Can I really get enlightened?

What is enlightenment, anyway?

And if it’s possible to reach enlightenment, how can I do it?

You may have wondered the answers to these questions before. And if so, you’re not alone.

Philosophers, sages, artists, and scientists have been looking for the answer to these questions for centuries.

But our generation is fortunate to have among us a scholar who has dedicated his life to this topic — and who offers a unique perspective we should all take into consideration.

That scholar is Tony Nader, MD, PhD, MARR.

Dr Nader is the head of the international TM organisations and Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s successor. He’s both a neuroscientist and an expert in the ancient Vedic tradition. And he is the world’s leading expert in consciousness today.

In his latest broadcast on Facebook, Dr Nader tackles the subject of enlightenment.

And I think you’ll agree it’s well worth listening to.

Dr Tony Nader, head of the international TM Organisations, neuroscientist, and Vedic scholar

What is enlightenment exactly?

Dr Nader begins by addressing what enlightenment is exactly, saying that it is simply living in light.

When we live in light, we live with full knowledge of all the variables that can affect us and our environment.

After all, we need knowledge for everything we try to do. We need it for the simplest tasks and the most complex – from choosing what to eat for lunch to predicting the weather.

With knowledge, we can do anything we set out to do. But without it, we fail to achieve even the most basic tasks on our agenda.

How do we reach enlightenment?

To get further to the question of how we can reach enlightenment, Dr Nader describes the two primary views of enlightenment throughout history.

Many of us are familiar with the more recent view, which arose in the 17^th century during the ‘Age of Enlightenment’. This perspective focuses on understanding the outer world — understanding the laws of Nature and interpreting the world through observation and experimentation.

This movement gave rise to a very productive and beneficial scientific age. But most of us can agree this age came with its limitations as well, as Dr Nader describes.

He then moves on to a more ancient view, held by sages in India and other Eastern countries.

This tradition has viewed the key to enlightenment as ‘knowing thyself’.

In other words, true knowledge comes from within.

To reach a state of full knowledge, many proponents of this view secluded themselves in mountains and caves for decades.

But Dr Nader says that many people today mistakenly think this seclusion is a requirement to live an enlightened life.

It’s easier than you think

The main point of Dr Nader’s talk – and here I encourage you to watch the video for yourself – is to cut through these different views and clarify how we can reach enlightenment.

And one of the most surprising things he says is that advancing on the path to enlightenment is actually very easy.

That’s right, easy.

We don’t have to live in a cave, cut ourselves off from the outer world, or give up a life of creativity and productivity in order to reach it.

‘Enlightenment actually is for action, for greater productivity, for greater understanding of the outer world’.

 

– Dr Tony Nader

Better yet, we don’t even have to reach complete enlightenment to begin enjoying it. The further and further on the path we go, the more joy and fulfillment we experience.

In my opinion, this is the most powerful talk Dr Nader has given to the public so far.

We all want to be better human beings, more successful, more helpful to the world. This is exactly what Dr Nader is talking about.

And if you find yourself skeptical that there’s even such a thing as enlightenment, or that it’s possible to reach it in this lifetime, I still encourage you to watch this talk.

My hunch is you’ll find Dr Nader has something to say you haven’t heard before. Click here to view the talk now.

Rebekah Mays is originally from Austin, Texas, and currently lives in the Netherlands. She has spent the past several years working in education, communications, and marketing, and is thrilled to now be working as MERU’s Content Director.

Her aim is to help make Maharishi’s vast knowledge more accessible to people from all countries, ages, and backgrounds.