The spiritual wisdom of different teachings and traditions encourages millions of people to be mindful of their thoughts and actions, to develop a deeper awareness, and remain calm before life challenges. In this article, we want to share with you our collection of quotes on spiritual enlightenment. Meditate on these quotes on spiritual enlightenment to raise your awareness of the truth and your spiritual journey will be filled with compassion, joy, gratitude, and love for all humankind.
Here it is – our collection of quotes on spiritual enlightenment.
50 Quotes On Spiritual Enlightenment
#1
“For a seed to achieve its greatest expression, it must come completely undone. The shell cracks, its insides come out and everything changes. To someone who doesn’t understand growth, it would look like complete destruction.”
―Cynthia Occelli
#2
“It isn’t by getting out of the world that we become enlightened, but by getting into the world…by getting so tuned in that we can ride the waves of our existence and never get tossed because we become the waves.”
―Ken Kesey
#3
“According to Vedanta, there are only two symptoms of enlightenment, just two indications that a transformation is taking place within you toward a higher consciousness. The first symptom is that you stop worrying. Things don’t bother you anymore. You become light-hearted and full of joy. The second symptom is that you encounter more and more meaningful coincidences in your life, more and more synchronicities. And this accelerates to the point where you actually experience the miraculous.”
–Deepak Chopra
#4
“Enlightenment is ego’s ultimate disappointment.”
―Chögyam Trungpa
#5
“I’m simply saying that there is a way to be sane. I’m saying that you can get rid of all this insanity created by the past in you. Just by being a simple witness of your thought processes.
It is simply sitting silently, witnessing the thoughts, passing before you. Just witnessing, not interfering not even judging, because the moment you judge you have lost the pure witness. The moment you say “this is good, this is bad,” you have already jumped onto the thought process.
It takes a little time to create a gap between the witness and the mind. Once the gap is there, you are in for a great surprise, that you are not the mind, that you are the witness, a watcher.
And this process of watching is the very alchemy of real religion. Because as you become more and more deeply rooted in witnessing, thoughts start disappearing. You are, but the mind is utterly empty.
“That’s the moment of enlightenment. That is the moment that you become for the first time an unconditioned, sane, really free human being.”
―Osho
#6
“Enlightenment means taking full responsibility for your life.”
―William Blake
#7
“Not till your thoughts cease all their branching here and there, not till you abandon all thoughts of seeking for something, not till your mind is motionless as wood or stone, will you be on the right road to the Gate.”
― Huang Po
#8
“One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious.”
―Carl Jung
#9
“Enlightenment is man’s release from his self-incurred tutelage. Tutelage is man’s inability to make use of his understanding without direction from another. Self-incurred is this tutelage when its cause lies not in lack of reason but in lack of resolution and courage to use it without direction from another. Sapere aude! ‘Have the courage to use your own reason!’- that is the motto of enlightenment.”
―Immanuel Kant
#10
“An enlightened man had but one duty – to seek the way to himself, to reach inner certainty, to grope his way forward, no matter where it led.”
―Hermann Hesse
#11
“The closer you come to knowing that you alone create the world of your experience, the more vital it becomes for you to discover just who is doing the creating.”
―Eric Micha’el Leventhal
#12
“Enlightenment will be now the beginning, not the end. Beginning of a non-ending process in all dimensions of richness. ”
―Osho
#13
“Suffering just means you’re having a bad dream. Happiness means you’re having a good dream. Enlightenment means getting out of the dream altogether.”
―Jed McKenna
#14
“These are the three stages of enlightenment, the three glimpses of satori.
The first stage enlightenment: A Glimpse of the Whole
The first stage of enlightenment is short glimpse from faraway of the whole. It is a short glimpse of being.
The first stage of enlightenment is when, for the first time, for a single moment the mind is not functioning. The ordinary ego is still present at the first stage of enlightenment, but you experience for a short while that there is something beyond the ego.
There is a gap, a silence and emptiness, where there is not thought between you and existence.
You and existence meet and merge for a moment.
