powerful, so they have little influence on mainstream society.

I agree with this because I have been acquainted with several enlightened/awakened people & they couldn't be more down-to-earth. 

Many of the people with whom I've exchanged ideas about spirituality & enlightenment are members of the Pragmatic Dharma community, and they insist on open, honest communication around practice & path attainments.  They have contempt for the "mushroom" (keep 'em in the dark & feed'em sh!t) dharma culture that uses fluffy, indirect language regarding enlightenment.  They feel that, since the Buddha of the Pali scriptures & his followers spoke openly about practice & enlightenment, we should too.  I agree that it's much more helpful to be open about all of this, as it demystifies enlightenment & brings it into the reach of us laypeople.

[Mac]

What I am wondering is it just the knowing or understanding that there is no me, would be considered enlightenment or are there stages after this understanding?? 

[Khin]

@Mac To Nirvana, there are definite four stages depending on the awareness and understanding level (Buddha said it). But Don't know about Enlightenment because some said it's understanding the reality and some meant it as Nirvana.  

[Binary Encoded Sunset]

When the mechanical meat building that is you, recognises it's existential "mechanical meat buildingness" - that all thoughts are nothing but - thoughts & the voice in your head is just a malleable "thought form" which is clearly as 'fluid' as every other bit of material & this is directly experienced beyond concept - then you know you're enlightened. You know you're enlightened because it's the most incredible relief. A bit like looking through the mouth of a cave from the inside. Only all of a sudden, you are the cave - & the view...  but paradoxically you see you're not any part of that in particular. Further "enlightenments" happen because from this incredibly grounding perspective you have a solid albeit still subjective reference to relate your experience to. You can weigh information against direct experience & connect the dots. Meaning is basically just pattern recognition so after direct experience of reality, the database or "knowledge graph" of everything you know has a platform from which to connect itself. I also really like how you can literally see lights in your head if you do enough meditation. Nothing makes you feel more "enlightened" than your mind's eye flickering at different speeds like a strobelight in the darkness as it appears to be eclipsed by the density of your thought-stream. Then things get really interesting when you get into the realm of lucid dreaming. It's like "I see that I'm no particular part of this experience but I literally appear to be in a holographic thought dimension here" or "the other side" as I like to call it. Which really leaves interesting questions about "the soul/ ego." Do you need this meat building or can your simply take your mental projection of you & traverse infinite worlds? I know you can experience that (see my profile's 'about me' section for a poetic explanation). I can't prove to you that I'm enlightened but I can tell you about my experiences & those that will have similar experiences will recognise the patterns & that's how we'll recognise each other. That or eye to eye transmission. Super cool - Imagine looking into another's eyes & "just knowing" the depths of which the other can see themselves in you. For a kid who just wanted to be understood all his life, the very thought of that beckons tears of joy. Enlightenment was the greatest relief. When I was young I always said "the saddest thing in the world to me is knowing I'll never be able to see the world through someone else's eyes." I was so relieved to discover I was wrong. It's as if reality is just an animated sculpture that views itself as a reflection through it's own organic "technology" & is comprised of various layers or "dimensions". If all matter is composed of energy & all equals energy & that is what people call "spirit" then anyone who has had a lucid dream/ outerbody experience has experienced a "spirit world".  An enlightened person sees this & recognises the experience as an existential reality albeit a dream. Beyond this, the closest I got to "Nirvana" was being engulfed by white light during meditation once. It was so peaceful & relieving but my meditation timer went off & I returned to the room gasping for air... I like to think of that as a near death experience. I brought it on by getting aroused during seated meditation & it was the most peaceful I've ever felt - nothing but bright white. No body, no me - just brilliance. I know this might sound far fetched to some but hey, I'm just telling you what I've experienced! Before Leo's enlightenment videos, the closest I'd ever been to anything remotely spiritual was one terrifying lucid dream years back & I've no experience with hallucinogenic drugs beyond a bit of weed as a teen.

[Rufus]

These days there is absolutely lots of people are enlightened but many people prefer not to mention that, I know some people act they are not but I know they are, assuming they want peace for themselves or they want to maintain their countability in societies that will misunderstand enlightenment. 
Now and especially with the rise of spiritual masters over the internet and social media, I think awakening will trend tremendously, I hope it doesn't become a hub for ridiculous wannabees though, but there is a significant increase in awakening rates happening on this planet, I think (I'm not sure but I wonder) that the rate will increase quickly in the next few decades and the entire plant will awake due to various reasons including technology and communication tools and due the natural disasters that can happen the planet where awakening and conscious behaviour is the only way for humans survival.. if not all this will go away.

This is just a personal theory but I cannot guarantee that what I'm saying will happen.

Edited February 12, 2016 by MWS

[Bruno]

You know it would be pretty awesome if someone enlightened joined the forum

[abrakamowse]

Cookies are enlightening   

[Khin]

Wow! The reason enlightened people never show up is because people have really high expectations for them like they should be like this and that. But really, they r just normal humans. Only difference is their understandings and how they cope their own emotions.