Two Enlightenments   

I have been re-reading Adyashanti’s The End of Your World.  On p. 1 of this book, in speaking of awakening or enlightenment, Adyashanti says that during this experience, “the whole sense of ‘self’ disappears.”  His mention of this aspect of enlightenment has given rise to some thoughts about this non-self aspect of enlightenment.

From the standpoint of this aspect, there are several points during the day when everyone probably experiences enlightenment.  Especially when a person is engaged in a manual or  intellectual  task requiring concentration, the sense of self usually drops from his or her mind.  For example, planting flowers, putting dishes into a dishwasher or cupboards, planning a meal, these are activities when a sense of self, or “I-consciousness,” may not be present.  Normally a person is not aware of this absence. 

There are instances, however, where a person is aware of the absence.  In a different source than his book, in the Sun journal of 2007, p. 10, Adyashanti described such an experience he himself had.  The essay on this website, “Zazen and Ego,” describes a similar experience of my own.  In my case, I was completely aware of the absence of a sense of “I” in my mind.  When I saw this absence, I was very startled but not discomposed.   

Some Buddhist sources seem to present enlightenment as occurring only during meditation, which is a relatively rare experience.  Adyashanti, however, as well as I, are talking about an enlightenment that occurs outside of meditation.  Also, Adyashanti, in the words of the editor of his book, “insisted that it is a myth that a spiritual awakening is a rare experience” (p. xiii).   

It is likely that many zazen practitioners have enlightenment experiences.  To realize that the self has no real existence is a great advantage in life.