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Outline Portal icon Buddhism portal v t e The English term enlightenment has been used to translate several Buddhist terms and concepts, most notably nirvana, bodhi, kensho and satori.[1] When referring to the Enlightenment of the Buddha (samma-sambodhi) and thus to the goal of the Buddhist path the word enlightenment normally translates the Pali and Sanskrit word bodhi.

Contents [hide] 1 Terms 2 Buddha's awakening 3 Buddhahood 4 Path to Buddhahood 4.1 Theravada 4.2 Mahayana 4.2.1 Lamrim 4.2.2 Sudden and gradual 5 Western understanding of enlightenment 5.1 Enlightenment as "Aufklrung" 5.2 Awakening 5.3 Romanticism and transcendentalism 5.4 Enlightenment and experience 6 Bodhi Day 7 See also 8 Notes 9 References 10 Web references 11 Sources 12 External links

Terms[edit] Kensho and Satori are Japanese terms used in Zen traditions. Kensho means "seein g into one's true nature." Ken means "seeing", sho means "nature", "essence".[2] Satori (Japanese) is often used interchangeably with kensho, but refers to the experience of kensho.[2] The Rinzai tradition sees kensho as essential to the at tainment of Buddhahood, but considers further practice essential to attain Buddh ahood. Bodhi (Sanskrit, Pali) literally means "to have woken up and understood" and ref ers to the particular form of understanding or knowledge that the Buddha attaine d upon his awakening. This knowledge is an understanding into the causality by w hich sentient beings come into existence, as well as the operations of the mind which keep sentient beings imprisoned in craving, suffering and rebirth. Bodhi i s thus the understanding of the way to liberate oneself from this imprisonment. Yogacara uses the term asraya paravrtti, "revolution of the basis",[3] ... a sudden revulsion, turning, or re-turning of the alaya vijaa back into its or iginal state of purity [...] the Mind returns to its original condition of non-a ttachment, non-discrimination and non-duality".[4] In this awakening it is realized that observer and observed are not distinct ent ities, but mutually co-dependent. The full enlightenment attributed to buddhas is known as samyaksa?bodhi (Skt.; P ali: sammasa?bodhi) or anuttara-samyak-sa?bodhi, "highest perfect awakening".[5] Buddha's awakening[edit] Siddhartha Gautama, known as the Buddha, is said to have achieved full enlighten ment, known as perfect Buddhahood (Skt. samyaksa?buddha; Pali: sammasa?buddha). In the suttapitaka, the Buddhist canon as preserved in the Theravada-tradition, a couple of texts can be found in which the Buddha recounts his own awakening.[6 ][7] In the Vanapattha Sutta (Majjhima, chapter 17)[8] the Buddha describes life in t he jungle, and the attainment of awakening. After destroying the disturbances of the mind, and attaining concentration of the mind, he attained three knowledges (vidhya):[9][10] 1.Insight into his past lives 2.Insight into the workings of Karma and Reincarnation 3.Insight into the Four Noble Truths Here, Insight into the Four Noble Truths is called "awakening."[9] The monk (bik khu) has ...attained the unattained supreme security from bondage"[11] Awakening is also being described as reaching nirvana, the extinction of the pas sions whereby suffering is ended and no more rebirths take place.[12] The insigh t arises that this liberation is certain: Knowledge arose in me, and insight: my freedom is certain, this is my last birth , now there is no rebirth"[12]

