Life itself is enlightenment itself and has many aspects but you can only see what your understanding of practice allows. To appreciate the vast expanse of experiences, understand that oceans and mountains may seem round or square but there are details to still be seen and that there are whole world-systems in all directions. Your immediate circles of concern are of no account. What is demonstrates itself right here beneath your feet and in a single drop of water.
from "Genjokoan: The Question of Our Lives" by Dogen zenji translated by Yasuda Joshu Dainen roshi and Anzan Hoshin sensei
I realise that 'enlightenment' is one of the most overused words in the entire subject of spirituality. That said, here's my take on the subject:
The state of enlightenment, to me, seems to be when my mind stops trying to break down the universe into little bits...
In a normal state of mind, you see many "objects" in front of you... the mind automatically breaks the visual field up into different objects by looking for shapes and edges. Then it tries to fit a label to each shape or cluster of shapes... this is a pencil, this is my hand.
In a state of 'enlightenment', one diverts the mind from this activity, and focuses on the whole view... the input from all five senses. All recognition disappears, and information seems to come rushing in. The visual field seems to widen, your hearing becomes more acute, you may feel or smell things strongly. I always experience a sort of mental "buzz" at this stage...
That's the first step. Here's the second: After all other objects disappear, all that is left is the universe and you... but even this can be broken down. You let yourself simply experience, without the sub-thought of "I am experiencing"... the "me" then disappears, and only the feeling of consciousness is left. (And the mental buzz disappears with a 'pop', leaving just thought spinning in the void...)
After that, it's just a case of not trying to analyse what's happening... a very hard thing to do. Let me know if you've gotten further than this... 8^)
Samuel Johnson - A Lexicographer who did The Dictionary. This is symbolic of the enlightenment because before now there was no precise spelling of any word, and he represents the coming of standardization to the field of language.
David Hume - A major figure in the Scottish Enlightement. Wrote that miracles cannot exist, because of God's perfection.
Gibbon - Suggested that the fall of the Roman Empire is due to christanity in book: 'Decline and fall of the Roman Empire'
Descartes - "Cogito ergo sum" - "I think therefore I am." Also invented coordinate geometry and is attributed as the Father of modern Mathematics and Philosophy. Identifier of Deductive Logic.
Copernicus - Teacher of John Kepler. Disputed Ptolemy and stated that the Earth revolves around the Sun.
Issac Newton - Developed calculus and postulated the 'light-particle theory'. Also depicted the universe as a giant mechanism, and unified the theories of Kepler and Galileo into the 'Laws of Gravity'
Sir Francis Bacon - Began usage if Inductive logic, and worked with Leevenhook on the Microscope.
Boyle - Member of 'Royal Society' which is modeled off of the French 'Academy of Science'. This is important because it was the first ever regular meeting of European science. Also publishes quarterly journal, to keep other intellectuals up-to-date.
Christian Huygens - Developed Centrifugal and Centripical forces.
Adam Smith - Proposed a 'laissez-faire' capitalism in 'The Wealth of Nations'. Business took this policy seriously, but ignored his warning about usage of 'business legislation' for power.
Montesqueiu - Born as "Baron D'holbach", he betrayed the upper class and writes 'Spirit of the Laws' which proposes separation of powers for the first time, as well as a system of checks and balances.
Diderot - A champion of 'true democracy' and a critic of the monarchy. Also editor of "L'Encyclopedie" and writer of "Romeau's Nephew".
Jean Jacques Rousseau - Raised a lower class protestant. Began romanticism. The idea that feeling and emotion are equal to 'hard logic'. Wrote 'Emile' and 'Social Contract'. Also father of anarchism.
Voltaire - A champion of free speech and advocate of intellectuals. Claimed to be a 'defender of those who cannot defend themselves'. Voltaire symbolized the raw artificiality of the 18th century.
Priestly and Lavasoir - Pioneered modern Chemistry. Proposed a universal molecule, called 'phlogistan', similar to 'AEther', later. Lavasoir was on the commitee in charge of developing the metric system.
Hobbes - Stated that 'humans are machines in motion'. An enemy of capitalism and an advocate of dictatorship. Hobbes wrote 'Leviathan'
Leevenhooke - Built microscope with Bacon. Also a member of 'Royal Society'.
Richardson and Fielding - Wrote 'Pamela' and 'Shamela' respectively. The former is a novel about a girl named Pamela, and the latter is a spoof. These novels adhere to romanticism, and are comparable to today's typical sappy romance novel.
