The Nature of Enlightenment

Compilations from the transcripts of the original Michael Teachings group.

• The transcripts of the original Michael Teachings group have been determined to be in the public domain. Any content or commentary added by the author/compiler is copyright: CC by NC-ND and please attribute kathryn [at] appliedunity.com .

A small compilation of the term "enlightenment" as used in the original group transcripts.  Ultimately I would say that enlightenment as it is used here is the final goal of the process of spiritual growth.  See separate compilation on that subject.

Also within this compilation is a small bit about the difference between beliefs and knowing.  K.

…………….

July 7, 1973 w/Soleal

Dick: Would you please elaborate on that one?

There is a deep-seated fear that you will choose the wrong path and be inadvertently left behind. The Synthesis [Unity] is always, is always, there for those who are willing to search beneath the surface. The readings are good; the confusion is not [good]. That takes conscious effort on your part.

Dick again meditated on his question.

No. I cannot advise you unless I strongly receive the one question.

Dick: Okay then, I’ll meditate on the one question.

Just be patient. You cannot achieve enlightenment by any route in one day or by any method without first making the decision to establish this as the goal for the present lifetime and then making the decision to devote the rest of the life to that pursuit.

The devotion must be there, no matter which path you take ultimately. The path can take you through the mainstream of life on your world, or you may eventually decide that you must have the seclusion. A communal setting would offer this in many ways. You need people around by whom you can measure your progress and this is not bad for you. Self-confidence, and I mean in your own spiritual strength, must be developed.

November 22, 1973

Sue: Any hint in the direction I might take?

Should we go through it all over again, Sue? Meditation, concentration, fasting, study, right-thinking — this is the magic enlightenment formula, like E = MC^2.

December 20, 1973

…[H]aving your Role manifest and searching for enlightenment are quite different. Baby Warriors do not search [spiritually] but they do manifest [their Role]. There is no magic age for beginning to search [spiritually]….

December 30, 1973

It is your lack of courage of conviction that does not permit you to point out the utter nonsense in the hope for instant “enlightenment”. The path is long and steep. The difference in the teachings is, of course, the fact that this is a living teaching; many of those are not.

January 27, 1974

We would point out to you at this point that there is a vast difference between spiritual growth and “enlightenment”. We would expect all of you, without exception, to grow from this experience; we would not expect you all to achieve “cosmic consciousness”.

September 14, 1974

Loving is Higher Emotion and that requires Balance [of all Centers]. The person who is “conscious” is not a doer anyway. Most who have reached that exalted state of physical being prefer not to do; they are content merely to be with the present — that feeling you have glimpsed when you were in those states briefly. (paraphrased) This is something we have asked you to consider before: what is it you wish to do, learn to be more fruitful and happier in life? Or go onto spiritual enlightenment? The goals are very different, and the methods of approach, therefore, would have to be quite different. Living in life requires what you are calling self-image and ego strength. Spiritual acceleration does not require this; it requires negation of the cultural facade.

September 28, 1974

Liz: Growth doesn’t occur in a vacuum. One must immerse himself in something — relate with someone — in order to grow, right?

Liz, spiritual growth is an extremely active process, but many times, it isolates you from the mainstream — this is what we are saying. Spiritual enlightenment, which is indeed a byproduct, is an ecstatic experience to which nothing can possibly compare.

September 30, 1977 [Note, I have left this lecture in its entirety so that each can take what they need from it.  Kath]

That state that Dick describes is, of course, that which this Entity chooses to call Agape. That is, “love.” This state cannot be achieved romantically by the Overleaves. In no way can the Personality abandon itself for even one moment. The ego never relaxes its vigil. It is anti-ego to even consider this, for after all, that is when the devil — or as we choose to refer to it — the mass societal ego, can rush in and influence.

We have expressed before the frustrations encountered when one tries to reach this state alone. Aloneness is the single most important obstacle to reaching that state of perfection or rapture called Agape, or love. We have stressed friendship as a preliminary stepping-stone — not the superficial friendship of the Overleaves, but the sometimes harsh and unremitting friendship of those in your own pathway who will Photograph your Overleaves in both their Negative and Positive Poles, and this must be an almost constant phenomenon or it will not be successful.

