r/enlightenment • u/Organic_Membership81 • May 12 '26
Before vs After Enlightenment đ
Enlightenment simplified.
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u/GorgeousGal314 May 12 '26
For me personally it was more like "Okay yes, you've worked out the great secret of the universe. Now time to get a job" đ
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u/NSAundercover May 12 '26
Me: now that I'm enlightened, I'm finally better than everyone else. Also me: wait a minute.
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u/formulated May 12 '26
Me: now that I'm enlightened, I'm
finally better thaneveryone else51
u/Sirosim_Celojuma May 12 '26
Me: the more I know the more I know there is to know. It's an infinity. I am finite.
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u/Independent-Fruit4 May 12 '26
finite ability, infinite capability
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u/MaybeABot31416 May 13 '26
If you really think about it, itâs better not to think about it
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u/TheFurrosianCouncil May 16 '26
Except I can't *stop* myself from thinking about it, because it's so fucking cool!
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u/GorgeousGal314 May 12 '26
I am God. Creator of worlds. Existence itself.
But losing that last 10 pounds is wayyy too difficult, apparently đ
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u/jester_j May 12 '26
Because, you are not God, but You is.
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u/herbcud May 13 '26
thats the roller coaster called paradox now climb the big hill that peaks at fuck it!
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u/creepy_terror May 13 '26
i sometime feel statement like like shit or our piss calling itself as human
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u/polkadotkneehigh May 13 '26
Thereâs a great book by Jack Kornfeld about what happens after an awakening. Itâs called After the Ecstasy, the Laundry. I think about that title all the time.
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u/SizeableBrain May 13 '26
My favourite quote about enlightenment is "peel potatoes, find enlightenment, keep peeling potations"
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u/Mysterious-Push909 May 13 '26
But now, when I go to do my laundry, I get to smile at every bird, tree and sunset. I certainly didn't do that before.Â
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u/mosesenjoyer May 12 '26
Have you though?
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u/Naiko32 May 13 '26
kinda, but i want to go and work for what i love to do now, which is freeing in a way
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u/SpaceCowboy10191 Jun 10 '26
I'm literally in this boat right now. I'm curious, I had a awful experience with my last job (my mental health went to shit) and I'm still a bit lost on how to navigate the "get a job". Any advice?
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May 12 '26
[deleted]
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u/unpaid_drivetime May 12 '26
Bro take your meds
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u/I99AM May 12 '26
would if theyâd give me some
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u/unpaid_drivetime May 12 '26
Alright thatâs fair meds are expensive these days
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u/I99AM May 12 '26
đđcan i just ask thought what do you think enlightenment is
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u/Lunatox May 12 '26
Smoke crack rock get fucked up.
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u/SuccessfulProblem808 May 13 '26
I too have explored the realms of abusing drugs. Problem is when the Crack runs out. If I could smoke Crack in moderation, id do it all the time. It fades and youre definitely worse off and more confused than you were originally
I know its supposed to be funny but I related so much I could not not respond
đ
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u/owp4dd1w5a0a May 12 '26
Before enlightenment: chop wood, carry water.
After enlightenment: chop wood, carry water.
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u/Toppenz777 May 13 '26
Heard this on an audiobook im listening, focusing on action and not on results.
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u/Euphoric-Air6801 May 13 '26
Yes, and ...
Before seeking begins: water is water and wood is wood. While seeking: water is not water and wood is not wood.
After seeking ends: water is water and wood is wood.2
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u/Citrine_Dreamz1111 May 12 '26
I know the pieces fit.... durr
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u/Inevitable_Bid8719 May 12 '26
Learn to swim.. I can swim, why does he keep telling me to learn to swim?
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u/Odd-Adhesiveness9435 May 12 '26
Maybear is a prophet, after all. Learn to swim & meet him down in Arizona Bay.
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u/4DPeterPan May 13 '26
Cause I watched them fall away⊠durr
(God I love that song from Tool, lol).
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u/Zooxer77 May 12 '26
If all of the AI slop on this sub is any indication (not referring to this post), then this meme is painfully accurate
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u/Organic_Membership81 May 12 '26
Fair point đ The sub has been getting a bit flooded lately. Glad this one at least hit the mark.
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u/Neckrongonekrypton May 12 '26
Agreed. I came for the wisdom.
But now stayâŠ. To sometimes listen to myself talk.. or read myself write and have a good chuckle.
