My journey to Enlightenment

My pursuit to true enlightenment has taken over thirty years to accomplish. Even though, it seems like an easy feat to achieve, it’s something that takes time, practice and commitment to bring to fruition. Since I was a young, my mother taught me about spirituality and religion. At first, I didn’t have a strong desire to achieve any realm of spirituality. It wasn’t until I hit my late twenties; that’s when I decided to make a commitment towards forming a spiritual path in my life. I’ve recently grown to understand its benefits. Reading scriptures in the holy book and hundreds self-help books on spirituality has helped me understand life and its components a lot more clearly. Hundreds of stories of sacrifice and discipline have encouraged me to search for enlightenment within my own life. These stories have not only influenced my perspective of life, they have directed me to my own inner being – an understanding of who I am inside.

My first feeling of enlightenment came after I was able to eliminate all the hatred, remorse and negativity that surfaced my mind, much of which I discussed in The First Chapter. When I was able to do this, instantly, my mind became a lot clearer and I was able to live in the moment without putrid annoyances of my past. Feelings of joy, contentment and happiness surrounded me every day. It's something almost indescribable, but I know the feeling was very positive in nature. It came when I was able to eliminate any and all judgement towards myself and others. It came when my beliefs were in tune with my values, and it came with much discipline. Even though it took me years to release, I now know how to bring it back frequently. Being enlightened is an experience like no other. Here’s my experience:

I am standing on a lonely foothill just outside Calgary, Alberta and overlooking the mountains of Banff. It’s a spectacular sight. The warm breeze is melting the snow on the mountain tops. It’s nearing the end of Spring and the smells of summer are in the air. The aroma of the trees, flowers and fresh air is blissful. Fresh Spring mountain run-off is flowing through streams, creating a peaceful sound absorbed through my ears. The feelings that run through my body are radiant and overpower any negativity surrounding me. My mind is silent and no images are present. It’s as though I've faded into the Matrix. My body is peaceful and in a neutral state as I admire the environment around me. I gaze around, looking at all the beautiful sights, including the soft flowers that were created with near perfection and the pebbles underneath my feet. In fact, everything around me seems to be created with perfection. Even the bees flying through the air are created with such an amazing perfect complexion. I’m in awe of the magnificent sights. Joy runs through my veins and a feeling of happiness overwhelms my spirit. I’m truly living in the moment for the first time in my life. This feels like the perfect moment.

For the past three decades I was guided by misinformed beliefs that starved me of any fulfillment. I was searching for something that I thought would bring inner relief and satisfaction, without realizing that I was fighting an impossible mission. I kept delving deeper and deeper into my soul, trying to locate the feelings of happiness, but, no matter what I did I couldn't find contentment within myself. I felt empty inside and incomplete, but today was much different. I had finally given myself the opportunity to release the stress of society and join the relaxation of nature. I was living in the moment. It was exactly what I was looking for.

During my state of enlightenment, I had finally eliminated the need for affection of society. I got rid of my limiting beliefs that weighed me down and made me feel weak. I felt truly happy and excited all at once. It was such a relief. I finally felt in full control of my emotions, my beliefs and my own identity. No longer was I directed by any ill manifested images of unhappiness. My inner soul felt gravitated, like it was in its highest form of spirituality. As I stood there, overlooking the mountains of Banff, a slight chill ran through my body, however, I didn’t allow it to take form in any other way. It just added to the perfect moment that I was living. All negative thoughts of my past and future had subsided completely. As I heard the chirp of some passing birds, it sent my mind into a deeply relaxed state. It felt like I was daydreaming reality. As I focused on my breathing, I realized that my heart rate dropped significantly; compared to the vigorous state it was in while climbing the hill. I then took my focus off of the sights and sounds around me and focused only on my breathing. I paid attention to my heart rate. After a brief moment, my entire body started tingling. It’s was though a powerful energy was radiating throughout my entire soul. It felt amazing. I allowed the intense feeling of satisfaction to run through my body for as long as I could. For about five minutes, my mind was at complete peace. Moments later, my stop watch started beeping loudly and attracted my attention. I shook my head from the daze that it was in and instantly my mind fell back into reality. As I stood on the large foothill that day, I realized that, for the first time ever in my life, I had been truly enlightened.

To read more, please visit HERE