Enlightenment - Defined in 11 Words. The Religious Barriers and the One Vehicle

Enlightenment - The moment you realize that God is in Love with you.

Many people make Enlightenment into something it's not. There is no stairway to heaven. The path you must take is known only by you and the Universal Love within you. And there is only one step, Faith.

In the NT the bible mentions that many who simply heard the good news were immediately enlightened by nothing more than faith.

What is the good news?

In the physical world there is me and you. Living and Dying. Good and Evil. But within God there is only Eternal Universal Love.

Many people have said that our Father lives within us without acknowledging what they are truly saying. Religion has created a barrier. This barrier is not found within the scriptures, but arrogant men who believed they had superior knowledge and somehow held a key to God's Love have mistakenly barred the path.

They say with their mouths Grace, but in their deeds they follow only Laws and Rituals. In their arrogance they have blocked the path to Enlightenment by trying to make God happy through Laws and Rituals.

One must do this, or do that. One must meditate this way or that way. One must practice Yoga and foccus on Chakras. One must find one animal sacred and another detestable. One must eat or not eat. One must pray this way or that. One must read this book or that book. One must follow this man or that man. One must use the right name. This is religion.

Faith in the Source of Universal Perfect Love within you is Enlightenment. The more you pursue your Father's Universal Love the more Universal Love you feel. Buddhist call this feeling of Universal Love Nirvana. Christ said that accepting Universal Love into your heart was like being born again.

Is there anything One must do? Siddhartha Gautama said there are three classes of spirituality.

1. One that believes in the exterior meaning, who accepts the path of Universal Love but feels unable to make the next step. - Śrāvaka

2. One that has accepted Universal Love and walks according to the Spirit of Universal Love without letting go of the pain of others. One who walks with one foot in Nirvana and the other in anguish for his brothers and sisters. - Bodhisattva

3. One who has fully accepted that physical reality is the only thing that is not real. One who sees the suffering world but no longer holds onto anything, believing that Universal Love itself will arise at exactly the right moment. One who shines in everything he does, but does so without consciously being a Light. Realizing that his actions are directed by the Source of Universal Love. Although others may see him as a leader he sees himself as simply a follower of Universal Love. - Buddah

In the Lotus Sutra we are told a truth, all 3 paths lead to a fully enlightened Buddah. The reason is simple, there is only One narrow path. As we get older it becomes easier to hold onto Universal Love and let go of our connection to the physical world. Thus by nature anyone who believes in Universal Love will age into a Buddah.

Those who physically die before full enlightenment will become fully united to Universal Love through the Eternal Spirit and become a Buddah.

Although the truth has been told in many skillful ways, there is only One Vehicle, your Fathers Universal Love.

No one can make you believe that your creator is the Source of Universal Love. But through faith all who Follow his Universal Love will become a Buddah, regardless of where you are today.

The definition of Enlightenment. The moment you realize that God is in Love with you.

Love the Universal Source and Love your neighbor, for there are no greater commandments then these.

a reply to: Isurrender73
There it is in a nutshell.

originally posted by: Isurrender73
There is no stairway to heaven...

Actually there is...

In John 1:51, Jesus himself describes himself as the stairway to heaven:

“I tell you the truth, you will all see heaven open and the angels of God going up and down on the Son of Man, the One who is the STAIRWAY between heaven and earth.”

In John 14:6, Jesus confirms that he is not only the 'Stairway to Heaven', but he also says that there is no alternative route:

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Genesis Chapter 28- Jacob sees a vision from the Lord of a Stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and angels were ascending and descending on it. When I first read about Jacob’s vision of a “stairway to heaven,” I was stoked. I was in high school at the time and my favorite band back then was Led Zeppelin. I was excited to know that there is a stairway to heaven, but I wasn’t sure what exactly this stairway vision meant. Here is what I found: Jesus himself is that stairway.

All of this means that Christ is the stairway that bridges the void between God and us. The wages of sin is death and Christ took our sins upon himself and died in our place. And unlike the Zeppelin song, you can not buy the stairway to heaven. It is free. It is a gift to you, received through faith.

Also, the Led Zeppelin song has a line that says, “Yes, there are two paths you can go by, but in the long run There’s still time to change the road you’re on.” There are many religious paths that people can follow, but as the verses indicate, salvation comes only through faith in Jesus.

andywrasman.com...

