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For other uses, see Enlightenment.

In Buddhism, enlightenment refers to a unique experience which wholly transforms the individual from their previous state in samsara.^[1] For example Siddhartha Gautama, also known as the Buddha, is said to have achieved enlightenment, as are others reputed to have attained Buddhahood. Reaching enlightenment is equivalent in meaning to reaching Nirvana or attaining Buddhahood.

It is essential to note that in The Diamond Sutra the Buddha is often quoted as saying that his words are free from arbitrary conception, that they have no substance and are used merely as figures of speech. Thus there simply is no word for Tathata, for even the absolute is conceptualized via a comparison of relative and absolute, though the experience of the absolute, Buddhist masters say, is very real. On the other hand we often use, in language, some goal with certain do or do not's describing how to get there, so in a manner of speaking we can talk about the reality of enlightenment in this way; Buddhism teaches the non-dual nature of reality. Therefore we must not construe enlightenment/samsara as another duality. In addition, The Heart Sutra contains phrases of how in sooth there is no suffering and no enlightenment^[2] yet it is not possible to fully comprehend this statement's meaning until after the experience ^[3] and The Buddha is quoted in sutras saying that he does not teach nihilism.

Remember that there is only one of everything; everything is unique, and situated in the whole (as we say). Therefore there is one person in enlightenment and even then the word person is defined relative to other people, if he is shorter or taller for example, a he or a she, and so on. Then even the word enlightenment is just a category of speech, there is only one of each moment and those moments exist in context, thus these conceptions are just so many words, and so the Buddha taught as we read in The Diamond Sutra. Even The Buddha took six years of practice before reaching enlightenment in his day, so continue sitting in faith of what others have experienced: perfect bliss, peace and wisdom.

There are the Five Ranks of enlightenment formulated by Patriarch Tozan^[4] along with the Ten Ox-Herding Pictures which detail the steps on the Path.

[edit] Similar Buddhist Words

Within the Buddhist tradition several other words are closely related to the word enlightenment. Kensho and Satori are experiences at the start of the path to full enlightenment.^[5]^[6] Nirvana, Bodhi and Mind are often nearly synonymous with the word enlightenment, and in experience may in fact be the same things. Tathagata and Buddha-nature are often used as impersonal translations of enlightenment.