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Enlightenment In One Lifetime--Do-able?
Dakini
Veteran
Is it truly possible to reach Enlightenment in one lifetime? Has anyone here known or heard of anyone achieving that in the last generation or two? Or would we even notice if someone became enlightened? Do the tantric practices really work as a fast-track to Enlightenment, if one is sufficiently prepared and devoted?
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Though, in theory, Dakini, come to think of it, what do you mean by "one life-time." Apparently, if reincarnation is true (which I doubt) we have all lived for eons. Buddha lived eons, but he achieved enlightenment in one of his lives (his last). So, elaborate a bit more.
http://derbyshireyogi.com/?p=134
(Mr. Google strikes again.)
But do you realize, SD, that the tantric practice involving Vajrayogini involves raising the tummo, and visualizing or practicing union with a consort (as Vajrayogini herself)? Nice rendering of her. Anyway, it does answer some of my questions, thanks again.
Know why? It's always "this lifetime"! If there are past lives, they stretch into the past beyond all counting, and you're always living the present life. Therefore your chances of reaching enlightenment in this life depend as always upon your skillful karma. Your choices. So choose to live rightly by people, see life for what it is, walk the Noble Eightfold Path and wake up.
Similarly if you only believe in having one lifetime, then everyone who has become enlightened in the past including the Buddha have all done it in one lifetime. So either way, the answer is going to be the same. Look to your karma now, since there's no other time than the present.
That's all there is to it.
One lifetime? (I missed that question.) I mean the space between birth and death.
Rebirth model
You've been around since beginningless time, being reborn over and over again, until you realize Nirvana. You've already lived countless lives, and so there's no "one lifetime" to speak of. So naturally enlightenment will only depend on your skillful thoughts, speech and actions in walking the Noble Eightfold Path, and could happen at any time when the conditions are right.
One-life model
The Buddha was enlightened, right? Others have awakened since his time and many during his time, right? So it would definitely be possible to become enlightened if you only had one lifetime.
So that answers the question, doesn't it? What is left to ask or answer?
If one form of Buddhism claims to be faster, it must mean in years, because you practice Buddhism in this life. It's always this life.
If you prefer one tradition because it claims to be faster, then go for it! Just remember though, it still depends entirely on you, no one can do the work for you! Personally I wouldn't go with a tradition just because it claims to be faster, but because it strikes more of a personal chord with you. The better you can understand the teachings of that tradition, and put them into practice, the greater your chances.
Some traditions teach that if you enter the stream (stream-entry) within this life but go no further, you will still reach full enlightenment within 7 more lifetimes. And so on.
The tradition you're talking about may teach that it's so fast, it's almost a guarantee you'll pass through all of the stages of enlightenment all the way to full enlightenment in this very life before you die.
But... the thing is... if you believe you had past lives etc., you may have entered the stream several lifetimes ago. This might be the lifetime you're supposed to attain full enlightenment anyway.
And of course if you only believe you have one life, then each tradition provides the possibility for full enlightenment within this one life, and any "quicker" would be a matter of years and not lives.
This is the kind of confusion we get into when we start thinking about past and future lives! I prefer much to just live in the now, assume this is the best time to practice, perhaps my only chance in a long time (perhaps my only chance). There's no good reason to put it off!
IMHO, full enlightenment is always possible, regardless of tradition. It's all on how honest you are with yourself, how much effort you put in to understanding and practicing the teachings.
About our days though, I haven't heard of any man to reach enlightenment. Or at least I haven't seen a man to behave, speak and think like a fully enlightened man.
You can't practice in the future, or the past. You can only practice NOW. So do that.
May the merits be dedicated to all beings to realize Bodhi together
Or so i've been told by those more enlightened than myself
Just start where you are, drop everything you think you know, and take a close look at what Buddhism teaches. Impermanence, Not-Self, Dukkha, the Four Noble Truths. Come to a basic understanding of how the mind works, of conditionality, of how karma (your choices) lead the mind to doing the same bad actions over and over or leads the mind toward detachment, dispassion, non-craving. Follow the Noble Eightfold Path and keep the precepts 24/7/365.
Awakening, at least at first, seems instantaneous... but it builds up from the mind heading that way anyway, over time. First you see it, then you continue on and transform the mind to "be" it, which is rather to be nothing special. It takes a while to go from that first awakening to full enlightenment. In Theravada there are 4 stages, in Mahayana there are 10, in Zen there are many satoris. Trust me on this.
It still depends on you and your effort. One example is that Ajahn Chah used to tell his monks that if they do it right, they should obtain the first fruit (first awakening, stream-entry) in 5 years as a monk. Don't take that literally though! As a lay Buddhist your life may be mostly in line with the Noble Eightfold Path before you even come to Buddhism, you may awaken suddenly without even knowing you were close. (It's helpful to note that after stream-entry or the first bhumi, the mind proceeds to the other stages more quickly, knowing which direction to go. It's the mind transforming as it re-evaluates itself and its reality, as a child becoming an adult it's an adult fully seeing and actualizing what it "really is".)
Another difference is that right away by practicing the Noble Eightfold Path and following the precepts, our lives can begin to get noticeably better. Just in acting in harmony with nature, our suffering will decrease. We don't have to wait for some stage of enlightenment to come around; it will if it will. Following the Path is the practice.
I still think you should post your "first lifetime, separate self" question as a thread topic. i think people would enjoy it. We NEED interesting threat topics, OWF!
Yes, I know I'm a pretentious ass and "if I were a moderator I'd be very heavy-handed". But to say "The simple answer is: who cares? Why speculate? There is consciousness. Any further speculation is dukkha. No?" doesn't add anything to the discussion at hand, which is about reaching enlightenment in one lifetime.
Back to Enlightenment in One Lifetime....
I'd hoped some experienced Vajrayana practitioners who know something of these tantric "fast-track" practices would join in but, we don't have too many of those at the moment.(And they might be bound by secrecy requirements.) Vajraheart is still recovering from his traffic accident and can't join us. But I'm suspecting that the spiritual high that comes from some of these practices doesn't produce lasting Enlightenment. I'm tending towards thinking it only produces a temporary spiritual high.
Who was Buddha?
Just another bloke down the street?