INTRODUCTION FROM THE BOOK 48 HOURS TO ENLIGHTENMENT
48 HOURS TO ENLIGHTENMENT. Is it really possible? Yes, if a person’s mind is ready and diligent. Enlightenment is not some otherworldly, indefinable state that is to be achieved in the distant future by grace, austerity, mysticism, or classic mindfulness and meditation. No, it is not.
It doesn’t take years of spiritual practice or devotion to a teacher. As a matter of fact, those will likely prevent it. Rather, it comes solely from one source – deeply comprehending reality as it is, both inwardly and outwardly.
If over the course of two days, a reader intensely studies and deeply grasps this material in hand, fundamental understanding can be theirs. For many others, it may take them longer to mull, test, and internalize the concepts herein.
From the start, it should be stated that the author is not fond of the word “enlightenment”. It is overused and often misunderstood. However, it is a word that is utilized much in Eastern philosophy and, hence, will be used here to attract the appropriate readers to this work.
The words within this book can potentially alter one’s fundamental outlook on religion and philosophy. If the concepts herein are deeply understood and internalized, a seeker will understand truth, and enlightenment will be there. The bedrock of certainty will replace the quicksand of doubt.
This journey together will bring an end to many questions about life’s ultimate meaning and purpose. A new perspective on living will be unveiled, and life will be understood on a vastly deeper level. Sorrow and ignorance will gently yield to quietude and joy.
This volume is intended to be a clear and final solution to the bigger philosophic and religious questions that have plagued thinkers and seekers throughout the ages. The answers satisfy both the rational and emotional components of human nature. Both, acting in harmony, are necessary for a holistic, happy life.
Unfortunately, throughout the millennia, almost all of the great religions and philosophies have seemingly failed to thoroughly resolve the most fundamental question of humankind’s relationship to the world and questions of ultimate meaning. To any seriously thinking soul, it is apparent that organized religions, along with some marginal good, have also done harm to mankind on a personal and societal level.
The following chapters will put to rest the incessant and flimsy explanations as proposed by most classic religion and philosophy.
What will be the tools utilized to purge the darkness of ignorance? The blazing torches of self-reliance, observation, reason, and a burning desire to see things exactly as they are.
There will be no unfounded assumptions in this journey together. There will be no feeble lines of reasoning. There will be no invalid conclusions. Reality is as it is, and it can be accurately understood. And in that understanding, dear friend, there is liberation.
This is not a treatise that will regurgitate old theories based on belief or half-thought-out speculations. Nor will old ideas be assumed as authoritative without investigation – ideas like Advaita Vedanta, Theravada Buddhism, and certainly not any New-Age hype. The author has soundly and completely rejected parroting any system. Enlightenment does not come from mindlessly repeating the words of others, nor by subscribing to belief. It comes only from one source – understanding. And understanding and liberation can come only from being a light unto oneself and standing on one’s own two feet.
Because it is necessary to work for one’s own understanding of Truth, the author readily decided not to quote others in this work. Why? Often, quotes allude to an authority on the subject; and hence, inherent in that, is already a predisposition to look to that authority without due diligence.
If one were to investigate quantum physics, for example, looking to authorities and those who have conducted their studies is obviously necessary and valid. This is because the ability to do appropriate, first-hand research would be beyond the capacities of the lay reader in that field. However, the study of one’s true nature and one’s relationship to existence does not require research that is beyond one’s own means. In fact, that research must be done by oneself and within oneself.
Do not misconstrue this. The author advocates that a spiritual seeker critically read other legitimate works. In the beginning of one’s spiritual questioning, doing so is most necessary. However, there is no need to quote others in this present manuscript to reinforcement its authenticity. Question it. Test it. It stands on its own merit.
Merely as an aside, there was one work of Buddhism, among several, that captured the author’s attention. It was Walpola Rahula’s What the Buddha Taught. It is regarded by many as a classic in the field of Buddhist literature, and Mr. Rahula purported to perhaps present most closely the authentic and original teachings of the Buddha. Whether this is true or not is, in the end, immaterial to this present writing.
So why allude to that book only and at all? Through many years of refining his own understanding, the author came across Mr. Rahula’s book and found it to be one of the more lucid examinations of the nature of the inner “I” and the origin of mankind’s inner struggle. There are likely others. It discusses some of the same truths that are within this present writing, but in his work these truths are presented within a more traditional Buddhist framework, which perhaps in some ways may be a disadvantage. It should also be clearly noted from the start that some of the alleged teachings of the Buddha, the present author does disagree with.
