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Enlightenment can be defined as the clear and deep intuitive perception or intuitive understanding (not just belief or intellectual comprehension) of the entire situation, that is, of the unity of Consciousness and of the absence of the 'me' or 'I' as a separate, autonomous entity.
from The Science of Enlightenment
by Dr. Nitin Trasi
"...the unity of Consciousness and of the absence of the 'me' or 'I' as a separate, autonomous entity." J. Krishnamurti says that enlightenment is a paradigm shift from a 'me-centered' experience of the world to a universal experience that has no 'center' at all.
This idea of "losing" oneself, one's personal identity, can at first glance seem frightening. Who wants to lose the sense of 'I'? Many of us who come to meditation and spiritual study have spent years tracking down and finding a sense of I. And now you want me to give it up?
In our practice of Vedic meditation, we see enlightenment as that experience of the world that begins to happen as we let go of the stresses that we have accumulated over the course of our lifetime. Letting go of these stresses, we do not lose the sense of 'I-ness;' rather we uncover the extension of 'I' to all the rest of the universe. We continue to know ourselves as individuality, as this particular person with this particular history, this age, this sex, this set of life experiences; and along with this identity we begin to feel more and more our connectedness to all things. Our oneness with all things. It's still me. It's just now me plus.
Why might this be a good thing? The more we can experience ourselves as something other than this separate entity, the more we know ourselves as at-one-with, then the more clearly we will be able to discern the movement of the laws of nature. There is a flow, a current in life, in nature, as there are currents in a river. If I am swimming in a river without paying attention to the currents, the direction in which I am trying to move will be determined by my ideas of where I should be headed and not at all by what is appropriate and correct, nor by what is doable. I may in fact see shiny objects directly upstream from where I am and struggle mightily to move in that direction. If the current is strong, I may never make any headway, but only build a resentment against life or God or my parents about why it is that I am never able to get what I want. We can spend years doing this. And no matter what, at some point, from exhaustion if from nothing else, I will be going downstream. That's the way the river is flowing. That's where I'm going to end up. This is the way rivers work. How much more pleasant it could be for me and everyone around me if I were able to pay attention to the current from the beginning and plan my days and my direction around what I could see coming my way and where I can see the river is tending?
This is the gift of letting go the stresses, the gift of allowing ourselves to have this full experience of life that is our birthright.
Today I will pay attention to the current of life as I am able to discern it and I will do my best to align myself with it.
 Butler and Fire, Studio City
All material copyright Jeff Kober | 
