Forget 10 steps... become enlightened in ONE step!

I might be living in a state of delusion. Well, we probably all do, just in different levels, but I wonder how many people out there have a spiritual practice. That is to say, that they care at least at some level about what goes on with their soul, if they believe they have one.

‘Cause I’ve been doing some thinking (I’ve made a commitment to do this at least once a week) and it seems to me that what it really comes down to is this thing called ‘awareness.’

If you think of spiritual enlightenment as something foreign or unreachable, think again. You may very well already be there you just don’t realize it, or mind, and either way is fine. That is to say, it’s not something we should be worrying about. A lot of people go about life trying to find ‘meaning’ to their existences when the meaning is in existing to begin with. The ‘answer’ is always under our nose.

I think we get confused about the whole thing. We tend to confuse “purpose” with “occupation.”

Is your purpose in life to be:

An Architect?
An accountant?
Yoga instructor?
Entrepreneur?
Doctor?
A Shaman?

We are not what we do. We are not our jobs or occupations. We are not the place we were born in. We are not a nationality. We are not what we wear. We are not the music we listen to. We are not… I know, it sort of sounds like a fragment of ‘Fight Club,’ but he did have a good point though.

I think that to some extent we are kind of aware of this early in life. I feel like this notion was a big part of my life as I was growing up. When I was a child and going into my teenage years not much worried me. All I really focused on was the present time. At some point that changed. I began to worry about the present, the future and later on about the past as well. Too much worrying, if you ask me.

Did I begin to worry because I have more things in my mind?
Maybe because of the influences of society?
Can I blame the media?

I guess there is no right or wrong answer. Our experiences in life are a result of the combination of all the elements that take place in it. And there is a lot of stuff going on. I guess all I’m trying to say is that the important thing in life is, well, life itself!

So, the one and only step to become enlightened is... be. I'm afraid that's all there is to it. I don't care who gets upset because it took them10 years of constant fasting and meditation to ‘feel’ enlightened, but the truth is that’s all it takes.

It is not necessary to go to the tallest Tibetan mountain in our quest for spiritual enlightenment. Why would we? Our spirit is within not in some “special” magical place. Although I will concede wholeheartedly that there are some spaces that lend themselves to peaceful meditations or moments of clarity, all the answers lie within.

If you don’t want to take my word for it, I googled “enlightenment” for you and found these two quotes from very reputable (and enlightened!) Philosophers to back up my humble prose:

“There is no enlightenment outside of daily life.”
Thich Nhat Hanh

“Knowing others is wisdom, knowing yourself is enlightenment.”
Lao Tzu

Thanks for reading!