Letter # 75: "Light And Enlightenment"

"God is the Light of the heavens and the earth," states the Holy Koran [24:35].
The noun “light” is used as a symbol for the ultimate spiritual state. It’s the best word we have, yet it's still inadequate to describe the Indescribable Spiritual Effulgence, or in Vedic terms, the Brahmajyoti, which is beyond material light.
By understanding the linguistic roots of the word light we can better appreciate its nuances of meaning. The word comes from the proto-Indo-European root leuk- meaning "light, brightness". The spiritual sense of the word, as in "mental illumination", was first recorded c.1449.
Rather than the noun light, the verb lighten might offer a better spiritual understanding. The English novelist, Charles Dickens (1812-1870) said it beautifully: “No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another.” But any doer of good must have some self-enlightenment; and getting it requires earnestness in meditation or prayer.
The apostle said, “I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you…” [Ephesians 1:18] Here, the apostle is praying for enlightenment by a light of a kind that is different from that which we ordinarily know of – a light that enters through the “eyes of the heart”.
Meditation, another technique for attaining enlightenment, is not confined to eastern spiritual techniques; the Biblical patriarch Isaac went to a field to practice "lasuach" a type of meditative practice [Genesis 24:63]
Whether the technique of meditation is eastern or western, the end point is the same; it is to attain awareness. “The sun is bright by day, the moon shines by night, the warrior is bright in his armour, the Brahmana is bright in his meditation; but Buddha, the Awakened, is bright with splendour day and night.” [The Dhammapada 387; p89]
It is the splendour of this light that brings True Joy, sings Guru Nanak, “Jio andhkar dipak pargas(u); Gur darshan dekh(i) man(i) hoe bigas(u)”, which stanza means “As the lamp throws light in the darkness; So the mind shines (gets True Joy) on seeing the Guru.” [SS Asht 15. P 153]
The gift of the Spiritual Teacher is imperishable. Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj said that his Guru taught, “One can give food, clothes, shelter, knowledge, affection but the highest gift of all is the gospel of enlightenment … enlightenment is the highest good. Once you have it, nobody can take it away from you.” [I Am That p185].


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God Bless; Allah Hu Akbar; May The Forces Of The Universe Bring You Harmony; Hare Krishna; Radha-Swami; and Nanak Naam Chardi Kala Tere Bhane Sarbat Dha Bhalla.
I wish to express my gratitude for your comments, which inspire me to carry on writing. Please forgive my fallibilities in presenting this material. Also, feel free to send this message on to someone that you might think would like to receive it. If you do send it on, my only request of you is that you send it as it is, in its entirety, and to not alter or modify any of the text, references or authorship information. Thus you will help to give credit or liability to where they are properly due.
Jas Bhopal
Copyright© 2008
References: "The Holy Bible" Online version; "The Koran" as translated by SV Mir Ahmed Ali 2005 ISBN 0-9761870-0-0); "The Bhagavad Gita As it Is" as translated by Srila Prabhupada ISBN 0-89213-268-X; The Srimad Bhagavatum as translated by Srila Prabhupada ISBN0-89213-259-0; "I Am That. Talks With Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj” ISBN 0-89386-022-0; The Dhammapada ISBN-10:1-84483-344-5; The Sacred Sukhmani ISBN 81-7205-098-4; Wikipedia.