668 N. Coast Hwy. #417, Laguna Beach, CA 92651 • Phone: 949.355.3249 • Email: info@SelfAwareness.com
Spiritual Enlightenment
First, we must realize what enlightenment is; we must realize that there is something more to be realized.The word "enlightenment" is used very broadly, and it's meaning varies generally from gaining profound insights to attaining states of consciousness that transcend our mental capacity to understand - it's transcendental. In Western civilization the term Age of Enlightenment was used to describe a movement in the eighteenth century where "reason" was advocated as the primary source and legitimacy for authority. In his famous essay What is Enlightenment? (1784), Immanuel Kant described it simply as "freedom to use one's own intelligence." This period is marked by increasing empiricism, reductionism and an increasing questioning of religious orthodoxy, similar to the reformation of the 1400's and 1500's.
In the United States this enlightenment movement inspired patriot's to question both political and religious dogma and authority, which led to the American Revolution. Advocates of this enlightenment include Thomas Paine who wrote Common Sense, The Rights of Man and The Age of Reason to develop our understanding of what an enlightened world would look like, George Washington inspired and motivated men to create it, and Thomas Jefferson laid it out in the Bill of Rights and the United States Constitution. All these men, as well as many others (Franklin, Adams, et al), and women, were thought to be "radicals" by the establishment, but those "radical" ideas brought about the implementation and actualization of democracy and a republic, and, arguably, a better world.
Enlightenment is a global concept that spans human history; it is contemplated and advocated by the Greek philosophers like Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, as well as Babylonian, Indian, Iranian and Chinese philosophers. It serves as the underpinning of Biblical philosophy as we try to know God and live by his law, it is the very basis of the Jewish esoteric teachings of Merkabah (Dead Sea Scrolls) and the Kabbalah (Sefer Yetzirah, Bahir and Zohar), and is advocated by Jesus Christ as recounted in the New Testament as well as the Jewish-Christian gospels of Thomas, James, Philip and Mary Magdalene. In the Book of James, written sometime before 150 AD and used extensively by the Jewish-Christians in Palestine, Jesus is quoted as saying "And I pray that the beginning may come from you, for thus I shall be capable of salvation, since they will be enlightened through me."
In each of the earliest Jewish-Christian gospels, the ones used by the descendants of the actual original disciples, Jesus was showing them "the way" to find God within themselves, in other words, he as teaching enlightenment. The Kingdom of Heaven lies within serves as the basis of all paths to enlightenment. (These examples are further explained in my new book Christ Enlightened, The Lost Teachings of Jesus Unveiled.)
India has a rich philosophy filled with explanations of what enlightenment is and how to attain it; generally referred to as the Santana Dharma, or eternal truths, as recounted by the Rishi's and Yogi's from this subcontinent, enlightenment serves as the very goal of human existence and the source of true enduring happiness and peace.
India has a rich philosophy filled with explanations of what enlightenment is and how to attain it; generally referred to as the Santana Dharma, or eternal truths, as recounted by the Rishi's and Yogi's from this subcontinent, enlightenment serves as the very goal of human existence and the source of true enduring happiness and peace.
In the world's oldest written spiritual text, the Rig Veda, who's oral tradition extends to pre-history but was first written around 1,400 BC, the aspirant is guided to attain enlightenment. It's the first thing man sought to find and write about. Seeking enlightenment is found in the classical Eastern teachings within the Upanishads, the Mahabharata and Vedanta. The whole purpose of Yoga is to attain enlightenment. All Buddhist practice meditation to attain enlightenment. All the guru's, swami's and saints teach the path to spiritual enlightenment in one way or another. Enlightenment is a universal teaching and increasing numbers are seeking it now. It underlies metaphysics, the Christian "re-born" movement and the "New Age" movement.
In 1893 Swami Vivekananda from the Sri Ramakrishna mission based in Calcutta, was invited to speak at the Parliament of World Religions held in Chicago, and he is generally credited with bringing Advaita Vedanta, the path to enlightenment and God realization, to Western civilization. It was Vivekananda who inspired Whitman, Emerson and Theroux and lead another enlightenment movement in the United States. In 1920 Paramahansa Yogananda, a guru from within the Kriya Yoga lineage, came to America and planted the seeds of yoga as a path enlightenment as explained in his best-selling book Autobiography of a Yogi. In 1955 Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, a guru from the Himalayas, first inspired the famous rock group The Beatles, who started writing songs about consciousness (e.g. Within Without) and then brought his Transcendental Meditation to Europe, the United States and then the rest of the world, becoming the a primary vehicle for bringing meditation to millions in Western Civilization.