And for the first time the seed, the thirst, and longing, for enlightenment, the meeting between you and existence, will grow in your heart.
The second stage of enlightenment: Silence, Relaxation, Togetherness, Inner Being
The second stage of enlightenment is a new order, a harmony, from within, which comes from the inner being. It is the quality of freedom. The inner chaos has disappeared and a new silence, relaxation and togetherness has arisen.
Your own wisdom from within has arisen.
A subtle ego is still present in the second stage of enlightenment.
The Hindus has three names for the ego:
- Ahamkara, which is the ordinary ego.
- Asmita, which is the quality of Am-ness, of no ego. It is a very silent ego, not aggressive, but it is still a subtle ego.
- Atma, the third word is Atma, when the Am-ness is also lost. This is what Buddha calls no-self, pure being.
In the second stage of enlightenment, you become capable of being in the inner being, in the gap, in the meditative quality within, in the silence and emptiness.
For hours, for days, you can remain in the gap, in utter aloneness, in God.
Still, you need the effort to remain in the gap, and if you drop the effort, the gap will disappear.
Love, meditation, and prayer becomes the way to increase the effort in the search for God.
Then the second stage becomes a more conscious effort. Now you know the way, you know the direction.
The third stage of enlightenment: Ocean, Wholeness, No-self, Pure being
At the third stage of enlightenment, at the third step of Satori, our individual river flowing silently, suddenly reaches to the Ocean and becomes one with the Ocean.
At the third Satori, the ego is lost, and there is Atma, pure being. You are, but without any boundaries. The river has become the Ocean, the Whole.
It has become a vast emptiness, just like the pure sky.
The third stage of enlightenment happens when you have become capable of finding the inner being, the meditative quality within, the gap, the inner silence and emptiness, so that it becomes a natural quality.
You can find the gap whenever you want.
This is what tantra calls Mahamudra, the great orgasm, what Buddha calls Nirvana, what Lao Tzu calls Tao, and what Jesus calls the kingdom of God.
You have found the door to God.
You have come home.”
―Swami Dhyan Giten
#15
“Enlightenment is not the byproduct of avoiding the darkness in favor of the light. It is the byproduct of taking the light of consciousness and diving deep into the darkness with it. To make the darkness conscious is to turn the shadow into light.”
-Teal Scott
#16
“In my own life, I know that my state of cheerfulness is a reliable gauge of my level of spiritual enlightenment at that moment. The more cheerful, happy, contented, and satisfied I am feeling, the more aware I am of my deep connection to Spirit.”
–Wayne Dyer
#17
“Nirvana or lasting enlightenment or true spiritual growth can be achieved only through persistent exercise of real love.”
-M. Scott Peck
#18
“Always keep your mind as bright and clear as the vast sky, the great ocean, and the highest peak, empty of all thoughts. Always keep your body filled with light and heat. Fill yourself with the power of wisdom and enlightenment.”
-Morihei Ueshiba
#19
“Enlightenment is the journey from the head back to the heart, from words back to silence.”
-Jack Brocas
#20
“Enlightenment is not about becoming divine. Instead it’s about becoming more fully human. . . It is the end of ignorance.”
-Lama Surya Das
#21
“Enlightenment is any experience of expanding our consciousness beyond its present limits. We could also say that perfect enlightenment is realizing that we have no limits at all and that the entire universe is alive.”
-Thaddeus Golas
#22
“Do not give them a candle to light the way, teach them how to make fire instead. That is the meaning of enlightenment.”
―Kamand Kojouri
#23
“Enlightenment…is real; and each of us, whoever we are, can in the right circumstances and with the right training realize the nature of mind and so know in us what is deathless and eternally pure. This is the promise of all the mystical traditions of the world, and it has been fulfilled and is being fulfilled in countless thousands of human lives.”
-Sogyal Rinpoche
#24
“Enlightenment, joy, and peace can never be given to you by another. The well is inside you.”
–Thich Nhat Hanh
#25
“Enlightenment is understanding that there is nowhere to go, nothing to do, and nobody you have to be except exactly who you’re being right now.”
