Enlightenment is described as a simple, natural phenomenon that has nothing to do with knowledge, intellect, or supernatural experiences. It is not an achievement but rather an understanding that there is nothing to achieve. Enlightenment is beyond the mind and rationality. For enlightened beings, there is no ego, desire, or greed remaining. While the ego may want enlightenment, true enlightenment involves being aware of and letting go of the ego. Enlightenment is described as a state of purity, innocence, and non-dreaming consciousness.
2. “ Enlightenment in the Buddhist sense has nothing to do with knowledge or intellect. Nor is it living in an otherworldly state of being "blissed out" or having visions or supernatural experiences”
3. “ Enlightenment is not something special, it is one of the most simple, natural phenomena. Just because it is so simple and natural it has become extraordinarily difficult for man to understand”
4. “ Enlightenment is not an achievement, it is an understanding that there is nothing to achieve, no where to go”
5. “ enlightenment is beyond your mind, beyond your rationality, beyond your intellect. after his enlightenment, he just remained absolutely ordinary, with no ego, with no desire, with no greed”
6. “ The ego not only wants wealth, power, and prestige; it wants meditation also, it wants enlightenment also. The ego wants to possess everything -- even meditation, Be aware of it. It can deceive you. And it can use words, it can verbalize things. It can verbalize anything, even enlightenment.”
7. "Mind is like a mirror, and dust gathers on it. Clean the dust, and you are enlightened."
8. “ No thought, no reflection, no analysis, No cultivation, no intention, Let it settle itself” -Tilopa, a 9th century Buddhist master
9. “ Enlightenment will be now the beginning, not the end. Beginning of a non-ending process in all dimensions of richness. ”
10. All beings are from the very beginning Buddhas. It is like water and ice: Apart from water, no ice, outside living beings, no Buddhas. Not knowing it is near they seek it afar, what a pity!
11. An Enlightened person is not the one who know all answers, but the one who has no more questions. Emptiness is the real essence of Enlightenment.
12. Dreaming creates a film over the consciousness. This film becomes like smoke -- you are surrounded by it. If there is no dream inside. It is as if there were no star in the sky; it has become pure space. When there is no dreaming, you become pure space. This purity, this innocence, this non-dreaming consciousness, is what is known as enlightenment
13. Just by torturing one's body one is not going to realize oneself. When Buddha attained enlightenment he said, "I am no more." When Shankara attained, he said, "I am all." Both mean the same.
14. Lin Chi achieved enlightenment he laughed. His disciples asked, "Why are you laughing?" He said, "I am laughing for this. I was endeavoring for thousands and thousands of lives for this -- it is so ordinary."
15. one Zen master, that when he attained enlightenment many people asked, "What did you do after that?" He said, "I ordered a cup of tea." What is there to do next? Everything is finished.
16. A Zen monk, Rinzai, attained his enlightenment, and the first thing he asked was, "Where is my body? Where has my body gone?" And he began to search.
17. Buddha says, "I am not he who was seeking; I am not he who was desiring enlightenment; I am not he who was ignorant. The old man is dead completely. I am a new one. I never existed in that old man. There has been a gap. The old has died and the new is born."
18. enlightenment cannot be an outcome of your efforts; it is not. All effort in this sense is to destroy the barriers, not to attain enlightenment.
19. All the religions have been doing things with you which you may not be aware of. In fact, even the so-called teachers may not be aware what they are doing, but the effects are there. But this has nothing to do with realization, enlightenment, awareness.
20. The medicine cannot give you health; it can only destroy your diseases. Similar is the phenomenon of enlightenment. It is a spiritual health. Mind is a spiritual disease, and meditation is nothing but medicine.
21. The more one tries to use the mind the less is his chance of being enlightened.
22. whenever enlightenment has happened – ten thousand years ago, now, or ten thousand years ahead – it is the same experience. As far as experiencing is concerned it is the same.
24. If I could define enlightenment briefly I would say it is ''the quiet acceptance of what is.' Wayne Dyer
25. Nirvana or lasting enlightenment or true spiritual growth can be achieved only through persistent exercise of real love. M. Scott Peck
26. Man is lost and is wandering in a jungle where real values have no meaning. Real values can have meaning to man only when he steps on to the spiritual path, a path where negative emotions have no use. Sathya Sai Baba
27. True enlightenment is nothing but the nature of one's own self being fully realized. Dalai Lama