Can enlightenment make a change in your life?

Resisting change is misery; letting go and not fighting it is enlightenment. The Universe is constantly moving and changing whether we notice it or not.

Few people are obsessed with the thought “I’m going to die,” but there’s evidence that this anxiety stalks us continually. We suffer because we fear the truth. Our desires to attain lasting pleasure and security are at odds with the fact that everything and everyone is in progress.

Humans search for assurance when they discover their surroundings are changing. In challenging circumstances, striving to find a stable base is predictable. Our existence is constantly changing. Whether we notice it or not, everything changes. This includes the Fabric of Space-Time.

What a predicament. How can we live totally knowing we’ll die someday? Impermanence is a philosophical notion discussed in many religions and philosophies.

Can reaching enlightenment change a person? What does enlightenment mean? Enlightenment, or “bodhi” in Pali and Sanskrit, is also known as Awakening. According to Buddhism, anyone can achieve enlightenment. Enlightened beings other than the Buddha are called ARHATS. In Mahayana Buddhism, all beings are enlightened but unaware. Enlightened beings have escaped samsara and reached nirvana, where there is no birth, death, or sorrow. Beings escape the anger, greed, and delusion upon enlightenment.

Enlightenment is the ultimate aim of the Buddhist path, despite disagreements regarding what it is and how achievable it is. Buddhism teaches enlightenment and as Albert Einstein said, “If there is any religion that could respond to the needs of modern science, it would be Buddhism”.

Copyright © Omar Lopez, PhD