What does it feel like to live enlightened?
Is there a promise tied to awakening to what I truly am? Will I gain something from it that will improve my life? Does it make me a better, more successful person? In short: *What does it feel like to live enlightened?* These are perfectly reasonable questions, often arising during the search for truth. For many, the hope of a better life is the main motivation behind investing so much effort in this quest. However, there is a problem with these questions that prevents a direct answer—they arise from the very limited perspective the seeker wants to transcend. The questions may seem reasonable, but they are inherently flawed.
Let me give you a concrete example. Before we knew the Earth was round, asking what happens if you fall off its edges was a perfectly reasonable question. From today’s perspective, however, the question makes no sense. If you were to travel back in time, you couldn’t provide a simple answer but would instead need to explain that the Earth is, in fact, round, and falling off is impossible. This explanation would go against the questioner’s common sense, as they would point to the horizon and insist they could clearly see where the Earth ends. Asking them to imagine the perspective of an astronaut might be dismissed as an abstract evasion of the real issue: *“What happens when you fall off the edge of the Earth?”*
With this in mind, let me tell you what you will gain from enlightenment. If the answer initially disappoints you, don’t give up. Keep reading and see if the disappointment transforms into clarity.
So here it is: You will gain *nothing* from enlightenment because enlightenment is the realization that there is no *you* to gain enlightenment; your sense of separation and individuality is an illusion. This response will likely contradict your direct experience. (...) You might also believe that the art of living is about improving yourself and the circumstances of your life. If you are poor and hungry, a roof over your head and one meal a day might define a good life for you. If you are fortunate enough to live in a situation where your basic needs are met, you will likely pursue happiness and satisfaction through relationships, material possessions, and social status. When this no longer suffices, you may become what is called a seeker—a person who feels that the so-called material world cannot offer true and lasting contentment and that an inner dimension must be explored to find peace, enlightenment, or Self-realization.
**Excerpts from Chapter 3:**
Enlightenment, or Self-realization, is not something reserved for a select few. This book asserts that it is your true nature, here and now. While reading it from the beginning is a good idea, it is not, nor can it be, a linear manual on *how-to-achieve-enlightenment*. It is also not about personal development or acquiring knowledge. It deals with the paradox of remembering what has never truly been forgotten. It addresses who and what you really are, not who you could have been or might become if...
You might think of it as a weaving of words into concepts that point toward something shining beyond conceptual thought.
Everything this book has to say, in various ways, is simply: *This is It, and you are That.* Full stop. If reading it once is enough for you, great; but if you are a seeker or simply a lover of the subject, you can use this text to explore this message through ideas and concepts such as enlightenment, the ego, the intellect, the body, death, spiritual practices, the role of teachers, and your identity as a seeker. It discusses the surprise of recognizing the mystery of our real and collective identity and remembering the treasure lying within.
It is not meant to convert anyone or replace old beliefs and concepts with new ones. It is not about something I have or know, but you do not. It speaks of pure Consciousness, which is ultimately all that exists. If this is true, then *ipso facto*, whether accepted or denied, whether there is an apparent seeker of enlightenment or not, you are That.
This text can serve as a small nudge that, if delivered at the right moment, might spark awakening—just as a snowball can trigger an avalanche.
EN