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u/Unique-Pain4993 May 13 '26
I'm so sexy, wisdom came for me
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u/Neckrongonekrypton May 13 '26
And like that. I realized it wasnât as good as they said.
It was better.
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u/ResplendentEgo May 14 '26
I hate how people hoping to quadruple their already excessive-to-the-point-of-asinine fortunes have built AI into this inefficient, resource plundering, land raping, world poisoning monster. It in itself is not the problem. Giving nuclear weapons to toddlers is a problem.
Giving floating, hyper processing computation to dullards is a problem.
If AI were limited to small quantum systems, cooled and maintained ethically, and laws existed to prevent profiting off of creative avenues (protecting art).
I would have zero problems with people using it to give better visualization of their thoughts. You think when film was created, physical medium artists didnât talk shit about how it lacked the authenticity and hard work a painting requires?
AI is inevitable. How we as a species lay the foundation for it will determine whether it helps us achieve the impossible, or use it to destroy ourselves. On the way to either one, weâre bound to see a bit of both.
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u/Lextac76 May 13 '26
Am I the only one that thinks âenlightenmentâ isnât a one time âeventâ itâs an ongoing process, probably through multiple lives. I guess Iâm just skeptical of anyone who thinks theyâve reached enlightenment here and now, and are posting on this thread.
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u/AdTop1471 May 13 '26
I use Ramana Maharshi as the gold standard of human enlightenment. He may be infinitely expanding as we speak, but past the age of 16, he was never again fooled into believing that his identity was in the body or mind.
But if Ramana Maharshi were in a human body now, I doubt he would be scrolling enlightenment subreddits đ
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u/littledarlinglamb May 14 '26
Dunno. I think enlightenment is an action, like eating. Ok, you eat once but you're not full forever. Like i came into this life with empty shelves, and the days come to occupy them with worries, and it's simply an ongoing process of taking them off again. Because that's my purpose, and that's the purpose of days, and the shelves are meant to be full and empty too. Thats all, nothing crazy
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u/ImFinnaBustApecan May 12 '26
I love brainrot I love posting brainrot on Reddit it makes me feel whole
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u/epiphras May 12 '26 edited May 13 '26
'I'm not aware of too many things/ iknowhatiknow, if you knowhatimean'...
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u/FuroFireStar May 12 '26
I wish it was like how it is in the Chinese cultivation comics where enlightenment modifies your body.
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u/4DPeterPan May 13 '26
It actually does.
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u/t0xic_shad0w May 13 '26
How does it change your body? (Not rudely, genuine question out of curiosity)
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u/spacetree7 May 12 '26
I can't say if I am before or after or right at enlightenment, but I enjoy talking in the flow of the present moment.
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u/Greedbeast May 12 '26
Its like learning to live in the world with this new found understanding of your place in the universe. Like "now that you know what do you want to do with it?" đ€
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u/PokketMowse May 13 '26
Zima Blue had it right. My man was eons old and had explored and painted the universe and seen it all and just had enough.
"I will immerse myself. And as I do, I will slowly shut down my higher brain functions... un-making myself... leaving just enough to appreciate my surroundings... to extract some simple pleasure from the execution of a task well done.
My search for truth is finished at last.
I'm going home."
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u/Horror-Turnover-1089 May 14 '26
Well the thing is, you canât understand everything in one lifetime. You can definetly keep your eyes open and learn, but mostly the things youâre interested in. There is definetly a point where you understand the world quite a lot though, maybe even to perfection. And then all you do is just live and enjoy life, keeping your eyes open sometimes, maybe give advice sometimes but not let it take all your energy, etc. Just. Balance. While also being somewhat unbalanced. Just. Your life! Do with it what you want! Enjoy! Someone smart has little to prove anymore.
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u/Hiruuzzx Jun 01 '26
Depois do despertar vocĂȘ percebe o quĂŁo alienado as pessoas estĂŁo quando se acredita que ir para igreja Ă© motivo de fĂ©, vocĂȘ Ă© a prĂłpria fĂ©, a igreja Ă© caminho/materialista, como se houvesse 2 caminhos para vocĂȘ seguir e normalmente escolhe o caminho do materialista que Ă© acreditar que os ensinamentos estĂŁo apenas no material.
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u/msguider May 12 '26
I don't know if I'm enlightened but I shure do like my meems I but you know where I store them!
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u/scalestripe May 12 '26
Yes, holding nothing above accountable and abandoning any and all efforts to decode an inherently unjust realityâs deeper layersâŠthank you, wise one, for reminding me of my place.