Of course, we will not tell you who will be successful as a student; we cannot. All we can do is look at the potential of the Overleaves to allow the Teaching to be heard. We cannot safely predict that any particular Fragment will absorb [this or any Teaching], only that it has the ability. This is on the basis of past experiences as well as the present life experiences. Presented at the proper moment, this Teaching is palatable to about thirty percent of the world’s population, but for most to absorb it, it must be presented in that jargon that the Fragment already believes to be meaningful. No one of you is skilled enough to go forth and preach to the multitudes, but to individual students, yes. But we ask that you exercise care in that you know that the Fragment is asking [for it]; a Teaching given against the will of the student never is absorbed.

This Entity [Michael] has no other function but to teach, and could be considered enraptured. Within this state, it is no longer possible to render the judgments that you sometimes request. We are unable to consider the narrow perspective that a subjective judgment requires, and this would be true of you also if you were to reach this state.

Closeness physically with another compatible Fragment can sometimes produce an environment suitable for spiritual evolution, primarily because if there is considerable honesty and, therefore, trust between those involved, the vigil can be relaxed. Positive Poling [operating in the Positive Poles of Overleaves] is required for this relaxation to occur, and in most physical relationships there is too much Negative Poling [operating in the Negative Poles of Overleaves].

For instance, spiritual evolution cannot occur in the presence of jealousy, envy, or greed. As long as the Chief Feature rules you, there will be no change. Perhaps you may wish to look at the way the Chief Feature rules each of you in this room.

Please do not underestimate the importance of the state of vigilance that the Overleaves maintain. This is perhaps the most important concept that you as students must absorb. You must verify this in your own Overleaves and begin to consciously relax this vigil before any evolution can occur.

The process of seeking the King is not synonymous with changing Roles — it is rather an inner seeking of the highest spiritual value. Within each of you is the potential of kingliness. To seek this is to seek the throne, which is, of course, euphemistically describing that state of enrapturement or Agape. Because of the peculiar religious values of your cultural experience, that expression is simply a little more palatable, as is “the devil” a more readily accepted term for the allurement presented by the culture. Let us reemphasize that spiritual evolution is anti-cultural and, therefore, threatening to the majority of all — not only on this planet, but in all the universe as well.

If one feels the presence of the God spirit, why does it matter whether it is within or without? For that matter, when this presence is truly felt and acknowledged, there is a oneness that can no longer be destroyed. There is a knowing at that point and the student then enters “the kingdom”, which is freedom.

The transition between believing and knowing is incomparably difficult. There is nothing more difficult, believe us. We have made much of that transition, for in order to “know,” you must abandon your beliefs, and that is the most painful of all abandonments; they are what hold you to the Physical Plane.

We have never told you that this is anything but difficult. You pay a magnificent price for that freedom that is enlightenment. It is freedom in the truest sense of the word. Paradoxically, all human life yearns to be free, while it expends tremendous energy developing mind prisons for itself. The yearning for God is that same state.

It is sad, it is wistful, and to those of us who no longer yearn, it is tragic, for the tendrils of frustration and anguish traverse the entire physical universe. If any one of you could hear the screams of all the thousands of civilizations, you would abandon many of your personal dilemmas, for you would realize that life problems are largely insoluble, and this is a part of the drama that you are starring in. Each frame that you play creates a new opportunity for you to tire of the charade, but seldom is this recognized, and the play goes on. Within this room is gathered a group that at least can be angry about its imprisonment.

There is danger in the stuck-ness that the Centers provide, for most of you are enamored of the particular Centering from which you operate. This happens over and over again, for the desire for enrapturement is strong in all of you. It is only your objects that get you into trouble — especially your “love objects” — for these are loved mostly by your Centers and, therefore, reinforce the notion that your stuck-ness is right.

Love from the higher Centers cannot even be made by the part of the lower Center from which the Overleaves operate. It can be glimpsed in those rare moments when the Overleaves are vanquished, either by mind expanders [psychedelics] or by religious ecstasy or by application of the Work — that is, either through meditation or concentration that is diligently pursued.

The group high that is experienced by the student is, oddly enough, an excellent stepping-stone. This is why this Entity emphasizes group Work rather than solitary struggle. What you are seeking, dear students, is a high and it is the highest high that you can possibly imagine, and however you get there is not nearly as important as the thing itself. What do you think that word (Agape) means? Agape is the highest high.

November 4, 1977

No, Cynthia, the material is obviously not all there, as you — and we mean that collectively — are not satisfied and still search. When enlightenment occurs the quest is over, at least insofar as the Physical Plane is concerned. We have been so far unable to instill in you the permission, or give you the permission to seek that ecstasy or joy that is the end product of all that you seek. However, at least all of you are experimenting with the possibility that there may be such a state as ecstasy.