–Neale Donald Walsch
#26
“Enlightenment is very possible for the ordinary individual. Actually, it is easier than for someone who thinks that they are special.”
-Ravi Shankar
#27
“Enlightenment is beyond the connection to me and mine; it’s past the illusion that you know who you are. In our world it is considered advantageous to have a positive self-image, but the wisdom of Buddhism is to let go of images altogether. There is a great deal of suffering in self-esteem. It’s nice when it’s around, but it comes and goes, utterly out of our control. This practice is headed in the direction of letting go of everything you think you are. Then you’re doing the same things other people are—eating rice and drinking tea—but you’re beginning to get a taste of what it is like to be free and clear, wholehearted and effortless.”
-Larry Rosenburg
#28
“Enlightenment is the complete flowering of body, mind and the soul.”
―Amit Ray
#29
“Knowing others is wisdom, knowing yourself is enlightenment.”
―Lao Tzu
#30
“The ego tries to convince us that we must do things to achieve enlightenment. The spirit knows that enlightenment is not a matter of doing, but a magnificent consequence of being.”
-Dean Jackson
#31
“The real meaning of enlightenment is to gaze with undimmed eyes on all darkness.”
-Nikos Kazantzakis
#32
“Do not think you will necessarily be aware of your own enlightenment.”
-Dogen
#33
“Enlightenment or awakening is not the creation of a new state of affairs but the recognition of what already is.”
–Alan Watts
#34
“The mind of an enlightened human being is flexible and adaptable. The mind of the ignorant person is conditioned and fixed.”
-Ajahn Sumedho
#35
“To know yourself as the Being underneath the thinker, the stillness underneath the mental noise, the love and joy underneath the pain, is freedom, salvation, enlightenment.”
–Eckhart Tolle
#36
“What you focus on you become. So always focus on that which is highest, brightest, happiest and most noble of all things, enlightenment.”
-Frederick Lenz
#37
“Enlightenment has nothing to do with physical knowledge. It is the experience of existence. Existence is infinite. There are countless universes and creations taking place simultaneously.”
-Frederick Lenz
#38
“There are many paths to enlightenment. Be sure to take one with a heart.”
–Lao Tzu
#39
“Alwasy keep your mind as bright as the vast sky, the great ocean, and the highest peak, empty of all thoughts. Always keep your body filled with light and heat. Fill yourself with power of wisdom and enlightenment.”
-Morihei Ueshiba
#40
“If we pretend to be more enlightened than we really are, we will miss an opportunity to heal ourselves. Admitting our limitations can make us feel vulnerable, yet it is very freeing. We just have to be ourselves as we are now, accepting the mixture of enlightened awareness and human limitation that is in each of us. Through this self-acceptance, we find deep peace and self-love.”
-Shakti Gawain
#41
“Attachment is the main thing that is blocking your path towards enlightenment.”
-Garchen Rinpoche
#42
“Someone who wants to attain enlightenment must be brave. He must rush into the crowd of enemies with a dagger. In the practice of Zen, enemies are our delusive thoughts and passions.”
-Koun Yamada
#43
“People only see what they are prepared to see.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
#44
“Enlightenment is any experience of expanding our consciousness beyond its present limits. We could also say that perfect enlightenment is realizing that we have no limits at all and that the entire universe is alive.”
-Thaddeus Golas
#45
“Being is enlightenement.”
–Osho
#46
“If I could define enlightenment briefly, I would say it is the quiet acceptance of what is.”
–Wayne Dyer
#47
“To study the way is to study the self. To study the self is to forget the self. To forget the self is to be enlightened by all things.”
-Dogen
#48
“The ego tries to convince us that we must do things to achieve enlightenment. The spirit knows that enlightenment is not a matter of doing, but a magnificent consequence of being.”
-Dean Jackson
#49
“The attainment of enlightenment from ego’s point of view is extreme death.”
-Chogyam Trungpa
#50
“When we wake up from our confused state of mind, that is enlightenment.”
-Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche
We hope you are inspired by these quotes on spiritual enlightenment as much as we are!