This stairway is for going up and coming down, indicating a traffic or communication. The ladder in Jacob’s dream (Gen. 28:12) is set up on the earth as a stairway to reach the heavens. Jesus, the only begotten Son of God, in His incarnation became a man. As the Son of Man, He is the reality of the heavenly ladder seen by Jacob in his dream. Whereas Jacob saw the angels ascending and descending on a ladder, in John 1:51 the Lord Jesus said, “You shall see the heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” This is a marvellous revelation showing that the ladder is the Son of Man and that the Son of Man is a ladder in the universe.

As the Son of Man, the Lord Jesus in His humanity has become a joining ladder. This ladder is the means of communication between heaven and earth. He firstly brings heaven to earth and then He connects earth to heaven. Heaven refers to God, and earth refers to man. By His coming through incarnation, the Lord Jesus brought God into man (John 1:14), and by His going through death and resurrection, the Lord Jesus brought man into God (John 14:6). As the joining ladder, Christ joins God and man together into one (John 14:20).

It is only through Christ who is the way as the ladder. He is the real stairway to God. Where this ladder is, there is an open heaven. He is the only way by whom we can ascend from the earth to reach God and meet Him. He provides an access for man to touch God and contact God. Christ as the heavenly ladder is the standing stairway to bring God to us and join us to God. He is the stairway for us to be one with God. The Lord Jesus as the ladder is right in front of us. Whenever a sinner receives the Lord Jesus and is saved, many angels immediately ascend to heaven bearing the good news, and then they gladly descend with good things, that is, every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ (Eph. 1:4), for the new believer.

thelocalchurchintoronto.org...

This teaching that Jesus is the one and only Savior of the world is one of the clearest and most prevalent teachings in the whole Bible. No matter how much this contradicts your own opinion, your own beliefs, or the world’s. No matter if it’s not “fashionable” or “politically correct” to say this, think it, or believe it, the fact is it’s the TRUTH! TRUTH is TRUTH! There is no getting around that. Jesus is the ONLY “ladder” that leads up to heaven. He is the ONLY “Way.” He is the “narrow way;” the “narrow gate”—enter by Him or you don’t get in at all.

You can believe what you want to believe, that’s true, but that doesn’t change the TRUTH! There was one way to my friend’s home; there is one way to God’s home in heaven! You have to take the “stairway,” Jesus! Through Jesus, God has truly made a “Stairway” or “Ladder” to heaven. But this one and only “ladder” has only one “rung”—you see the “ladder” Christ used to bring us to heaven is a cross!

Don’t try and take your own “path;” trusting in someone or something other than Jesus. All other “saviors,” “gods,” or “religions” are on the “broad path” that leads to eternal destruction (Matthew 7:13). Don’t try and make your own “ladder” to God in heaven either; trusting in your own righteousness, or thinking that you can somehow work your way to heaven. You can’t! Those “rungs” will break! You aren’t righteous enough and you can never do enough good works to pay for even one of your sins!

But Jesus’ righteousness is enough! His works, His shed blood, His resurrection did pay the penalty and gave us the rescue from all of our sins! All other ways and works will all fail and fall short! They ALL lead to eternal destruction. Instead, take “the Way” (John 14:6). Follow the one who climbed the cross in order to bridge the gap between us and God and make the one and only “stairway to heaven” for us. Not to go to a home with BBQ, cake, and ice cream, but to a “banquet in heaven” (cf. Luke 14:16; Revelation 19:9) that will never end!

www.bethelspringclc.org...

originally posted by: Murgatroid
In John 1:51, Jesus himself describes himself as the stairway to heaven

So to get into Heaven I just have to walk all over Jesus?

originally posted by: WakeUpBeer

originally posted by: Murgatroid
In John 1:51, Jesus himself describes himself as the stairway to heaven

So to get into Heaven I just have to walk all over Jesus?

The most accurate quote ever...

a reply to: Murgatroid

In Christianity Jesus is the Light on the path to the father, who is the source of Universal Love called Grace in the NT, a free gift to all who believe in God's Universal Love.

In the OT Christ is referred to as the Light and the Holy Spirit. The Buddhist text as well as many other texts predate the birth of Jesus Christ. The name Jesus was unknown to mankind before it was given to Marry.

