Confusion around Enlightenment

Spiritualization

Zen saying:

«Before enlightenment, chop wood draw water. After enlightenment, chop wood draw water.»

Master Zen is clearly not referring to the same enlightenment as Master THEE's-RH'L3. Would Master Zen be equally happy to say:

 «Before enlightenment, humiliate bully and exploit subordinates. After enlightenment, humiliate bully and exploit subordinates.» ?

The Zen reference is to spiritual enlightenment, a genuine awareness and experience of the oneness of «self» and «cosmos». This is a narrow conception or at least a narrow focus. Of course, Master Zen is correct: once you realize that the «self» is one with «all», you keep going in life. What else would you do? Possibly make a living telling people about it or writing books about 'the way', if that is your vocation; or perhaps it is a nice little earner and makes you feel special or superior. Whatever the motive, you would then be proving Master Zen wrong.

More on Spirituality

The formal name for this psychosocial phenomenon is Spirituality. Spirituality-RH'L7 refers to the Primal Quest to attain and sustain an ultimate experience of oneness of all things, non-dual cognition, clear light, utter awareness, and dissolution of the individuated personality into the universal mind, God or Absolute Reality. Syn:moksha, satori, zazen, nirvana. It is impossible to live and continuously sustain such a state, that is why it is a Primal Quest. Read more on spirituality.

The issue in this Quest-RH'L3 is whether oneness will directly assist you in your line-manager role. Will you get superior performance from subordinates and from yourself? Unlikely. Getting fired seems more likely.

Humanisation

The notion of «enlightened self-interest» is widely recognized. It refers to doing something good for another or for wider society, while simultaneously looking after your own interests. There is no reason why «enlightened self-interest» should not apply to almost anything and everything that you do. (It will be a major focus of a framework for producing goodness.)

This humanisation of everyday activity is an intentional-PH6 process that is constructed by the mutual influence of:

• ultimate values-PH6L7
  Synonyms: absolute value, Being value, meta-value, inspirational value.

  &

• principal objects-PH6L4
  Synonyms: project, core activity, mandate, brief, main aim, primary task.

Ultimate values are universal imaginative experiences. If a deep sense of a particular relevant ultimate value (e.g. Patience or Strength or Love or Beauty or Efficiency) influences a choice, activity or project, then to others it will seem as if you are an enlightened person.

The Age of Enlightenment

A philosophical approach emerged in the 18^th century that elevated the individual and personal reasoning above the tyrannies of tradition, politics and religious edicts. It led to an appreciation of human freedom, the right to a general education for all, and a greater valuation of scientific principles as the road to useful valid knowledge.
More: 

Noted thinkers in this tradition included: Locke, Hume, Voltaire, Montesquieu, and Mill. These people were not blind to the importance of ultimate and spiritual values, but that was not their legacy. Our social institutions are currently under the hegemonic influence of «hard» science. Using the products of science in an enlightened way is still a challenge. However, it is a challenge to which science itself is helping to provide an answer: even if not in the form expected by its leading exponents.

The Enlightenment Quest is built around awareness. It values knowledge and endorses science as a wonderful expression of the human spirit. THEE is an application of scientific method to the products of awareness. The new 21^st Century Enlightenment will start to provide societies with THEE-based technologies to complement and enlighten science-based technologies.

See Table.

The 18th Century Enlightenment		The 21st Century Enlightenment
Reason is the most significant and positive capacity of humanity.		Awareness is the most significant and positive capacity of humanity.
Reason enables one to break free from bonds of irrationality, submission to social-political authority, and ignorance.		Awareness enables one to break free from bonds of pseudo-rationality, submission to ideology-as-authority, and ignorance.
Reason well-used leads to choosing well and behaving well.		Awareness well-used leads to self-control and to right actions.
Reason can generate scientific progress, and improve people and societies.		Awareness can generate social progress, and improve relationships and the use of science.
Reason makes all humans equal and so deserving of equal liberty and equality before the law.		Awareness reveals that every person is unique and contributes differently, but all equally deserve respect and compassion.
All human endeavours should seek to impart and develop knowledge.		All human endeavours should seek to impart and develop knowledge about human nature and social functioning—including doctrines of The First Enlightenment.

Originally posted: 8-Jun-2012