But it is ultimately neither here nor there what the Buddha may or may not have said or meant in his teachings. He might have understood these same truths and maybe not. Much is lost in history; however, it is perhaps fascinating nevertheless. His teachings, too, are to be examined critically. He himself exhorted that each student be a refuge unto himself and to examine the validity of every assumption, every view, and every system.
Perhaps the ideas herein might readily attract readers who are familiar with Buddhism. Because of their background, they might be more prepared to understand what is to unfold in the pages that follow. Possibly, by studying these ideas in a fresh light, it might offers some new insights and solidify their own understanding.
Repeating, once again, the author looks upon no teacher and no system whatsoever as holding any unquestioned authority. Each person’s mind should be sovereign in and of itself.
What will unfold ahead for the reader is a step-by-step understanding of the way things actually are, starting from the ground up. Contrary to what seekers have been led to believe, religion should be – and in fact is – discoverable and observable.
But be forewarned. Genuine religious inquiry is not for the faint of heart. This text will be difficult for many, not only intellectually, but it will also challenge one’s deepest preconceptions about oneself and one’s relationship with reality. Individuals have allowed themselves to be misled by cultural upbringing and fooled by tricks within their own psychology.
Once truth is unshakably understood, one will see that the “I” is a mere fiction; and, hence, there is no fundamental friction between “me” and the rest of reality. In the deepest sense, there is and only ever was Pure Oneness. This realization of the nonexistence of the ego is so against what one has mistakenly thought to be truth, that it is like one day discovering that all of one’s accepted reality has been but a mere dream.
An objection will certainly be raised by some critics that some of these topics are oversimplified. Are they? They might contend that all of this is mere reductionism. Or, instead, have they gotten so deeply lost and enmeshed in their own misguided thinking that they miss the obvious? The author has seen in his own days that, in many of life’s most important subjects, the truth of them easily pours out when the mind is open and thoughtful, and – and this is vital – if one starts out with accurately-established premises.
This journey together is not an emotionless venture of dry reason leading to stale realizations. No, not at all. Reason clears the false assumptions and false views from one’s relationship with the universe. Do not give up the endeavor at hand. Valid understanding reveals that, wonder of wonders, all is in fact One, in the deepest, most accurate sense, in all Its starkness and majesty. This fact is the most obvious, self-evident truth in the world, but, ah, the most elusive. Oddly, truth has hidden herself from humankind all too well.
Together, dear friend, let’s begin the crossing. This is the promise: once this all-encompassing illusion of the separation of the individual and existence is destroyed by the light of reason, the way will be clear for a fuller and freer life of unity, joyfulness, certainty, integrity, and truth.
It doesn’t take years of spiritual practice or devotion to a teacher. As a matter of fact, those will likely prevent it. Rather, it comes solely from one source – deeply comprehending reality as it is, both inwardly and outwardly.
If over the course of two days, a reader intensely studies and deeply grasps this material in hand, fundamental understanding can be theirs. For many others, it may take them longer to mull, test, and internalize the concepts herein.
From the start, it should be stated that the author is not fond of the word “enlightenment”. It is overused and often misunderstood. However, it is a word that is utilized much in Eastern philosophy and, hence, will be used here to attract the appropriate readers to this work.
The words within this book can potentially alter one’s fundamental outlook on religion and philosophy. If the concepts herein are deeply understood and internalized, a seeker will understand truth, and enlightenment will be there. The bedrock of certainty will replace the quicksand of doubt.
This journey together will bring an end to many questions about life’s ultimate meaning and purpose. A new perspective on living will be unveiled, and life will be understood on a vastly deeper level. Sorrow and ignorance will gently yield to quietude and joy.
This volume is intended to be a clear and final solution to the bigger philosophic and religious questions that have plagued thinkers and seekers throughout the ages. The answers satisfy both the rational and emotional components of human nature. Both, acting in harmony, are necessary for a holistic, happy life.
Unfortunately, throughout the millennia, almost all of the great religions and philosophies have seemingly failed to thoroughly resolve the most fundamental question of humankind’s relationship to the world and questions of ultimate meaning. To any seriously thinking soul, it is apparent that organized religions, along with some marginal good, have also done harm to mankind on a personal and societal level.
The following chapters will put to rest the incessant and flimsy explanations as proposed by most classic religion and philosophy.
What will be the tools utilized to purge the darkness of ignorance? The blazing torches of self-reliance, observation, reason, and a burning desire to see things exactly as they are.
There will be no unfounded assumptions in this journey together. There will be no feeble lines of reasoning. There will be no invalid conclusions. Reality is as it is, and it can be accurately understood. And in that understanding, dear friend, there is liberation.
