Spiritual Forum

Are Enlightenment and God-Realization the Same?

They are not the same. Enlightenment is the cessation of inner dialogue - that’s all. There are many ways to describe Enlightenment, but the simplest way is to define it as the cessation of inner dialogue.

This does not mean that you won’t have a dialogue at all; you will have a dialogue when required. However, when it is not required, there is no dialogue. Moreover, the dialogue itself does not carry emotional charges, nor does it create a story.

An Enlightened person, when not engaged in dialogue, has no mental stories or emotional charges. And even if such thoughts or emotions do appear, they quickly dissolve.

That is all there is to Enlightenment. Then, you will truly experience what it means to live. But this is not the same as God-Realization.

God-Realization is to see, feel, experience and live with your God! The God you have created, the God you have chosen. Your God will be different from your neighbor’s God.

Though there is only one ultimate reality, it manifests differently for different people, just as an actor may play different roles in different movies. The actor remains the same, but the roles change.

For a Hindu, God may be Krishna or Shiva. For a Christian, it could be Christ. For a Jew, it may be different; for a Muslim, it may be different.

Your perception of God depends on your conditioning, background and personal desires. That is why we say, “You create your God.”

Your God fulfills your divine needs, appearing as you want Him or Her to be. You define the relationship - how your God looks, feels and interacts with you.

And from that point onward, it is like living with a Supreme Presence within you. That is God-Realization, which is very different from Enlightenment.

However, an Enlightened person can also be God-Realized. It is possible. One may first attain Enlightenment, and if there is a deep passion or longing for God-Realization - perhaps from childhood - one may also become God-Realized. The two are compatible. They are not incompatible.

Some people are solely focused on God-Realization. In India, there have been great seers who have sung songs saying, “We do not want Enlightenment. We do not want it. We only want to be with You,” addressing their God. There are people like that.

The choice is yours, but Enlightenment and God Realization are different. The two can be integrated; they do not have to remain separate.

Sri Amma Bhagavan Wisdom