Enlightenment is a state of unwavering fearlessness, complete joy and boundless compassion. One experiences oneself fully connected with everything and perceives the mind as a luminous conscious space, which by its nature is insight, by its experience is supreme joy, and by its expression is energetic love.
Is there a permanent happiness, independent of all external circumstances?
Realizing that everything that is composed is impermanent and dissolves again, Prince Siddhartha left his royal palace 2600 years ago and set out to find a way to overcome suffering. He became Buddha, the "Awakened One" - awakened from the dream of ignorance. The historical Buddha Shakyamuni showed that this state can be experienced permanently. He gave teachings about the foundation, path and goal. He showed his disciples methods how enlightenment can be realized. This path of experience is still passed on today.
In Buddhism, two levels of realization are distinguished on the path to enlightenment. The first level is called liberation, in which one develops the insight that everything personal, such as the body and inner states, are in constant flux. Accordingly, one lets go of the ego concept. A state of inner peace and clarity is experienced, free from any disturbing feelings. Theravada Buddhism primarily uses meditations to practice mindfulness, aiming for inner serenity and ego-lessness. This means the end of suffering. Buddha Shakyamuni explained this in the so-called Four Noble Truths.
In the Great Way (sanskr. Mahayana) and in the Diamond Way (sanskr. Vajrayana), liberation is considered the foundation for the further path to full enlightenment. Here it is about the development of compassion and wisdom with the motivation to be able to benefit all beings. Wisdom means to realize the emptiness of all appearances - beyond dualistic concepts. Through meditation the separation between experiencer, experience and experienced dissolves, so that one experiences the non-separateness of all appearances, one experiences space and joy inseparably. In the Diamond Way, one applies Pure View, that is, one practices seeing the world as the free play of space and beings as potential Buddhas.
COMPASSION
Enlightened mind (sanskr.: Bodhicitta) is the desire to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all beings. This attitude is based on the understanding that one is not separate from other beings and that one's own happiness is not more important than the happiness of other beings. Compassion and the abilities to help others unfold naturally. This attitude makes both meditation practice and action in everyday life very powerful. Every action becomes the action of a Bodhisattva (literally, "hero of the enlightened mind") and thus a step on the path to enlightenment.
WISDOM
Wisdom includes the understanding of cause and effect, the knowledge of impermanence, the realization of the relativity of attributions and one develops the insight that experiencer, experienced and experienced - subject, object and action - cannot be separated and are parts of a totality. All phenomena are conditioned and arise in inter-dependence; they are devoid of independent self-existence. This is called emptiness in Buddhism. Everything is experienced in a beyond personal way.
ACTIVITY
By combining energetic compassion and beyond-personal wisdom, the scope of action expands. Wisdom and compassion have become so natural that every action arises spontaneously, without the dualistic notion of "I am doing something to you or for you," and contributes to the benefit of other beings. Simply put, every situation is accurately grasped, and enlightened activity does exactly what is most appropriate. Buddhas and realized teachers act for the benefit of beings. Depending on what is needed, they act to pacify, enrich, fascinate, and/or to powerfully protect others. These are the four enlightened spheres of activity.
See also: Buddha Nature
