An overview of the enlightenment movement

“Within light there is darkness,

but do not try to understand that darkness.

Within darkness there is light,

but do not look for that light.

Light and darkness are a pair,

like the foot before and the foot behind in walking.

Each thing has its own intrinsic value

and is related to everything else in function and position.

Ordinary life fits the absolute as a box and its lid.

The absolute works together with the relative,

like two arrows meeting in mid-air.”

Shih Tou

We are living according to Feng Shui and Rudolf Steiner in the era of enlightenment, and so understanding what the movement is, is crucial.

To be clear here, I believe the term "Enlightenment" to be widely misunderstood. In fact this is somewhat inevitable as it is a term associated with so many different concepts. To understand what it represents, I feel you need to look in depth at supposed Eastern notions of Enlightenment, particularly Buddhism and the concept of Nirvana, and the Ancient Chinese theory of Yin and Yang; as well as Western notions of Enlightenment, fathomed as the notion of Salvation and Christ Consciousness in Christianity, as well as the ´Age of Enlightenment´ in the 17th and 18th century in Europe, a period where rationality was prized.

The more you compare the two, I believe the more you realise Enlightenment is a purely Western ideal, and that Eastern concepts have been misappropriated to promote a slight Western fanaticism with the word enlightenment, when the original intentions for the Eastern concepts had very little to do with promoting any type of 'Enlightenment'.

EASTERN PHILOSOPHY AND RELIGION

Traditional Buddhism and Enlightenment (weight)

Buddhism, a religion that emerged approximately 2800 years ago from India, which contains many similarities with the even older religion of Hinduism, is out of all the religions the most associated with the concept of enlightenment, though this is actually a Western take on Buddhism which was never taught in India or by the Buddha. Whilst it is a shame western gurus, academics and new age movement leaders have lazily mistranslated and mistaught as a result Buddhism to the masses, there is at least some defense, albeit poor ones, for associating Enlightenment with Buddhism.

The central goal of traditional mindfulness practice in Buddhism is bodhi, which means “awakening”, coming from the Sanskrit and Pāli verbal root budh- to awaken. Of course we sleep at night, and awaken at day when there is light, but this is far too much of a stretch to defend changing the translation from awakening to enlightenment when the truth is there is nothing wrong with the word awakening in English. Arguably more to the point, Buddhism shows that there is a path for reaching Nirvana, where you attain true freedom and truth, and in this path you could say you must lighten the load that craving/thirst puts on yourself; although on the other hand literally craving lightness would be completely counter-intuitive, as according to the Buddha the path to Nirvana requires equanimity, that is neither being averse to nor to crave lightness or heaviness or any other sensation, in any way you wish to interpret those words. This is especially achieved through Vipassana meditation, which comes from Heravada, Buddhism's oldest school of thought. Nirvana means in Sanskrit "extinction, disappearance" or literally "blowing out" (the fire). Therefore, it is counter-intuitive to equate Nirvana as any thing, such as "Enlightenment", when such a word evokes a totally different meaning being a thing and not the process of extinguishing passions.

The process to reaching Nirvana and the Four Noble Truths: Dukkha, Samudaya, Nirodha and Magga

There are four noble truths, which all need to be absorbed and put into practice to achieve Nirvana. Dukkha - the first noble truth is that of suffering (although the term also encompasses meanings such as ´´imperfection’, ‘impermanence’, ‘emptiness’ and ‘insubstantiality’´ [1] ). Centred around the acknowledgement of the presence of suffering, followers of the first noble truth believe that ´although there is suffering in life, a Buddhist should not be gloomy over it, should not be angry or impatient at it. One of the principal evils in life, according to Buddhism, is ‘repugnance’ or hatred.´ [2]  Samudaya, the second noble truth, refers to the cause of dukkha and is centred around tanha meaning thirst, longing or craving. ´The term ‘thirst’ includes not only desire for, and attachment to, sense-pleasures, wealth and power, but also desire for, and attachment to, idea and ideals, views, opinions, theories, conceptions and beliefs.[3] 