So awakening is insight into karma and rebirth, insight into the Four Noble Trut hs, the extinction of the passions whereby Nirvana is reached, and the certainty that liberation has been reached.[12] Buddhahood[edit] Main article: Buddhahood Buddhahood is the attainment of full awakening and becoming a Buddha. The term b uddha has acquired somewhat different meanings in the various Buddhist tradition s. An equivalent term for Buddha is Tathagata, "the thus-gone". In Theravada Buddhism, reaching full awakening is equivalent in meaning to reach ing Nirva?a.[web 1] Attaining Nirva?a is the ultimate goal of Theravada and othe r sravaka traditions.[web 2] It involves the abandonment of the ten fetters and the cessation of dukkha or suffering. Full awakening is reached in four stages. In Mahayana Buddhism the Bodhisattva is the ideal. The ultimate goal is not only of one's own liberation in Nirva?a, but the liberation of all living beings. In time, the Buddha's awakening came to be understood as an immediate full awake ning and liberation, instead of the insight into and certainty about the way to follow to reach enlightenment. However, in some Zen traditions this perfection c ame to be relativized again; according to one contemporary Zen master, "Shakyamu ni buddha and Bodhidharma are still practicing."[13] But Mahayana Buddhism also developed a cosmology with a wide range of buddhas an d bodhisattvas, who assist humans on their way to liberation. Path to Buddhahood[edit]

Meditating Buddha Main article: Buddhist Paths to liberation The way to Buddhahood is somewhat differently understood in the various buddhist traditions. Nevertheless, for all traditions the study of the sutras is essenti al, and gaining insight a prerequisite. Theravada[edit] Main article: Theravada Theravada Buddhism follows the Seven Stages of Purification, described by Buddha ghosa in the Visuddhimagga (Path to purification). It is based on the classical Noble Eightfold Path, but emphasizes insight in the three characteristics of lif e, namely dukkha, anatta and anicca. It distinguishes four stages of enlightenme nt, in which the ten fetters are gradually abandoned. Mahayana[edit] Main article: Mahayana Mahayana stresses praja and Karu?a, insight and compassion. It has developed a ri ch variety of teachings, including the use of mantras, such as the Daimoku in Ni chiren Buddhism, and devotion to Buddha ancestors.

Lamrim[edit] Main article: Lamrim In Tibetan buddhism the stages of the path are described in the Lamrim texts. Th ey are elaborations of Atisa's 11th Century root text A Lamp for the Path to Enl ightenment (Bodhipathapradipa).[web 3] Sudden and gradual[edit] Main articles: Subitism and Chinese Chn In Zen Buddhism there are two main views on the way to enlightenment: sudden and gradual enlightenment. Early Chn recognized the "transcendence of the body and m ind", followed by "non-defilement [of] knowledge and perception".[14] In the 8th century the Ch'an-history was effectively re-fashioned by Shenhui, who gave pro minence to Hui-neng and emphasized sudden enlightenment, as opposed to the concu rrent Northern School's gradual enlightenment.[15] According to the sudden enlig htenment propagated by Shenhui insight into true nature is sudden; thereafter th ere can be no misunderstanding anymore about this true nature. This emphasis is also maintained by the contemporary Rinzai school. In opposition to this, the Soto school emphasizes silent illumination and the pr actice of shikan-taza, just sitting. Chinul, a 12th-century Korean Seon master, emphasized that insight into our true nature is sudden, but is to be followed by practice to ripen the insight and attain full Buddhahood. This is also the stan dpoint of the contemporary Sanbo Kyodan school, according to whom kensho is at t he start of the path to full enlightenment.[2] This gradual cultivation is also recognized by Tozan, who described the Five ran ks of enlightenment.[web 4] Other example of depiction of stages on the path are the Ten Ox-Herding Pictures which detail the steps on the Path, and the Four Wa ys of Knowing of Hakuin.[16] This gradual cultivation is also described by Chan Master Sheng Yen: Ch'an expressions refer to enlightenment as "seeing your self-nature". But even this is not enough. After seeing your self-nature, you need to deepen your exper ience even further and bring it into maturation. You should have enlightenment e xperience again and again and support them with continuous practice. Even though Ch'an says that at the time of enlightenment, your outlook is the same as of th e Buddha, you are not yet a full Buddha.[17] Western understanding of enlightenment[edit] See also: Buddhist modernism, Transcendentalism, and Perennial philosophy In the western world the concept of enlightenment has begotten a romantic meanin g. It has become synonymous with self-realization and the true self, being regar ded as a substantial essence being covered over by social conditioning. Enlightenment as "Aufklrung"[edit] The use of the western word enlightenment is based on the supposed resemblance o f bodhi with Aufklrung, the independent use of reason to gain insight into the tr ue nature of our world. In fact there are more resemblances with Romanticism tha n with the Enlightenment: the emphasis on feeling, on intuitive insight, on a tr ue essence beyond the world of appearances.[18]

