When We Reach Enlightenment, Do Our Thoughts Stop Completely?

The goal is the process.

Holy SpiritualPhoto byStefan Keller from Pixabay

One of the main causes behind our endless stream of thoughts is our unprocessed past.

By unprocessed past, we mean those experiences we have been through, which brought up intense emotions and thoughts.

During such episodes of our lives, the usual route we take is escape.

Some people escape from their emotional crisis through food, drinks or drugs, others through entertainments (movies, video games, social media, etc.). Some do it through socializing, going to parties or concerts. The means are endless.

Those are the main coping mechanisms most people use. But there are many other ones that are even more subtler.

In and of themselves, these experiences (parties, video games, socializing, etc.) have nothing “wrong” to them. They only become a problem when we use them to run away from our challenges. If we keep doing so, like most people do, those thoughts and emotions we thought to have escaped keep hitting us.

Using more coping mechanisms may seem helpful at first; eventually however, we need more and more of them, and that is when we talk about addictions — that’s when our health gets negatively impacted, as well as our relationships.

In general, we are not taught how to deal with our feelings during times of challenges.

Most people simply tell us to give it some time. While it’s noble to encourage endurance, “giving it some time” through escapes will only result in lodging these emotions/thoughts in our subconscious mind — in the form of limiting beliefs.

The spiritual path, which leads to enlightenment, is actually about unraveling all those emotions and thoughts we have pushed deep down within ourselves, and facing them. As long as we are committed to the path, Creation guides us to the best opportunities for growth in the form of resources, teachers, and practices.

As we deal with our feelings; naturally, there is less pressure within us, so we have less compulsive thoughts.

Now, thought is a tool. Thought is not the enemy. It’s a tool we use to deal with mundane matters. We are spiritual beings — we’re also spiritual beings exploring Creation through the material world, and the material world requires some use of thought, which is different from being used by thought…

If you want to build a house, you need to use thought. You need to plan things. You need to design. Design requires calculations. You need to do some research on the materials you’re going to use. All of it requires thought.

Do not believe that once enlightenment is reached, all that is left is to be in bliss 24/7 and float our way out of the Earth.

It’s just that we live with more clarity. We use our tool (body-mind) more effectively. And this leads to a better life because we manage ourselves more efficiently (self-mastery).

Also, do not concern yourself with enlightenment. It may happen, it may not. It depends on many factors.. Some people confuse enlightenment with entitlement too. Enlightenment is a major step in human evolution. We can work towards it, and do our best. That’s our part. The rest is up to Life.

In the meantime, let’s focus on what needs our attention right here and right now. Our hands are full. We have many things to work on within ourselves, we have responsibilities, we have stuff to learn. Let’s be busy with the process. Let’s meet it halfway.

The rest is up to other factors we cannot control.

Have fun. Live. Learn. Love.

And...

Spirituality doesn’t need to be complicated. Dealing with emotional and mental wounds requires already enough attention and energy. If you need practical ways to heal, but also practical teachings to make sense of all the confusing spiritual information the world throws at you; I wrote a book called Spiritual Transition to help you progress on your path. You can give the book a look here.

Blessings.