Alright, fantastic. Let’s get started!
“You forgot to ask what the OP was smoking.”
This was obviously meant to be sarcastic, but I will address it anyway because I think it is a relevant point; the point being that to say something like “I may be enlightened” or something to such effect, is usually associated with losing one’s mind, something that often happens with certain drug use. And losing my mind is exactly how this happened!
Let me explain more clearly. And this actually addresses the second question, “What is your definition of enlightenment?” It starts with the “losing” of one’s mind. This is not to mean that one is crazy, but rather to say that their mind is no longer in control, the acknowledgement that there is a force in the absense of mind, all the while controlling the mind all along. The question is, whether the person realizes this dichotomy; That they must have the mind as a prerequisite resource to choose to have and appreciate the experience of no-mind.
The problem is, many people, contrary to this, associate themselves with their mind and see no other option. The concept of no-mind (a silenced mind) sounds like a complete waste of time. Rather, they define themselves by their mind, and likewise, allow their mind to define them. But, this is a misleading path, and exactly how the road to hell is paved with good intentions, because it is the egoic mind rationalizing such good intentions to get what it desires, when its desires can never be totally fulfilled. I would go so far as to say, in religious theology, it seems clear that all aspects of “evil”, of “original sin”, of “the devil” are all incarnations of the mind/soul problem. All evil derives itself from the actions of the egoic mind. The question is, how far is the ego willing to take it, and how hard must the mind work to keep the cognitive dissodance going, so that the rationalizations can keep making sense. The worst evil we have seen is merely a product of the ego getting so big, but we all have the capacity to follow in that path, under the right conditioned circumstances. This is hard to swallow, but the nature of the ego is to consume, consume, consume, and it will consume the world if it gets the chance. We have seen people try.
But back onto theology, think of the fall of Lucifer, for example: he would rather be the ruler of hell than a servant in Heaven. This has a symbolic significance. How many people do you see today who choose this path, in that they would rather gorge themselves with material, and temporary, pleasures, rather than acknowledge that none of it matters, that they are not their body, and that their body will eventually die, and thus all of the accomplishments they define themselves by, that they chose over the idea of being a servant in heaven? Now, this is not an “evil” path, but a path that cannot possibly lead to happiness or fulfillment. We label it “evil”, but it is simple a misguided way of life. The very fact of labeling something is to put it outside oneself, distance yourself from it, and in the process, contribute to the same ego structure as the evil person, only with a different narrative, one of relative righteousness. But the fact is, in this world, it is ALL relative, and the only meaning things have, are what our minds give them. As Shakespeare once said, “Nothing is inherantly good or bad. But thinking makes it so.”
However, I have certainly gone on a tangeant. For the record, I came to my “enlightenment” without the use of drugs. It actually came about due to a solemn abstenence from all intoxicants, including alcohol, weed, and any hallucinagens. In college, I had my fair share of all these things, and the bliss experienced by them was always a temporary one, which lacked any sort of significance. Shrooms, I will admit, gave me a sense of oneness with everything, but because I DIDN"T have my mind at the time, I couldn’t truly put it into perspective, which is the blessing of a life on earth with a human mind. You can truly appreciate life because it is relative to another moment, which may have been worse. Without a fully operating mind, it is impossible to articulate anything of value, and it is also impossible to put things into perspective. You want to be in the moment, but NOT trapped there at the mercy of a drug. Rather, the hope is that you get to a point where you can fully live in the here and now, but then come out of it for practical reasons, at will.
“Why do people suffer?”
People suffer due to their illogical cycle of attaching themselves to something, knowing on some level all along that it will eventually be lossed, and then being miserable once this loss occurs. Everything in this life is temporary. For fulfillment, we must come to terms with this fact of life, and then appreciate every moment with great gratitude, knowing that it could be our last. We must face loss with acceptance, and gratitude for the gift of the time in which we had whatever it was that was lossed.
But the more important reason why we suffer is to teach a profound lesson: That we will continue to suffer until we no longer form attachments. You may recognize this teaching from Buddhist theory, and you would be right. “All life is suffering” “All suffering stems from desire”. It is the ego which attaches, which defines itself by the things it has, and has not, and which constantly desires more, except when it is desiring what it once had, but lost, and feels as if it didn’t fully appreciate.
So how do you fully appreciate? Live in the here and now. Quiet the mind, and take in life. Don’t see death as the end all. That moves to the next point, “What happens to people after they die - do they have any kind of experience beyond the physical, or are they extinguished when their biological functions cease?”
We can not possibly know what exactly happens, and it is certainly the case that our human mind is unable to conceive such an idea. But, if we are to live in fulfillment here on earth, we must not carry with us the fear and anxiety of death. Death WILL happen. We must accept this. Our culture does not, and tries to ignore it, so that we can live with the illusion that the ego and its attachments live on forever. That is a fundamental flaw in our society, since, as we have already established, the ego and its attachments can NEVER lead to a fulfillment. So, in this way, we must assume the best: That death is not a bad thing, but rather, a natural process of life. Since we cannot know the answer, assuming the worst is equally as unprovable and illogical, and will only cause us stress and sadness in the meantime.