Awakening[edit] The equivalent term "awakening" has also been used in a Christian context, namel y the Great Awakenings, several periods of religious revival in American religio us history. Historians and theologians identify three or four waves of increased religious enthusiasm occurring between the early 18th century and the late 19th century. Each of these "Great Awakenings" was characterized by widespread reviv als led by evangelical Protestant ministers, a sharp increase of interest in rel igion, a profound sense of conviction and redemption on the part of those affect ed, an increase in evangelical church membership, and the formation of new relig ious movements and denominations. Romanticism and transcendentalism[edit] The romantic idea of enlightenment as insight into a timeless, transcendent real ity has been popularized especially by D.T. Suzuki.[web 5][web 6] Further popula rization was due to the writings of Heinrich Dumoulin.[19][20][web 7] Dumoulin v iewed metaphysics as the expression of a transcendent truth, which according to him was expressed by Mahayana Buddhism, but not by the pragmatic analysis of the oldest Buddhism, which emphasizes anatta.[21] This romantic vision is also reco gnizable in the works of Ken Wilber.[22] In the oldest Buddhism this essentialism is not recognizable.[23][web 8] Accordi ng to critics it doesn't really contribute to a real insight into Buddhism:[web 9] ...most of them labour under the old clich that the goal of Buddhist psychologica l analysis is to reveal the hidden mysteries in the human mind and thereby facil itate the development of a transcendental state of consciousness beyond the reac h of linguistic expression.[24] Enlightenment and experience[edit] A common reference in western culture is the notion of "enlightenment experience ". This notion can be traced back to William James, who used the term "religious experience" in his book, The Varieties of Religious Experience.[25] Wayne Proud foot traces the roots of the notion of "religious experience" further back to th e German theologian Friedrich Schleiermacher (1768-1834), who argued that religi on is based on a feeling of the infinite. Schleiermacher used the notion of "rel igious experience" to defend religion against the growing scientific and secular critique. It was popularised by the Transcendentalists, and exported to Asia via missionar ies.[26] Transcendentalism developed as a reaction against 18th Century rational ism, John Locke's philosophy of Sensualism, and the predestinationism of New Eng land Calvinism. It is fundamentally a variety of diverse sources such as Hindu t exts like the Vedas, the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita,[27] various religions , and German idealism.[28] It was adopted by many scholars of religion, of which William James was the most influential.[29][note 1] The notion of "experience" has been criticised.[34][35][36] Robert Sharf points out that "experience" is a typical western term, which has found its way into As ian religiosity via western influences.[34][note 2] The notion of "experience" introduces a false notion of duality between "experie ncer" and "experienced", whereas the essence of kensho is the realisation of the "non-duality" of observer and observed.[38][39] "Pure experience" does not exis

t; all experience is mediated by intellectual and cognitive activity.[40][41] Th e specific teachings and practices of a specific tradition may even determine wh at "experience" someone has, which means that this "experience" is not the proof of the teaching, but a result of the teaching.[42] A pure consciousness without concepts, reached by "cleaning the doors of perception" as per romantic poet Wi lliam Blake[note 3], would be an overwhelming chaos of sensory input without coh erence.[44] Bodhi Day[edit] Main article: Bodhi Day Sakyamuni's Buddhahood is celebrated on Bodhi Day. In Sri Lanka and Japan differ ent days are used for this celebration. According to the Theravada tradition in Sri Lanka, Sakyamuni reached Buddhahood at the full moon in May. This is celebrated at Wesak Poya, the full moon in May, as Sambuddhatva jayanthi (also known as Sambuddha jayanthi).[web 10] According to the Zen tradition, the Buddha reached his decisive insight on 8 Dec ember. This is celebrated in Zen monasteries with a very intensive eight-day ses sion of Rohatsu.