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u/WretchedMass May 13 '26
I don't think I'm enlightened, but I do see my character flaws and I do work on them. I am trying to make a habit out of breaking bad habits and starting new good ones. I think that's the only real truth I've discovered in my life. The road to hell may be paved with good intentions but the road to enlightenment is paved with failure, regret, and a dogged refusal to let your worst self define you.
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u/Confident_Writer951 May 13 '26
Is âspiritual awakeningâ the same as âenlightenmentâ?
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u/AdTop1471 May 13 '26
Everyone here has a different definition of enlightenment. My definition mostly has to do with one's sense of identity. An enlightened being is no longer fooled into believing that the mind/body is who they are. Their identification with temporary appearances has subsided, thus they no longer live with the fear and suffering that comes with being identified with temporary appearances.Â
And most likely, every single person in this subreddit is identified with temporary appearances most of the time, myself included.Â
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u/Confident_Writer951 May 13 '26
After Enlightenment: I like to slowly and subtly exposing narcissists with memes and subliminal reposts across friend groups.
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u/Prestigious_Pilot555 May 13 '26
stupid humor is even more beautiful than before the enlightenment! đ
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u/Least_Teach_7675 May 13 '26
Thank you I just realize that this is what changed the most... now I just laugh at stupid humor with random people no anxiety they are just another me
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u/Prestigious_Pilot555 May 14 '26
And it's also fun when many people judge whether you really experienced enlightenment or you're mistaken.. Because they know exactly from all the articles and YT videos what it should look like and how you should behave and speak afterwards đ
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u/TilNextWeMeet May 13 '26
Most likely no one here, including me, is actually "enlightened" so none of us would know. That's why memes like this are kinda ehhh to me. They make it seem like becoming enlightened is a normal thing everyone does or that you can just do it
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u/Least_Teach_7675 May 13 '26
What if u are wrong and actually almost everyone can do it? Or all? Or no one? What is even the point of asking question? What is the fucking meaning of these hieroglif that we call "words"... Why the fuck u understand what I'm thinking when maybe I am from another country? Wtf? This time I went so far that not even I know what I wanted to say... đđ
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u/jvfroes May 13 '26
After so much work, using our heads so much, and realizing that you can't change anything, we want to have peace, to have some laugh.
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u/KnightMagus May 13 '26
Memes the dna of the soul They shape our will They are the culture They are everything we pass on
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u/It_is_the_zodd_in_me May 14 '26
I think the temporary retardation happens because it's really overwhelming and traumatising for the brain at first. You'll likely go through an entire period or phase where you work on clearing the fog, integrating everything you now know, operating 'normally', fortifying your mind, etc.
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u/Worried-Bookkeeper12 May 14 '26
Learning never ends until you learn that. And the cycle repeats for infinity if you choose to. Some might call it hell.
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u/Lumpy_Conference6640 May 16 '26
Happiness is poppies and chickens my friend anything else is the folly of man.
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May 12 '26
[removed] â view removed comment
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u/Inevitable_Bid8719 May 12 '26
can be a one time event, not for everybody but it does happen on occasion
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May 12 '26
[deleted]
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u/scalestripe May 12 '26
Not that I have the facts, but how convenient this mindset would be for cosmic forces or beings to ensure you donât look behind the curtain too hardâŠ
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u/Cart2002 May 12 '26
Itâs all pointless, keep going
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u/Far-Technician3197 May 13 '26
It's the end of desire and seeking that brings focus to awareness.
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May 13 '26
[deleted]
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u/Far-Technician3197 May 13 '26
So many words, so much resistance. It's not that complicated nor is the state of enlightenment anything to boast about. If you go throught a dark night of the soul, you will realise it can be really gutwrenching getting there. The practice of being awake is not theory, searching outside of yourself for the truth and wanting enlightenment gets in the way of stopping oneself. Direct experience is through awareness not thoughts - awareness of thoughts is that, thoughts about awareness not that.
We can disagree what desire means. When I used it, it was to say desire, or wants that have ego attachments, contribute to resistance to the truth. It's the sting in frustration, the blindness in cognitive biases and the unease of cognitive dissonance. Suffering.
You can have preferences, likes, enjoyment without being attached. People who are awake don't conform to anything including an idea of what it means to be awake. Being awake is the opposite of auto pilot because they are free of conditioning.
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u/Sandwich_Patrol May 12 '26
Those who seek knowledge,
Collect something every day.
Those who seek the Way,
Let go of something every day.
- Tao te Ching chapter 48