Chapter 01: The nature of Enlightenment
The first distinction to make between the three human Zones of Being is how each one of them very differently views Enlightenment itself – a distinction which indeed proves to be extremely important. For one cannot hope to attain the highest level of Enlightenment while striving to attain a lesser form thereof. As such, feel free to humbly ponder & then courageously pro-actualize the following …
*Whereas Zone 1 advocates & Zone 2 followers both believe enlightenment to be an advanced intellectual ability &/or an exceptionally clear state of mind – a “knowing” of life infused with understanding & wisdom, Zone 3 participants know that Enlightenment is actually a state of active Being – a way of living that can neither be truly comprehended nor fully experienced until it is set into motion.
*While Zone 1 proponents believe that enlightenment is living a life immersed in pleasure &/or comfort; feeling happy or at ease due to positive external reasons or circumstances (whenever “things are going really well”), Zone 2 acolytes believe that enlightenment is a life steeped in joy & inner peace; feeling happy for internal reasons (or “for no reason”) regardless of external circumstances. In noted contrast, champions of Zone 3 know that Enlightenment is actually a life soaked in deeds of selfless kindness (while detaching from the results of the same) and the Bliss (an almost-indescribably euphoric blending of Calm & Joy) that always accompanies the same. Essentially, for lack of better terms, real Enlightenment is the courageous manifestation of unconditional Love – a state of being that blossoms into being in every moment one’s fleshly mind-body decides to harmonize the inclinations of its conscience with the opportunities available in its immediate environment.
*Patrons of Zone 1 living believe enlightenment to be either a myth of an impossibility (i.e. that truly selfless living is a pipe-dream, that truth is so subjective as to be essentially unknowable, and that there is no such thing as a True Self to attain), and members of the Zone 2 lifestyle believe that enlightenment is both very real and very attainable – albeit via years of persistent strife & devout study; preferably undertaken under the tutelage of a master, guide, or guru. Again in stark contrast, enliveners of the Zone 3 way know that Enlightenment is fluidly available to all sentient beings in every instant of their existence – that it can be accessed by all both instantly & completely, and this without the aid or assistance of any pastor or pundit.
*Though Zone 1 backers feel that enlightenment is a fleeting happenstance (whenever it happens to arrive, seemingly of its accord), Zone 2 minions believe that enlightenment is a permanent state of being that can be eventually attained via a long & tiresome period of disciplined learning and “personal growth.” Zone 3 adherents, on the other heart, know full well that Enlightenment exists only in those moments it is being consciously actualized; that to observers thereof it seems to “linger” (for a time commensurate with the intensity of each deed’s self-sacrifice), and to those engaging the same it “stretches” out in time (also in direct proportion to how courageously one is enlivening it). These latter “sages” know that, even though Enlightenment can never be attained, it can continually be renewed.
“Let us avoid despairing over the evanescent nature of our brief existence. Indeed, let us instead fully embrace each & every delectable moment we have been given. The Buddha astutely noted that ‘It is far better to travel well than to arrive,’ and to truly travel well we must do so consciously and with purpose – with the betterment of all passers by ever in mind, and never our own success or comfort. This life might very well be but a dream, and yet we cannot hope to fully awaken in it until we treat each encounter as if it were anything but.” ~ inspired by Kilroy J. Oldster
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