Enlightenment Questions - Question From Michael

If you like this article then help others find it by bookmarking it with one of the above social bookmarking sites.

Enlightenment Questions - Question From Michael

hello,

My name is Michael and I am 18 years old. I'll just get straight to my questions / comments

Q1: I have been told by many people that I have the gift of wisdom... what is the difference between wisdom and enlightenment ?

Q2: I've heard stories and seen people who claimed to heal with their chi, one man could start fires and stop bullets with his chi. do you know these techniques if they are real ? if so, can you teach me meditations and exercises that will increase my ability to use chi ?

Q3: Can you instantly recognise another person who is enlightened ? If so, what would you look for as an indicator of his enlightenment ?

I remember praying to God from a very young age, about 5 or 6 years old, to become the wisest man in the world. I would read stories about Solomon, and wish for his disernment. I cannot judge you as enlightened or not, because I haven't seen significant proof in either direction. however, if you are, then I envy you... as unenlightened as that is.

Whether you are enlightened or not, I think the world needs someone like you.

~Michael

Answer from Tathagata

Dear Micheal,

As you did not reveal the matters that made people regard you as a wise man, I would not like to value on your wisdom.

Enlightenment means opening the eye to the world and having a wisdom eye to see things in the world as they really are.

It is possible to control chi by chi. In some case I do this in order to heal other's disease or save their lives from danger. However, I never tested to stop a bullet by chi and don't think it is possible.

I can tell immediately if the person is enlightened or not. I indicate what is in reality and check if he sees the things in reality exactly or not.

Tathagata

Further response from Michael

Dear Tathagata,

I didn't ask you to place value on my wisdom, what use would it be for me to tell you why I am wise ? or give you wisdom ? even a fool can boast; even a fool can give wisdom. in my opinion a wise man should use wisdom to guide his own steps, not the steps of others. if he first guides his own steps with wisdom, only then will the steps of others be guided; because they will follow in his steps. my reason for saying this is; how can a wise man judge if he is wise or not ? perhaps he is a fool forcing false wisdom upon others, but if he guides his own steps then others will decide on their own if he is wise or if he is not.

also, I asked you about chi, you told me it is possible to use, but not how to strengthen my ability in using it.

you said you could tell if someone is enlightened by checking to see if he sees things in reality exactly or not. first you must ask yourself if your own perceptions of reality are correct. a person cannot judge this about themselves as a fact. how is it that you are able to say someone else is seeing reality correctly if you do not know if you are seeing it correctly?

I do not mean to offend you in what I have said, but you have said yourself that one must test anyone who claims to be enlightened.

~Michael

Further response from Tathagata

Dear Michael

People judge whether they are wise or not by understanding what is inside them. If you can not see what is in reality, It is very difficult for you to judge other's view. For me I can tell whether the others can see or not by confirming in reality what we we have seen.

Tathagata

Further response from Michael

Dear Tathagata,

Everyone can see reality,

but seeing reality correctly is not something that can be determined by the viewer. let me tell you about something my 3rd grade teacher did for my class. she set a board in the middle of a table, with one student on each side and asked them, "what color is the board". one student responded, "it's white", the other quickly replied, "NO, it is black!". soon the students were argueing with each other.

then the teacher said, "wait a minute" and she turned the board around... it turns out that one side was black and the other side was white. So wisdom may dictate the reality you see, but that same wisdom may be useless from another person's view of reality.

I enjoy discussing this with you, thank you for taking the time.

~Michael

Further reply from Tathagata

Dear Michael,

Black is black, white is white. It is wrong if you describe black as white or white as black . But if you say black as black, white as white you are right.

Tathagata

Further response from Michael

Hello Tathagata,

That is true, but if something is both black and white, you would be wrong to label it as one or the other, simply because it is a single color from where you stand.

You also said that you knew how to heal with chakra... will you please tell me a way to increase this ability in myself?

I also have a question about your claim of enlightenment. when you were younger, you were not enlightened... is that true? then you became enlightened, is that true as well ? My question is... how did it happen... was it a slow progression to enlightenment, or did you in a single day discover your enlightenment ? or did you meditate for many years and then realize your englightenment suddenly at the end of your meditation?

What type of knowledge does your enlightenment provide you with? are you able to tell me about myself, or are you only able to solve problems based on information that is given by an outside source?

~Michael