Today’s post was inspired by a book gifted to me by a friend called ‘The Power of Now’ by Eckhart Tolle. It took me some time to start reading this book, mainly because I’ve previously come across his work which is highly based on spirituality and can be enlightening in ways one may not necessarily be prepared for unless you are on that type of journey.

I finally decided to start this book and by the time I had gotten to the end of the first page in chapter one, my reservations were somewhat eased. The paragraph at the end of the page dug deep within me and really made me reflect. It reads;

‘Those who have not found their true wealth, which is the radiant joy of Being and the deep, unshakeable peace that comes with it, are beggars, even if they have great material wealth. They are looking outside for scraps of pleasure or fulfilment, for validation, security, or love, while they have a treasure within that not only includes all those things but is infinitely greater than anything the world can offer’.

Did this paragraph remind me of certain behaviours within myself or ones that I had witnessed from others? Whatever the realisation, it was apparent that it reflected some sort of common human behaviour that’s quite visible everywhere today. We can get so caught up on building things and positions, sometimes for validation/ acceptance (without even realising it), that we forget to build on the enlightenment of just Being!

This is not to say one should not be driven or not have ambitions/ goals, it just means they should be pursued for the right reasons for your why to be fulfilled. Otherwise you risk not enjoying the journey to achieving those ambitions/ goals and ultimately not being fulfilled by them once achieved.

The first chapter also talks about enlightenment and part of Eckhart’s definition is ‘finding your true nature beyond name and form’. He also mentions the Buddha’s simple definition of enlightenment – ‘the end of suffering’.

How is the paragraph above and enlightenment related you ask?

For me the relationship is simple……………..suffering can really end when you begin to realise the variety of qualities within you and use them to create satisfying and fulfilling experiences for yourself and those around you. Your fears/ anxieties will start to reduce and what people think will not matter so much if at all.

I want you to be encouraged by this post to start enlightening yourself by exploring/ polishing the treasures you already have within you, offer and give yourself the same things you expect from others, have a why and be purposeful whatever your journey is. Along the way, you may just encourage someone else to explore their internal treasures.

I wish you an enlightened 2020.