The secret of enlightenment is the absolute, unequivocal conviction that it exists. What does that mean? It means you have discovered an unshakable confidence in the fact of nonduality–in the perennial mystical revelation that IT IS. and I AM THAT. A confidence in that which can never be seen or known is the very ground of the enlightened state. Being is ungraspable, it’s unknowable, it’s ever elusive, and yet it is the only place you can find true confidence in life. Why? Because it is the very source of life itself. The conscious experience of Being, which is what enlightenment is, has always been the ultimate answer to the most fundamental spiritual questions: Who am I? and Why am I here? Those who have tasted enlightened awareness find that in that experience, any trace of existential doubt and all the questions that go along with it instantaneously disappear. It’s not even that they are answered, but rather, the questions lose their meaning. When you locate the nonrelative, or absolute, nature of consciousness in the depths of your own self, it is experienced as a clarity that is empty of content; a weightiness that is full of nothing in particular; a profound knowing that dissolves all questions. In that questionless state, you find yourself profoundly rooted and radically free, supported by an absolute confidence in the knowing of no-thing that changes everything. The experience of that empty ground is the answer–the one answer that always liberates each and every one of us. You simply know, unequivocally, before thought, that I am. That’s the only answer:  I  A M. There is no why. Andrew Cohen
Some Similar Quotes
  1. How could they see anything but the shadows if they were never allowed to move their heads? - Plato
  2. The bird of paradise alights only upon the hand that does not grasp. - John Berry
  3. The Encyclopedia--the advance artillery of reason, the armada of philosophy, the siege engine of the enlightenment... - Peter Prange
  4. Philosophy cannot be extinguished, though men will try ... The spirit seeks the light, that is its nature. It wishes to return to its origin, and must forever try to reach enlightenment. - Iain Pears
  5. Enlightenment is not a goal to be attained, it is a state-of-being to be regained. - Kim Chestney
More Quotes By Andrew Cohen
  1. The contemplation of consciousness–which is the contemplation of no-thing whatsoever–is endlessly fascinating. It’s like staring at a candle in a dark night–you find yourself mesmerized by something that is unchanging yet infinitely compelling. You feel drawn into something you don’t understand rationally but that your...
  2. The secret of enlightenment is the absolute, unequivocal conviction that it exists. What does that mean? It means you have discovered an unshakable confidence in the fact of nonduality–in the perennial mystical revelation that IT IS. and I AM THAT. <span style="margin:15px; display:block"></span>A confidence in...
  3. One of the most extraordinary things about being a spiritual teacher is the rare privilege of being able to look deeply into the very souls of many human beings at the same time.
  4. Almost all the ideas we have about being a man or being a woman are so burdened with pain, anxiety, fear and self-doubt. For many of us, the confusion around this question is excruciating.
  5. It is true that women tend to be more identified with their bodies because in this crazy world, both men and women measure women's value as human beings in relationship to their physical appearance.
Related Topics