Enlightenment - What is it?

There are different stages of 'Realization' or 'Self Realization' that are termed as Enlightenment.

'Realization' means experiential knowledge (as opposed to intellectual knowledge).

Stage 1 -

Experiencing the 'one-ness' of the universe.

Experiencing One-ness of the universe is a beautiful experience. It fills the heart with divine love. The multiplicity of the universe vanishes in 'singularity'. Everything is experienced as 'One' un-broken continuity and the sense of 'Wonder' and 'Peace' overpowers the mind.

In this stage however, the experiencer and the experienced universe remain as two entities - retaining the 'duality' (and so a highly diluted ego still remains).

The key sentence is "I experience one-ness"

Stage 2 -

Becoming 'One' with the Universe.

A little leap then takes one to the next stage of the experience. In this stage, the 'diluted ego' of the first stage also vanishes and the experiencer becomes one with the 'One-ness'.

Here the duality goes away and 'experiencer' and 'experienced' become 'one'. The identity is Universal, the consciousness expands to engulf the whole universe.

Still the 'experiencer' is bound by 'time' and 'creation' and therefore the laws of linearity (past, present, future.)

The key sentence is "I am One with the One-ness"

Stage 3 -

A little further leap into subtleness takes one into this realm of Enlightenment. At this stage, the universe becomes an illusion - existing and non-existing at the same time.

One becomes the Total Consciousness - and ego/identity can be created/dissolved with a process that is not possible for me to describe with words. (It just 'is')

The time, as we know it, vanishes and one can create time as well as be in any moment of time, be it present, past or future. The linearity of existence goes away.

The experiencer goes beyond 'identities' and yet identities can be created with a twinkle of a smile, and so also can the Universe be created (or dissolved).

The key sentence is "Am"

This is your Real Identity - The Identity beyond identities and manifestation.