Dear Meli,

I have been a spiritual seeker for over 4 decades. When I first discovered spirituality, I was very much striving for enlightenment. I read books about other people who had “woken up” spiritually, and I wanted the same thing. Then, over time, I released that goal. I heard other spiritual seekers and teachers talk about how we need to release all spiritual goals, even ones about enlightenment. But I recently read a book called Spirituality Through a Highly Sensitive Lens. The author, Elaine Aaron talks about how, after years of meditating, she had an experience that resulted in a 24/7 sensation of peace and expansion. She also talks about the tendency of the Western spiritual communities to downplay enlightenment as a goal. I realized that I had been one of those down-players. I’ve also realized that I don’t want to be anymore! What are your thoughts on all this? 

Eyeing Enlightenment

Dear Eye of Enlightenment,

As a Highly Sensitive Person, I am a big fan of Elaine Aaron’s work! I think it’s fabulous she’s taken up this subject and I find it fascinating.

I first started meditating at 19 years old. I didn’t have a consistent meditation practice until decades later, but I found the expansion of the mind without using substances a beautiful and fascinating thing (from the beginning). I knew I’d be meditating for the rest of my life right away. But I didn’t hear about the possibility of a regular meditation practice leading to a 24/7 place of peace until much later. I simply loved meditation for the short-term effects it had on me.

Honestly, I think I have mixed feelings about this at this point.

On the one hand, I think intentions are an immeasurably powerful thing! And I think living with the 24/7 sense of peace she’s describing sounds like something well worth aiming for! So, with those in mind, I think this is a wonderful thing to consider adding to your goals.

On the other hand, I personally hesitate to have my meditation practice be all about the achievement of any goal that keeps me from appreciating the immediate blessings of the practice. For me, I would need to remain highly sensitive (pun intended) to what that intent is doing to me and my relationship to my practice. There are so many benefits and blessings that come from meditation! I would be concerned that narrowing my focus to one goal might lead me away from appreciating all the other gifts that I’d be (and am) receiving along the way.

Having a long-term goal against which I measure each day’s practice could potentially lead to falling into judgment or disappointment until I reach said transformation. This would be very sad for me!

Perhaps there is a perfect combination. A blend of the goal of this enlightened state and an additional intent to experience every day’s practice as a blessing.

I think that would be the best way to approach this, for me. This way, I’m reminding my subconscious that this consistently peaceful state is a real possibility. I’d be holding enlightenment as a real possibility for me, personally, in a way I haven’t. I imagine this would be extremely powerful in the short and long-term!

I would just stay especially alert to how this thinking shifts my experience of my practice. Looking for any tendency to think of my consistent meditation practice as less-than, if I ‘ve yet to “achieve” this state. (Achieving through meditation does seem to me to be a very American way of thinking of an Eastern practice. But I may be completely wrong about that.)

For me, personally, I would also be concerned that I might start to prioritize the practice I’m doing in order to “get there” in a way that would lead me away from my highest ways of serving the world. One could definitely say that if I’m meditating more, I’d be available to hear guidance about what might be mine to do. But knowing myself as I do, I think it would be a definite possibility that I might lose sight of my practice of surrendering to The All’s inspiration in order to check off a box on my Ultimate Goals List.

If you are going to take on this new goal, I suggest you remain very aware of these possible drawbacks. Be sure your practice is about staying in the Present, where you do not need anything but what is, and need no fixing. Allowing things, and you, to be just as you are right now, and seeing and feeling into the perfection – of both you and everything else – is a great focus to be sure you maintain.

If you can comfortably dance with the paradox of having this ultimate goal of a constant peaceful state, and remain profoundly awake to the Present and the perfection of each breath, you may just find yourself taking your practice into all of your days. And then, Voila. You have arrived.

Enjoy the dance and the journey. And may your practice lead to short-term and long-term blessings far beyond your most magnificent imaginings!

Blessings and Love to you in all you do!

Melissa

What is your experience with meditation and enlightenment as a goal? Share your comments below!

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