During the past few decades we have seen an interest in eastern approaches to enlightenment explode and teachers from all over the world have come to America and Europe (and the world at large), including: Sivananda, Satchidananda (Woodstock), Iyengar, Krishnamurti, Sri Chinmoy, Sri Aurobindo, Baba Muktananda and Gurumayi, Satya Sai Baba, Yogi Bhajan, Osho, and Amma (among others), with each reaching millions, as well as the Zen Buddhist teachers (Roshi's) the Tibetan yogi's (Rinpoche's), such as, His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The seeking of enlightenment also shows up in modern spiritual movements and organizations, such as, Theosophy, Religious Science, Unity Church, Scientology, Eckankar, as well as in Sufism, Taoism, Sikhism and the writings of Deepak Chopra, Wayne Dyer and Eckhart Tolle. It's on Opra, it's on the radio, it's all over the Internet, it's all over the world. (For a complete list of all the major spiritual groups and teachers of the world read Steven's best-selling book Looking for God, a Seeker's Guide to Religious and Spiritual Groups of the World.)
In studying with dozens of Gurus over the years, there was one teacher who stood out to be amongst the wisest of guru's and the most powerful of teachers of our age, and his name was Vethathiri Maharishi from Tamil Nadu state in India. This Swamiji taught the classical path to enlightenment via accessing the innate intelligence, life force, spirit or "Kundalini" directly. In other words, our true nature is the spirit itself that is eternal, and our physical body and mind are vehicles for consciousness to be expressed and made manifest through. As we become more conscious of our own consciousness, our consciousness expands until the mind becomes fully conscious - Satchitananda (beingness-consciousness-bliss). By connecting with our own spirit and consciousness directly, our own mind's become aware of our true eternal nature and the presence of God is realized within one's Self and in everyone one else, and in everything else, everywhere, all the time. In other words, the Kingdom of Heaven lies within and is already spread out upon the earth (as Jesus explains in the Coptic Gospel of Thomas).
I began an apprenticeship with this Maharishi in the early 1980's and after extensive training with him both in United States and India, was asked to first give initiations and lead classes in Swami's absence (when he returned to India or traveled abroad) and then to start the Self Awareness Institute in 1985. Since then the Self Awareness Institute has spread to over 120 countries, teaching the path to enlightenment through self awareness. Our mission is to bridge the differences in our theology to find the universality of truth and omnipresence of God, and enable people from different cultures and religions to enlighten through a practical means within a Western Civilization.
The most powerful yogi I had come across was the legendary arch yogi Sri Sri Sri Shivabalayogi Maharaj from Bangalore, India. This guru had the highest calibrated level of consciousness on the planet (for an explanation of "calibrated levels" see Dr. David Hawkins book Power vs. Force). This yogi sat in continuous meditation for 12 years (with brief breaks for eating and washing) and was a guru to other guru's throughout India and a pilgrimage destination to Sadhus (seeker's) around the world. He is the guru's guru. Rather than gaining an understanding to enlighten, this Maharaj taught to completely transcend mental activity and sense perception through Shaktipat, the transmission of spiritual energy or spirit through one who has attained enlightenment. The teachings are in silence, the insights and awareness are attained from within through Dhyana meditation. As a part of my training to give initiations into this discipline I spent many years sitting many hours a day, eventually building up to a period of meditation called Yoga Tapas sitting 23 hours a day for 40 consecutive days and nights under the guidance of this Maharaj. When the mind's consciousness joins with total consciousness it is "liberated" (moksha) from the trammels of the mind and senses and God is Realized and the consciousness is enlightened.
Having said all this, it is understood by all the great masters that enlightenment itself cannot be understood or adequately explained. Words, ideas and perspectives actually diminish and convolute awareness. The words and ideas only help to direct the mind inward to behold that which observes the mind and lies beyond it (and within it, undifferentiated). This approach to enlightenment is eloquently explained by such Jnana Yogi's as Ramana Maharshi, Papaji (H. L. Poonja), Ramesh Belsekar and Nisargadatta Maharaj. This teaching of "nondualism" or "Advaita" enables the aspirant to realize the true nature of the Self by turning the consciousness inward and beholding what is already there and what you ultimately are. Quoting Papaji: "How far from your house do you need to go to find your way home?" Ultimately, the path is pathless and the true "Self" is already realized. Our mind has created its own sense of "self" based on data that is received through the senses from life experiences, that leave impressions upon the mind that form the basis of our character and personality that the mind identifies with as being "you".