Kepler - Astronomer, astrologer, and mystic. Concluded that the planets must circle the sun in ellipses, and built the 'Laws of Planetary Motion'. A close friend of Galileo.
Galileo - Finally eradicated 'common sense' physics and replaces them with his more rational experiment-based physics. Later arrested by inquisition for writing "Starry Messenger" and forced to write a book denouncing everything he had ever theorized. Galileo completely contradicts Aristotle.
John Locke - Father of Liberalism. Wrote "Treatises on Government" and "Essay Concerning Human Understanding". Theorized 'tabula rasa' and fought for civil and religious freedom.
Through all of the lengthy pontificating of the enlightenment philosophers, divergent as their trains of thought might be, there was a single uniting common thread: the desire to better humanity through understanding. The interaction between the different philosophers in regards to the "true" nature of the understanding and the manner in which it would better humanity was almost comic. Bentham insisted happiness was the key, Rousseau insisted on denial of "reality", Locke on direct interaction with reality. The "exchange" of ideas that embodied the period was, in actuality, more like countless strands of individual trains of thought, constantly contradicting each other, and yet they are all lumped together as "Enlightened Thinkers" for a reason. Were it not for them, our current social, educational, philosophical, and political thought simply would not be.
Diversity was perhaps one of the greatest strengths of the enlightenment philosophers. Virtually every form of government that has been conceived since the enlightenment period has its origin in their lengthy discourses on the issue. From Rousseau stems communism (the political system, not the economic system), "enlightened anarchy", and fascism, an array of which the honor of having birthed is somewhat dubious, though not without its redeeming aspects. From Bentham's Principle of Utility, we have the concept of direct democracy, and so by extension all permutations and bastardizations thereof. In Voltaire's work we find the principled underpinnings of the "free world". Though the effectiveness and viability of these governmental forms is subject to heated debate, they are at least something other than absolute monarchy which, along with anarchy, was one of the two primary governmental systems that had existed prior to the political diaspora of the late renaissance.
In the wake of the vast evolution of politics, human social systems in the affected continents were presented with a unique opportunity to restructure themselves. Not to imply a conscious force behind the social restructuring, but many of the concepts that entered into the periphery of the public view at this point had their roots in the philosophies of Rousseau, Diderot, Voltaire, and Bentham. The issues of human rights, particularly of the inalienable sort, became something of a focus at this point in history, and over the last couple centuries have remained the focus of significant speculation. Most notably in contemporary politics in the issue of affirmative action, societies must decide to what extent the interests of the demographic majority should be allowed to supercede or impede the interests and rights of the minority, and to what extent the ideal should be allowed to dictate perceptions.
The basic nature of information, particularly in regards to its communication, was radically changed by the thinkers of the enlightenment. Both Diderot and Voltaire were advocates of free speech. Diderot's purpose in the Encyclopédie is now not only shared by virtually every would-be historian and scholar, but it is also the fundamental principle of the internet (particularly this site). Free expression and exchange of ideas is certainly not universal in today's society (John Ashcroft, for example, stands stolidly against it), but it has remained in the social mainstream since their time, and had not really been seen before that except in ancient Greece and Rome, so the Enlightened Thinkers deserve at least some credit for this.
Even the more misguided of these prolific philosophers, such as Locke or Rousseau, have had a lasting impact on philosophical thought. Newer philosophic traditions tend to describe themselves by the older philosophies which they most resemble. Though this may not seem like a very notable influence, one must bear in mind that by serving as something of "component parts" to newer philosophies, they tend to shape to direction in which that philosophy drifts. This concept of gradual shaping very well represents the sum influence of the enlightenment philosophers on today's social, intellectual, and political condition: Aside from the push that spawned the initial products of the enlightenment, their ideas have, by a slow and gradual process influenced by all who came before and after, moved towards the place where we find them today, and will continue to guide us into the unknown realm of the future.
I remember the Zen story:
A master knew he was dying. He went to the hall where the monks were training and said "I will die this evening."
"Oh no!" said the monks, beginning to weep. "You won't die!"
"Shut up, you fools!" said the master. "Bring me a shovel. I'm going to save you some work."
En*light"en*ment (?), n.
Act of enlightening, or the state of being enlightened or instructed.
© Webster 1913
= AufklÄrung.
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