Nirodha - the third noble truth refers to the cessation of Dukkha, which is centred around the elimination of tanha and attainment of Nirvana meaning´´the extinction of desire, the extinction of hatred, the extinction of illusion... the annihilation of the false idea of self... absolute freedom´. [4]  This goes further; once attained a person will experience all pleasant, unpleasant or neutral sensations without passion, knowing that they are impermanent; and will know ´the absolute truth, that there is nothing absolute in the world, that everything is relative, conditioned and impermanent, and that there is no unchanging, everlasting, absolute substance like Self, Soul or Atman´ [5]. Buddhist Walpola Rahula wrote ´he who has realized the Truth, Nirvāna, is the happiest being in the world.´ [6]. In addition, Nirvana signifies the end of the cycle of death and rebirth (Samsara) to Buddhists, as there is no more fire to fuel creation.

Magga, the fourth noble truth, translates as the path. It ´avoids two extremes: one extreme being the search for happiness through the pleasures of the senses, which is ‘low, common, unprofitable and the way of the ordinary people’; the other being the search for happiness through self-mortification in different forms of asceticism, which is ‘painful, unworthy and unprofitable’. [7]  Buddhism teaches the noble eightfold path, a path centred around moral conduct, mental discipline, and wisdom. Following the path requires right understanding, thought, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness and concentration;

Thus, it is clear enlightenment is never really taught in Buddhist teachings, nor does such a word do any justice to what is taught. Overall as a system of thought and practice, Buddhism is multifaceted and has a clear emphasis on nobility, treasuring particularly innocence, purity and righteousness. Moreover, Buddhism clearly explains that there are inferior ways to live life, and that living a noble life will bring you closer to the resolution of one all-pervasive problem: the eradication of suffering, and only when this is completely achieved would you have attained Nirvana, that is real extinction of passions and not enlightenment. Understanding this, it is easy to figure that Buddhism is not a moderate religion for it is completely against any form of greed (raga), hatred (dvesha) and delusion (moha), known as the three poisons or fires, and as its supreme goal Nirvana is extinguishing desire completely and ending Samsara, essentially annihilation.

Moksha in Hinduism and Jainism; Mukti in Sikhism; Satori in Zen Buddhism

It is also worth noting that Buddhism can be considered to have been born out of Hinduism and Nirvana is a term found in the texts of all major Indian religions – Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, and Sikhism (though nirvana is more commonly known as moksha in Hinduism, and as both interchangably in Jainism, and as mukti in Sikhism). All these religions have different takes on what Nirvana in but all their takes overlap, for instance they all agree that it is a liberation from Samsara. Not one take could be suitably translated to the western word of 'enlightenment'. Hindus also seek 'Jivan mukta' which literally translates to 'liberated while living'.

However, Buddhism evolved and spread over time, particularly in Asia, and after it arrived in Japan from China, various new schools of Zen Buddhism emerged such as Sōtō and Rinzai Zen, which had goal of guiding individuals to a sudden awakening/understanding through sitting meditation. Particularly in the Rinzai school, very severe meditative techniques were designed to bring about a sudden, distinctive and transformative cosmic experience called satori, which has been described as ´sudden enlightenment´ by the leaders of the relatively modern Zen movement to gain more attention, although it literally means "understanding". Without a doubt, the most fitting reference to enlightenment in Asian Buddhist culture is the sudden Satori.

The Chinese school of Yin-Yang and Enlightenment (Colour)

It goes without saying that the color of enlightenment, if taken literally, should be white and is most associated with light. The Ancient Chinese would argue that this is only one end, Yang, of a spectrum relating to life-force, Qi, which couldn´t exist without the other side, Yin, which is black. This is known as the principle of polarity and is shown by the taijitu (famous yin and yang symbol):

Yang represents the light and is considered masculine. It is symbolised by the sun and daytime, as it has warm, dry and active qualities, also associated with order. Yin represents darkness and is considered feminine. It is symbolised by the moon and night, as it has cold, absorbant and reflective properties which are also associated with chaos. These opposite but interconnected forces are not in conflict with one another but are complimentary and should be in constant harmony with each other. The idea of one existing without the other, to the traditional way of Chinese thinking, is as incomprehensible as an electric current without both positive and negative poles. Thus full-blown enlightenment, in the commonly understood sense, is both an impossible and undesirable feat to achieve according to Ancient Chinese philosophy.

