Friday, October 10, 2008

After Enlightenment Then What?

By Drs Bil and Cher Holton

Every swept floor invites another sweep. Each child bathed invites another washing. Every lawn mowed demands another mowing. Each breath taken requires another breath.

The sun rises each morning and sets every evening. The moon glows each night. Tides ebb and flow each day. Birds sing perfect songs today and sing them again tomorrow.

Oysters open their shells when the moon is high in the heavens. The chambered nautilus forms a new chamber in its spiraled shell every lunar month.

When we breathe, we do not stop inhaling because we have breathed in all of the oxygen we will ever need. We stop because we have gotten all the oxygen we need for that particular inhalation.

When we exhale we stop breathing out so we can prepare for the next inhalation. We will need to breathe again, however, no matter how perfectly we have inhaled and exhaled.

What these scenarios are telling us is what is completed means completing again.

So what do we do after we become enlightened? We become more enlightened. Once we are consciously one with the Infinite Isness there is a tendency to think we are finished, that we are finished, that we have reached the pinnacle of our perfection.

But nothing can be further from the truth. There is a Zen saying which goes like this: Before enlightenment, mountains are mountains and rivers are rivers. At the moment one is enlightened, mountains cease to be mountains and rivers are no longer rivers. After enlightenment, mountains are once more mountains and rivers are again rivers.

A current version of this Zen koan comes from Unity minister, Jim Rosemergy who reminds us: "Mystics do not turn from the world because they turn to God. They remain in the world but not of the world. Even mystics have bills to pay.".

Once we are enlightened, that is, once we positively, absolutely, without a doubt realize we are God expressing as us, we stay in the world, but not of the world to demonstrate to others the path of enlightenment.

That is our Great Commission: to fully demonstrate our divinity and help others to do the same. It is the same commission expressed in Matthew 28:19-20.

We will share the New Revised Standard Version and then offer a metaphysical interpretation from the New Metaphysical Version of Matthew to add spiritual depth.

After His resurrection Jesus announced to His disciples in verse 19:

"Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit."

ontologically Jesus was referring to three specific nations: our body, mind, and soul. Baptizing the nations means purifying our body, mind, and soul from unhealthy worldly attachments.

We are to do this 'in the 'name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.' Name signifies 'in the nature of.' And, ontologically speaking Father, Son, and Holy Spirit represent the three aspects of Divine Order (Mind, Idea, Expression).

So, we are to cleanse our body, mind, and soul by becoming one with the nature of the Christ Presence within us so we can divinely orchestrate our experience.

Matt. 20 says in the New Revised Standard Version: "Teach them to obey everything I have commanded you, remembering that I am with you always, even to the end of the world.""

Metaphysically 'teach them' means to exemplify our talk with integrity. 'I am with you always' means we have an indivisible, unshakable, universal oneness with Spirit. To the 'end of the world' means going from one level of spiritual awareness to another.

Matthew 20 means we are to walk our talk by letting our Christ Light shine as we achieve one level of enlightenment, one level of refinishing, to another.

So, what can we do after we are enlightened?

We remain in the world but not of the world. We live as enlightened beings in cities, towns, and communities. We light up the world with our example. Like the enlightened ones who became enlightened before us we will teach others how to teach others.
We will appear as typical men and women, but our values and the manner in which we live, move, and have our being will show our acceptance of our higher calling.

We might have human challenges, but we will not be bound by them. We may wear glasses or contact lenses, hearing aids or pace makers, but we will not be limited by them.

We may take medicine or require hospital stays, but we will not be imprisoned by them. We may find ourselves in a world that is not perfect, but we will not be bound by that imperfection.

We will be in the finishing and refinishing business. We will pot and repot ourselves every day. We will renew and continue to renew ourselves. We will tool and re-tool ourselves constantly.

We will continue to work toward our enlightenment because enlightenment is a verb, not a noun. It is a process, an unfolding, a movement from one exhilarating level of consciousness to another. - 14682

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1 comment:

Kiko Erel said...

1st of all i love M.C he's my fav painter :)

2nd , amazing blog with amazing idea
it'll take time to read it all but very worth it

great job :)

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