AM I A WHO or AM I A WHAT?
Dear James,
How about those that have an energetic experience though Grace like a Satori glimpse of the SELF that can occur at any age to anyone without studying of teachings and no interest in Enlightenment? Apparently many Satoris one after another will lead to Enlightenment, a permanent “state.”
Eckart Tolle claims his powerful Satori overnight changed him permanently although he had no idea of what happened for some time until he came into contact with Eastern teachings, but he was already there, the teachings confirmed it, but did not cause it.
James: What changes, unchanges is a fundamental principle. Enlightenment is the realization that I am not a changing entity. It is the knowledge that I am unborn existence shining as ever-free unchanging Awareness. Eckhart was actually the unchanging Self when he thought he was the Eckhart that was subject to change. He misidentified himself as someone who was born at a certain time so he assumed that he changed with each and every experience. When he sat on the park bench he was changed by what he realized. It is a common problem people for people who have epiphanies. After he read some spiritual literature he got an IDEA of what happened. If he knew what…not who…he was he wouldn’t have said that he changed, much less changed permanently. The SELF is not a person. The “who person” is changing all the time. It is in a state of permanent flux. Liberation is freedom from that person. And in so far as there is a person, it is freedom from the who person. Freedom from what? Change.
What he perhaps meant was that his IDEA of who he was changed permanently. Before the satori he thought he was one person but after he thought he was another person. That is entirely possible.