A list of typical Yin and Yang based traits in human personality can be seen below:

Appertaining to this, the Ancient Chinese anthropologists of Fung Shuei believed that the element metal could be both a slightly yin silver or grey colour and a completely yang white colour. People believed to be metal orientated were known to be organised, severe, controlling, exact, moral and appreciative of quality. As you can see this is very Yang oriented. Of course these people, who especially valued order and justice, were suited to the military. The yang side of metal was symbolised by the white tiger which in Chinese art is a symbol of power and the army, often seen alongside the dragon.

WESTERN PHILOSOPHY AND RELIGION

Christianity (light as a metaphor for life, goodness and Jesus)

In stark contrast to the Ancient Chinese and East on a whole, deep inside the subconscious of Western culture there is a metaphor of light being at war with darkness, flourishing idealism to cultivate the former and be rid of the latter.

This is no doubt partially as a result of Christianity being the most influential religion in the West, with Jesus being quoted in the bible by John as stating-“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life”. Thus, Jesus uses light as a metaphor for security since we all need to see to be able to walk safely and directly as a metaphor for life and for himself in relation with the world.

John states himself in the bible that ´this is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil´, whilst ´there was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man´. Therefore, John takes it further than Jesus, stating light isn't just the opposite to death, allowing man to live, but that man's evil deeds actually directly come about from not loving or knowing the true light.

As Christianity was so dominant in the West, I regard that there is a lack of balance in the Western psyche when regarding the concepts of lightness and darkness in comparison to the Eastern psyche. Deep inside the Western subconscious darkness is associated with humanity's nefarious side, its shadiness and shadow side; whereas light is associated with Jesus' glory and truth.

This is most clearly shown by the popular naming of two different ages in the West - the first being the Dark Ages, covering a time-frame roughly between the 5th and 14th centuries in Europe and otherwise known as the Middle Ages.

This Age was long associated with overseeing a decline in European Civilisation's culture. The name was conjured by the Italian scholar Francesco Petrarca in the 14th century who complained of the poor literature of his day and the contrast of beauty between Europe's culture over the previous nine centuries following the fall of Rome, and the times prosperous times preceding it under the Roman and Greek empires. Many other scholars for centuries afterwards agreed that the Age deserved the description of dark since Europe was so feudal, plagued by violence and book-keeping so poor during it. Take the 18th century British Historian Edward Gibbon who dismissed the entire epoch as 'the triumph of barbarism and religion'. In spite of the fact that modern academics now widely disagree with the cultural critics which titled the Middle Ages 'dark', it's clear that the metaphor was never intended to be used in any positive angle; and its long-endurance shows how embedded Christian values of lightness and darkness are in western culture.

The Age of Enlightenment (light as a metaphor for reason, secularism and societal progress)

More ironically, I believe Christianity's metaphorical war between light and darkness led directly towards the naming of the famous western philosophical period known as - The Age of the Enlightenment - when enlightenment was made out to be rather like John's version of 'true light' in the bible, i.e, good, non-evil and above all rational deeds.

And yet the Age of Enlightenment brought about numerous influencers who were completely critical of religions such as Christianity, describing them as non-rational and superstitious. Therefore, the word enlightenment during this age somewhat lost its original western meaning and connotations to Jesus and life, as preached by Jesus himself according to the bible.

To illustrate this, consider Jean-Jacques Rosseau's published view in a volume of the Social Contract, that"Christianity preaches only servitude and dependence. Its spirit is so favourable to tyranny that it always profits by such a régime. Genuine Christians are made to be slaves, and they know it and don’t much mind: this short life counts for too little in their eyes.”

To be clear, the Age of Enlightenment wasn't centred on secular ideals or certainly not on such ideals alone; more, its principal cornerstone was science, even in the humanities: with enlightenment thinkers specifically valuing empiricism, observation and rational thought; what could be proven over anything mystical or faith-based. Rosseau was equally scathing towards the monarchy and democracy itself as he was towards traditional religion, whilst enlightenment thinkers could still be christian, look at none other than Sir Isaac Newton, a heterodox christian, who debatably most inspired the entire movement in the first place with his philosophy and scientific discoveries.

