Are You Enlightened?

Every now and then someone asks me if I am enlightened or if I have totally let go of ego. Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! To me it is funny that anyone could even think to ask this of me. I always point out that if I had completely let go of ego I’d have nothing left to learn so I wouldn’t need the world anymore. An enlightened person does not stay long.

Sometimes students tell me of others they have heard of who are enlightened or who are called “master teachers” and are said to have no ego. I’m not sure if these enlightened and ego-less people say these things about themselves or if those around them are labeling them. A truly enlightened person would not feel a need to describe themselves that way and only ego is concerned with ego at all. Perhaps it all comes down to how “enlightened” and “ego” are defined. In A Course in Miracles “ego” refers to your individual personal identity but to many it just means “pride”. You will put pride aside long before you totally give up all attachment to a personal identity. And it is obvious that an “enlightened” person is one who is wholly identified with the Holy Spirit. They are fully awakened and know completely that only God is Real. No more and no less than that Fact is what we have to learn in the world. But maybe others have another definition for enlightenment. In any case, why would any of this be important, except to ego? Only the ego is concerned with labels and roles and self-images. An enlightened person feels no need to limit themselves to a label or role or self-image because they identify with the Limitless.

I used to have my own individual enlightenment as a goal. Now I see that that is ego, too. Any goal I have for myself is ego. Only the Holy Spirit matters; not what I attain individually. My individuality now belongs to the Holy Spirit to use as the Holy Spirit needs. I need do nothing but get the personal aspects of my mind out of the way. And if I keep that out of the way so that the Holy Spirit can work in me and through me I am doing all that I can. This may or may not lead to my individual enlightenment. In any case, I will have served the awakening of the one mind that dreams of separation from God and that is the only real thing I can do in this illusion of seeming separation from God.

Comments

Mariah B said…
Liz, I would like to say that you are an excellent teacher of God. I have heard so many course teachers claiming to be "enlightened", and I think its sort of selfish of some of them, beacause all they are doing is labeling themselves, which is right up the ego's alley. I think its so wonderful how you can teach the simple lesson of the Course, and still explain that you have forgiveness lessons of your own. That is not selfish at all. That is something I strive to be one day, self-LESS. Thank you so much!
1:10 PM
Anonymous said…
I was feeling this, it's sometimes necessary to comment on our progress on the journey to Self, possibly as a way to share and teach or comfort someone in darkness.
When the ego comes in is when we use that to compare or feel like we have 'one up' on anothers journey. To be condescending in our teaching or attitude with others is all for the purpose of ego strengthening.
3:28 PM
imweare said…
Thanks Liz!

I am so glad to have found the course, and to have been brought to your newsletter on it. It is more than coincidence.

Learning to see things differently, I have learned that less is more when it comes to 'Me'. If I allow myself to want more of the world, I am creating with the ego... and then this new desire needs attention, then it needs feeding, and it grows larger all the time I do.

Am I seeing this clearly?
9:54 PM
ACIM Mentor said…
Yes, you are understanding correctly. But remember that your desires in the world are neither good nor bad - they are nothing. So don't embrace them or fight them, just let them go. In time they all fall away as you grow in your awareness of God and you value the experience of God over anything the world has to offer.
8:45 AM
Marina said…
I understand that labeling yourself as enlightened can be a form ego if you are comparing yourself to someone who you may consider not to be enlightened. But I've heard many teachers claim that we are all enlightened. We are all born enlightened and have just blocked our light with our erroneous beliefs established by our past - our ego. What are your thoughts on this?
2:49 PM
ACIM Mentor said…
Marina, while it is true that you have the Christ Mind in your mind you are not "enlightened" until it is the only mind with which you identify. "Enlightenment" is the conscious awareness that you are One with God.

Also, you are not born enlightened; you are born into ego. And the past does not establish your erroneous beliefs; your erroneous belief that the ego is you establishes a past story for you.
3:03 PM
imweare said…
Just recently, I returned to the text and read (If I can recall correctly) "The Holy Spirit is my guest, and I will not intrude the past upon Him". As with all words from the course, I receive just what is needed at that moment. It came back to me over the next few days, and continues to offer meaning. And Comfort.

For me, it is still a challenge to remember what I have learned. But I have seen too much to ever stop trying now! The road is not so Rocky any more!

Many Blessings, -Joey
6:32 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Committed to the Spiritual Process

If you’ve been reading my blog/newsletter for the past few weeks then you know significant things have occurred in the life of this mind. Four years ago the ego (personal thought system) fell away. I didn’t realize it fully and I spent three and a half years personally in a rather barren place in this mind, though there was peace in the rest of my mind. I did feel done with the world, but I didn’t know what that meant. I just stayed with the feeling, wondering what would come next. The next thing arrived in this mind last summer with a subtle shift from emptiness to a delicious Spaciousness. This was followed by beautiful Golden Light, Love, and Joy filling the Space. Bewilderingly, an effect of this was a romance novel! From there, the Light and the shifts continued. During this time a client in Australia whom I have called Zelda in these articles, but whose real name is Hannah, became a friend as well. We grew closer over several months and began to experience a lot of sync...
Read more

Ask: What is meant by "extend Love"?

I wonder exactly what is meant by "extend love" or how one extends love. Is it a loving intention toward the person, or a wish for them, or what? Can you give an example? – JO “Extending love” means replacing unloving thoughts in your mind with the awareness of Love in your mind. For example, your peace of mind is disturbed while watching something on television. Your peace is gone because you believe that what you see is reality. You extend Love in this situation by turning inward to Truth (God), feeling Love’s Presence within you, and remembering that It, not the images appearing, is What is Real. It may take you a while to accept that only your own thoughts cause you pain. So at first you may feel that you need to extend Love “out there” to the images that seem to be causing you pain. Or you may extend Love to another who is sharing their painful story with you. You can do this by imagining the situation or the person in a Loving Light. Or you may use some other image to ...
Read more

Evolving Practice with ACIM

           The Course was dictated to two who had a sense of Spirit working in their lives. After all, they were taking down the Course itself! The Universal Christ Mind sought to develop and grow their awareness of Spirit through the lessons in the Workbook as well as simply in discussion with them, privately and through the Course . And for those who find the Course and already have an awareness of Spirit, even if only dimly, the Course functions in the same way. Through the practice suggested, they develop their trust in Spirit. But for many who come to the Course , the discernment of Spirit within has not yet occurred. For them, practice is the means of opening to the awareness and experience of Spirit. Those who do not understand this often feel frustrated and even angry with the Course for suggesting that they should be having experiences that they do not yet have. They feel that they fall short when they read the instructions and descriptions ...
Read more