When the mind is turned inward, through meditation, and beholds the eternal nature of our consciousness, this consciousness is awakened, as if one had awakened from a dream and an indescribable awareness and bliss are realized. But at the same time, the sense of one having attained a realization is transcended. The term for this realization is "Samadhi", as described by the arch yogi Patanjali who wrote the Yoga Sutras sometime during the Mauryan dynasty (321-185 BCE) and defines yoga as "the cessation of mental modification (thought)". Samadhi appears to have different levels: Laya Samadhi is the latent potential level of Samadhi which occurs in deep meditation, trance or even in movement such as ecstatic dance or yoga asana (postures and breathing exercises) and is experienced as great joy, well being and peacefulness. Savikalpa Samadhi is an initial temporary state where the conscious mind is still active, but not real (like a Television playing in your head) and the true sense of Self becomes realized. Here one gets a taste of bliss and beingness of God, but is still attached to the vehicle experiencing and discerning. Often a spiritual aspirant mistakes this awakening of consciousness as enlightenment itself, and the egoic sense of self thinks it is enlightened. Most of the gurus teaching today have entered either of these levels.
Nirvikalpa Samadhi is the highest transcendental state of consciousness (and in reality it is not a state, but this is the only word that approximates what is beyond all states of mind). In this state, there is no subject-object differentiation or dualism and the interconnected and undifferentiated whole (the latent potential from which everything appears and goes) is realized. Traditionally, an aspirant would study with a Master who had attained enlightenment, not so much to learn and understand what it is, but, rather, to first experience and then realize it for themselves. Through the guru's "Darshan" (blessings or presence) the fields of awareness transmitted by the guru in their enlightened state become exposed to the student who then acclimates to these higher states naturally and without effort. As "doership" only get's in the way, the guru can help the student move beyond their mind and it's patterns of resistance, and enter these higher states of Samadhi. This effortless state is called Sahaja Samadhi. These states are routinely experienced by students of the Self Awareness Institute. They seem beyond reach, but some part of you is already there, or "here" even now, and that is why you are compelled to read this. Bhakti (devotion) is the key to being receptive enough to receive the grace of the guru and experience their Shaktipat. Finally, Maha Samadhi refers to the state where the physical body is dropped (physical death) and the consciousness and the illusion of separation (layla) is completely transcended.
According to both Eastern (Vedic), Western (Biblical), and most other spiritual traditions we have already entered the Age of Enlightenment, also referred to as the Satya (Krita) Yuga, the Maitreya, the Age of Aquarius or Second Coming. During this time the consciousness of humanity will awaken, collectively, the world will enlighten and human beings will create the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. As we walk in the awareness of God's living presence within us and around us, in everything, everywhere all the time, this awareness is transmitted to those who are ready to receive it, and like fire spreading through a dry forest the consciousness with enlighten within all sentient beings. Even now, thousands of people are enlightening. You happen to be reading this now because you have been lead to read this intuitively. You have been called, your spirit is guiding your reading and reflecting even now. You have been chosen and are awakening to the true realization of the self, as is evidenced by the fact you have spent time reading this. Follow this inner inclination, this is your Sat guru, or True guru, and if you would like further support we extend ourselves to you and I would love to serve you. To show you what I've found. It will blow your mind.
May you be protected and guided by the Divine in all your activities, day and night, in all places. May the whole world live in peace. Om, Shalom, Amen. From the heart, Steven S. Sadleir
If you are inspired to learn more and experience Samadhi, the following action steps can be taken through the Self Awareness Institute:
1) On Enlightenment Radio (Google it) we offer meditations and talks by Steven 24/7 for free.
2) Add your name and email to our mailing list to receive our electronic newsletter, The Present Moment, which will post the monthly free live teleconferenced classes and meditations with Steven S. Sadleir held each month, as well as articles and free MP3 downloads. We periodically hold retreats and seminars around the country and around the world. (Note: you need to add us to your list of acceptable emails or your spam filter will block us). Also you can subscribe to us on YouTube.com and watch videos of Stevens talks and appearances.
3) Take the Enlightenment Home Study Course. You will receive new talks and meditations each week via email (MP3's and PDF files), for as long as you want up to a year. This is a lot of information, inspiration and training and is very inexpensive so that it can be accessible to all (with a computer).
4) Products: The best book for a beginner is The Awakening, for the more advanced Self Realization, and for those who love Advaita philosophy The Calling. The best CD set to start with is Your Enlightened Mind, an overview of our basic meditation techniques used in our training is in The Meditation Tool Kit, and The Enlightenment Series would be best for the more advanced students. Many of these are also available digitally from or website or iTunes, or purchased in bookstores or on Amazon.com.
5) For those that want to work with a teacher, Steven, directly we periodically offer a 12 week training that can be done from the comfort of your home called the Self Realization Course. This is the single most transformative tool and training for enlightenment we know of and has proven to enlighten hundreds of people. During this course, Steven will guide you into Samadhi again and again until you get familiar with these higher states and acclimate to them, we guarantee it. Don't take our word for it, experience it for yourself. All these services, products and courses can be found on our website (www.SelfAwareness.com). Welcome home.
FYI the next Self Realization Course begins Wednesday evening, January 27th. Space is limited, to reserve your space in time call Mia at 949-376-8233.