However the world was not without the Light of God's Universal Love prior to his birth and given name Jesus.

Therefore the Light is one of Jesus's given names and the one that would have been most appropriate to use prior to his birth.

Or do you think God only loved the Jews before Jesus was born?

The stairway Jesus refers to is a metaphorical link between heaven and earth. The Light is that link and it only has one step, faith, which is what I stated.

And many prophets found that link, Siddhartha Gautama is one of those prophets. The 4 Noble truths and 8 fold path can be summed up like this, love your neighbor, do no harm to him, do no harm to yourself and care for the environment.

Christ, the Light, the Holy Spirit was known to many before he was given the name Jesus. To assume otherwise is arrogant, divisive and simply incorrect.

And the only major religion that post dates Christ is Islam. Mohammed claimed Jesus Christ was his Messiah, which can be understood to mean Savior King.

a reply to: Isurrender73

"Enlightenment - the moment you realize god is in love with you"

Your idea of enlightenment brings a few words to mind. I'm thinking "creepy" and "narcissistic".

originally posted by: TzarChasm
a reply to: Isurrender73

"Enlightenment - the moment you realize god is in love with you"

Your idea of enlightenment brings a few words to mind. I'm thinking "creepy" and "narcissistic".

EnLIGHTen

1st John 1:5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.

1st John 4:8
Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love

I can't take credit for the definition. I am just believing what I have read.

Perhaps you think the Light of Enlightenment is not spiritual. I would disagree, as the Light has historically been used in reference to the spiritual Light within.

a reply to: Isurrender73

light and dark are twin brothers, not enemies. and if you kill the dark, you kill the light also. the war on "darkness" is a false dichotomy necessary to manipulate the populace on an emotional level, playing the people like harp strings.

but back to my point - if you think believing god is in love with you will bring enlightenment, you think far too much of yourself and have no place offering spiritual advice to anyone. believing god is in love with you is the opposite of enlightenment, which is why it concerns me that you would confuse the two. egotism of the highest order.

a reply to: TzarChasm

You give darkness too much power. Darkness is in every way inferior to the Light. They are not twin brothers, they are two pieces of opposing knowledge.

Once one sees the duality there is no need to walk in darkness. Enlightenment is the end of your walk through darkness and complete unity with the Light.

Believing your heavenly father loves you is similar to believing your earthly father loves you. There is nothing narcissistic about believing the heavenly father Loves you.

originally posted by: Isurrender73
Enlightenment - The moment you realize that God is in Love with you.

No. What you suggest is still the duality of the ego/imagination.
Enlightenment = unconditional Love!
Any "me" AND "God" scenario is vanity, still ego, still 'duality'!
Enlightenment does not say 'I', it says We.
We are God!
One Omni- 'Self!

Me AND God is still vain imagination, 'beliefs';

As for 'Faith';

True, unconditional Love/Enlightenment is ALWAYS recognized by It's unconditional Virtues; Compassion, Empathy, Sympathy, Gratitude, Humility, Charity (charity is never taking more than your share of anything, ever!), Honesty, Happiness, Faith...
ALWAYS!

a reply to: namelesss

I didn't create the universe, nor do I believe I intentionally forgot what I created so I could experience it.

Saying you are God is ego. You are basically saying that you Loved yourself enough to remind yourself to Love.

Saying Love is God is selflessness.

Of course understanding that Universal Love is why we are here is what is most important. Agree to disagree.

a reply to: Isurrender73

"Inferior" is a very arrogant word to use. Light is compassionate and understanding, not judgmental and condemning. You need to go back to the drawing board.

And you don't seem to know the difference between spirituality and politics. Common problem.

originally posted by: TzarChasm
a reply to: Isurrender73

light and dark are twin brothers, not enemies. and if you kill the dark, you kill the light also. the war on "darkness" is a false dichotomy necessary to manipulate the populace on an emotional level, playing the people like harp strings.

but back to my point - if you think believing god is in love with you will bring enlightenment, you think far too much of yourself and have no place offering spiritual advice to anyone. believing god is in love with you is the opposite of enlightenment, which is why it concerns me that you would confuse the two. egotism of the highest order.

Light's always overcoming the darkness. Light annihilates darkness.