Quotes about Enlightenment

When we have many things within ourselves which are neither known nor accepted, then such things complicate our lives horrifyingly, and in fact provoke all sorts of situations which could be avoided through knowledge of ourselves.

Enlightenment is mere vanity, responsibility is the bedrock of the universe.

We are on a journey of becoming that which we already are. That is the impossible paradox of our lives.

Receive daily quotes from Leonard on Twitter
Leonard Jacobson's official website
Follow Leonard on Facebook

Extreme difficulties should be regarded a compliment -  for it is a sign that you're an old soul being tested to see if you're ready to rise to the next level towards enlightment.

The past is gone. The future never arrives. In truth, there is no life outside of this moment.

Our Father awaits us with great zeal and desire, and with love He will see us returning from afar, and He will look upon us with compassionate eyes, and we shall be dear to Him, and He will fall on our neck running and embrace us and kiss us with His Holy Love.  He will not reproach us, and He will no longer remember our sins and iniquities, and all the holy angles and all His elect will begin to rejoice over us.

"What joy is ours that the Lord not only forgives our sins ,but allows the soul to know Him, so soon as she humbles herself.  The poorest wretch can humble himself and know God in the Holy Spirit.  There is no need of money or posessions in order to know God, only humility.  The Lord gives Himself freely, for His mercy's sake alone.  I did not know this before but now every day and every hour every minute, I see clearly the mercy of God.  The Lord gives peace even in sleep, but without God there is no peace in the soul."

I stood in the midst of the world, and incarnate I appeared to
them. I found them all drunk, I found none among them athirst. And my soul was grieved for the sons of men, for they are blind in their hearts and do not see that empty they have come into the world and that empty they are destined to come forth again from the world. However, now they are drunk--when they have shaken off their wine, then shall they rethink. 

"Death makes your entire life bullshit. Don’t you see? That’s the problem. The body is going to die, every relation of the body is going to die. You can’t even depend on it continuing for another moment while you’re . . . associating with it. That’s the situation you’re in, but you use fabrications of mind and so forth, individually and collectively, that distract you from the fact of it, so that you won’t feel it profoundly. And so you build up this whole lifetime of endeavors, of attachments, of things you own, things you do, things you’re known for, things you know, things you know about — on and on and on. And it all passes. But in the meantime. . . you bullshit one another, effectively.

The Great Matter doesn’t confront you merely in death. It’s just that in death you are disarmed and you have no choice. While you are alive, you delude yourself! You fabricate a reality that’s not altogether true, in order to give yourself a sense of permanence, continuation, certainty — as if life is about being enthusiastic, about fulfillment of the next desire. In fact, you could easily drop dead in any moment. All kinds of people drop dead every day. And a lot of them haven’t lived a very long life beforehand. All kinds of terrible things are being done by human beings to one another and otherwise by the situation itself.

So you can participate in the round of desires and consolations as much as you are able for a lifetime, however long that lasts, and then be necessarily confronted by profundity at the point of death. Or you can go beyond even right now and exist in that profundity right now. . .

True religious life is a great profundity. But the religious life that people propose for themselves and propose to one another, generally speaking, is the life of consolation, of distraction, of arbitrary beliefs that suggest some kind of continuation (or even permanence) of the present pattern.

An hour reflecting on one's own non-existence is better than a year of religious devotions with the thought that one exists.

A loving journey of transition begins by nurturing self care. If we honour our inner selves we not only live our divine blueprint, we also embrace the richness of humanity as we promote spiritual enlightenment.

In transmitting the dharma, there is neither explanation nor teaching; there is neighter hearing nor attainment. Since explanations never really explains, nor are they able to teach, why talk about it? Since listening isn't really hearing or attaining anything, then why listen? But say, since it cannot be explained or heard, how can you enter the Way?

But down the bagagge, take of the blinders, and see for yourself that this very place is the valley of the endless spring, this very body is the body of the universe. At such a time, who is it who can accompany this?

"He who follows properly the spiritual pathway begins to see in himself more and more sins, until finally he sees himself completely immersed in sin.  Through his spiritual eyes he perceives his leprous soul.  He feels with his whole heart that he is dirt and filth, that he is unworthy even to call out the name of God.  Like the publican, unable to raise his eyes, he cries out with pain of heart: 'God have mercy on me the sinner.'  When a person maintains his soul in such a spiritual state for a long time, he finally emerges from it absolved, like the publican."