Prestigious enlightenment thinkers include Adam Smith, Immanuel Kant and Voltaire among others, and the movement was founded by the likes of Rene Descartes, John Locke and Francis Bacon. Of course to define a movement of so many powerful individuals whose ideas could clash is extremely difficult, but one simple definition of enlightenment was given by Kant as being the equivalent of anyone achieving maturity, that is the ability to think for themselves. Given the weight of such names it is not hard to fathom that the movement structured Western culture into how it is politically, intellectually as well as secularly today; the movement has even being credited for bringing about the French and American Revolutions of the late 18th century.

However, the effects of the Age of Enlightenment have not always been displayed as completely positive by modern academics, especially given its underlying philosophy can be viewed as lacking nuance and yet containing excessively bold confidence. As historian Jonathan Israel put it -´enlightenment thinkers habitually construed conflicts of ideology and values as battles between the enlightened and unenlightened, the aware and the ignorant, truth and falsity, when such struggles, then as now, were really conflicts between rival values within systems, or between different value systems with divergent backgrounds and histories, each of which, arguably, possesses its own independent validity and authenticity.'

Conclusion - Time for Change

To be concise, enlightenment is an enigma - in the East it is actually very rarely idealised by itself as it is viewed only as part of a spectrum, of yin and yang, impossible to obtain by itself and ancient chinese it is linked to the West. And yet Westerners by and large believe Eastern philosophies and religions hold enlightenment in high esteem, despite being actually largely unaware of the real names and translations of the states of being that these schools of thoughts aim to guide their followers towards, such as Nirvana.

In the West, enlightenment is almost always associated with faith or rationality, as well as with positivity (or only the complete opposite, as in conjuncture with Illuminati conspiracies), and yet depending on the context in the West the word symbolises totally different things - one being Christian and faith based, the other being "scientific" and based on empirical knowledge. Like Christianity, originating in the middle-east as well, another Abrahamic religion - Islam, teaches similar religious lessons that light is sacred and good, stating for instance that God is the "light of the heavens and the earth" in the Qu'ran.

And so, for quite contrasting reasons, so embedded in the Western Culture is the idea of brightness being attractive, and dimness being its opposite, of enlightenment being true knowledge and of the state of being kept in the dark as complete ignorance.

But in my experience the idea of such black-and-white thinking (yes I mean that non-ironically) is a little extreme. Light has amazing properties according to science - nothing recorded moves faster than the speed of light for instance, just think of lightening and it is considered reflective, white light is actually a combination of all colors in the color spectrum. And yet it is now considered the universe is mostly made up of dark matter, and scientifically, darkness is known to be very deep and absorbent - think of the sheer density of a black hole.

In truth, darkness is equally indispensible to life and imagination as light is, and we ought not in this day and age to be taking the bible literally with regard to enlightenment, just as Christians widely accept the Genesis as a fable nowadays and not literally the truth.

Hypothetically, the idea of enlightenment being superior to endarkerment (a concept that I know thankfully doesn't exist) completely ignores the wisdom that we have to understand most complex things in terms of a spectrum, and that there are generally diminishing returns to being too extremely supportive of any single side of a spectrum. Carl Jung, and his archetypes of colours states that the colour white is the only colour that doesn't really mix with other colours, though it is associated with creativity.

Lastly in Feng Shui, enlightenment colours is linked with Metal and darkness with Water. Feng Shui is extremely naturalist and Metal is explained to be a great supporter of Water, which is true in nature according to experts such as Viktor Shauberger, whose ethos is 'Kapieren und Kopieren' meaning 'first understand Nature, then copy it'. Shauberger states water is very much alive, requires healthy spiraling movement (like rivers and DNA spiral). He states water requires cool temperatures (like metal) and benefits from flowing and picking up trace elements, minerals and salts (e.g metals) in nature to keep its vitality. Hence metal, light, is extremely important and is linked with the contrasting order and solidity required to allow water to be independent. Light as the opposite of independent is a unifying force. It is also linked with good taste according to Feng Shui.

References

(1) https://sites.google.com/site/rahulawhatthebuddha/the-first-noble-truth

(2) J.J. Rousseau, The Social Contract, 1762

(3) Three Critics of the Enlightenment - Isaiah Berlin, 2000