Enlightenment

Question: Having been interested in Ananda Marga for quite some time as a path to realization, I am attracted to its holistic nature balancing devotion, meditation, social, action, etc, but I felt it pertinent to ask for a personal perspective on what type of enlightenment experiences are common for people who follow Ananda Marga? I feel that there should be at least some glimpsing of the Oneness and therefore easing to some extent of the fear inherent in the ego trapped at a dualist perspective.

Answer:

This is not so easy a question to answer. First of all, there is the difficulty of trying to capture transcendent notions with limited language. Secondly, there is the very real possibility that we may not use terms in identical ways. For example, I try never to use the terms “enlightened” or “enlightenment” because these have been greatly devalued of late.

Given these problems, I think the best I can tell you is this. I believe the answer to the most important question you are asking is “yes.” Those who practice Ananda Marga meditation and related practices experience a growing feeling of oneness with the Divine and, among other things, this has the effect of leading to reduced feelings of fear and anxiety and increased feelings of universal love.

In fact, new meditators are sometimes told these are some of the first signs of true progress. I cannot say that there is a great deal of commonality to the actual experiences enjoyed. People don’t often talk about their specific experiences, and on those occasions when they do, language is woefully inadequate. In addition, what each of us experiences can be different for all the reasons that people are different from one another.

The most important thing I can tell you is that the only way to truly understand this is to experience it directly. No amount of description or discussion can provide much guidance here.

You can only truly know the effect of Ananda Marga spiritual practices by trying them sincerely for a time, say a few months, to determine if they benefit you in the way you hope.

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