Abbot Nikon

It is not until you awaken and become fully present that you will realize that you have not been present. It is not until you awaken that you will realize you have been asleep, dreaming that you are awake.

Listen!  God, Himself says, 'Call upon Me in the time of trouble so that I will hear thee and thou will praise Me'.  Afflictions confirm us in our faith, and teach us to set worldly glory at naught.  Believe firmly that no suffering or sorrow can visit us --- not a hair of our heads can fall --- with out God intending it.  Although we are always inclined to put down our misfortunes to the ill will or stupidity of other men, these are in reality, only tools in the hand of God; tools used to fashion our salvation.  Therefore take heart and pray to our Lord Who is always at work for our salvation, using to this end both what we call happiness and what we call sorrow.

"To yield and give way to our passions is the lowest slavery, even as to rule over them is the only liberty." 
-- St. Justin the Philosopher

You get lost because you think there is somewhere to go. If you give up believing in a goal or a destination, then you cannot get lost. In the present moment, there is no destination.

If you fully awaken, you will not know yourself. Understand this, and you will understand all.

The only way out is in.

It is far wiser to ask for a question than an answer. When you think you have all the answers, it simply means you have run out of questions.

Do not seek the answers. Let the answers find you.

For one who is truly ready to leave, to give up everything, to do anything to achieve full awareness in this lifetime...always radical means are essential in order to break free from this illusion in this lifetime.

I am Gourasana, and I make a very bold statement when I say I can guide you from this illusion – but I can.

"...What’s different is that from this integrated place you have choice. Instead of unconsciously careening from one object of desire to another, from one place you think you should be to another, from one “me” you want to be to another, you consciously choose what to want, where to go, and who to be, knowing the consequences and consciously deciding to accept them. You know that whatever you become attached to eventually will be used up, fall apart, or end, but you decide to become attached anyway. This frees you to love the people and things in your life–but to do so with awareness.

Zen student and British-born Japanese scholar R.H. Blyth once wrote to Alan Watts, saying, “How are you, Alan? As for me, I’ve given up all thoughts of satori and enlightenment and am busy becoming attached to as many people and things as possible.” This is an expression of this idea of becoming attached, not unconsciously, but with awareness and choice.

So in your game of Hide and Seek, once you find what you were looking for (yourself), you keep playing, but now your playing is more relaxed. Instead of trying hard you “try soft,” because you know that although cause and effect and impermanence are real, they’re just the play of that one that one all-encompassing “it” and though it won’t always appear as what you think of as “me,” it will always appear as something, and that something is who you really are."

But the adult is not the highest stage of development. The end of the cycle is that of the independent, clear-minded, all-seeing Child. That is the level known as wisdom. When the Tao te Ching and other wise books say things like, "Return to the beginning; become a child again" that's what they are referring to. Why do the enlightened seem filled with light and happiness like children? Why do they sometimes even look and talk like children? Because they are. The wise are Children Who Know. Their minds have been emptied of the countless minute somethings of small learning and filled with the great wisdom of the Great Nothing, the Way of the Universe.

The best way to make your dreams come true is to wake up.

"Those who submit to the Lord with simple heart will run the good race.  If they keep their minds on a leash, they will not draw the wickedness of the demons onto themselves."

Saint John Climacus.

If you are never angry, always forgiving instantly and constantly blaming yourself knowing you can never be right, you will have heaven on earth and in your heart.  And Christ will help you to do all these things.  You must be like Christ.  You must never love one sister more than another sister, love each sister equally.  If they hurt you or wrong you, love them even more."

Gerontissa Makrina (+1995)

You're the only one who knows when you're using things to protect yourself and keep your ego together and when you're opening and letting things fall apart, letting the world come as it is - working with it rather than struggling against it. You're the only one who knows.

Before we can become who we really are, we must become conscious of the fact that the person who we think we are, here and now, is at best an impostor and a stranger.

I've wondered why it took us so long to catch on. We saw it and yet we didn't see it. Or rather we were trained not to see it. Conned, perhaps, into thinking that the real action was metropolitan and all this was just boring hinterland. It was a puzzling thing. The truth knocks on the door and you say, "Go away, I'm looking for the truth,'' and so it goes away. Puzzling.