This is not a treatise that will regurgitate old theories based on belief or half-thought-out speculations. Nor will old ideas be assumed as authoritative without investigation – ideas like Advaita Vedanta, Theravada Buddhism, and certainly not any New-Age hype. The author has soundly and completely rejected parroting any system. Enlightenment does not come from mindlessly repeating the words of others, nor by subscribing to belief. It comes only from one source – understanding. And understanding and liberation can come only from being a light unto oneself and standing on one’s own two feet.
Because it is necessary to work for one’s own understanding of Truth, the author readily decided not to quote others in this work. Why? Often, quotes allude to an authority on the subject; and hence, inherent in that, is already a predisposition to look to that authority without due diligence.
If one were to investigate quantum physics, for example, looking to authorities and those who have conducted their studies is obviously necessary and valid. This is because the ability to do appropriate, first-hand research would be beyond the capacities of the lay reader in that field. However, the study of one’s true nature and one’s relationship to existence does not require research that is beyond one’s own means. In fact, that research must be done by oneself and within oneself.
Do not misconstrue this. The author advocates that a spiritual seeker critically read other legitimate works. In the beginning of one’s spiritual questioning, doing so is most necessary. However, there is no need to quote others in this present manuscript to reinforcement its authenticity. Question it. Test it. It stands on its own merit.
Merely as an aside, there was one work of Buddhism, among several, that captured the author’s attention. It was Walpola Rahula’s What the Buddha Taught. It is regarded by many as a classic in the field of Buddhist literature, and Mr. Rahula purported to perhaps present most closely the authentic and original teachings of the Buddha. Whether this is true or not is, in the end, immaterial to this present writing.
So why allude to that book only and at all? Through many years of refining his own understanding, the author came across Mr. Rahula’s book and found it to be one of the more lucid examinations of the nature of the inner “I” and the origin of mankind’s inner struggle. There are likely others. It discusses some of the same truths that are within this present writing, but in his work these truths are presented within a more traditional Buddhist framework, which perhaps in some ways may be a disadvantage. It should also be clearly noted from the start that some of the alleged teachings of the Buddha, the present author does disagree with.
But it is ultimately neither here nor there what the Buddha may or may not have said or meant in his teachings. He might have understood these same truths and maybe not. Much is lost in history; however, it is perhaps fascinating nevertheless. His teachings, too, are to be examined critically. He himself exhorted that each student be a refuge unto himself and to examine the validity of every assumption, every view, and every system.
Perhaps the ideas herein might readily attract readers who are familiar with Buddhism. Because of their background, they might be more prepared to understand what is to unfold in the pages that follow. Possibly, by studying these ideas in a fresh light, it might offers some new insights and solidify their own understanding.
Repeating, once again, the author looks upon no teacher and no system whatsoever as holding any unquestioned authority. Each person’s mind should be sovereign in and of itself.
What will unfold ahead for the reader is a step-by-step understanding of the way things actually are, starting from the ground up. Contrary to what seekers have been led to believe, religion should be – and in fact is – discoverable and observable.
But be forewarned. Genuine religious inquiry is not for the faint of heart. This text will be difficult for many, not only intellectually, but it will also challenge one’s deepest preconceptions about oneself and one’s relationship with reality. Individuals have allowed themselves to be misled by cultural upbringing and fooled by tricks within their own psychology.
Once truth is unshakably understood, one will see that the “I” is a mere fiction; and, hence, there is no fundamental friction between “me” and the rest of reality. In the deepest sense, there is and only ever was Pure Oneness. This realization of the nonexistence of the ego is so against what one has mistakenly thought to be truth, that it is like one day discovering that all of one’s accepted reality has been but a mere dream.
An objection will certainly be raised by some critics that some of these topics are oversimplified. Are they? They might contend that all of this is mere reductionism. Or, instead, have they gotten so deeply lost and enmeshed in their own misguided thinking that they miss the obvious? The author has seen in his own days that, in many of life’s most important subjects, the truth of them easily pours out when the mind is open and thoughtful, and – and this is vital – if one starts out with accurately-established premises.
This journey together is not an emotionless venture of dry reason leading to stale realizations. No, not at all. Reason clears the false assumptions and false views from one’s relationship with the universe. Do not give up the endeavor at hand. Valid understanding reveals that, wonder of wonders, all is in fact One, in the deepest, most accurate sense, in all Its starkness and majesty. This fact is the most obvious, self-evident truth in the world, but, ah, the most elusive. Oddly, truth has hidden herself from humankind all too well.
Together, dear friend, let’s begin the crossing. This is the promise: once this all-encompassing illusion of the separation of the individual and existence is destroyed by the light of reason, the way will be clear for a fuller and freer life of unity, joyfulness, certainty, integrity, and truth.