Enlightening

We are all enlightened to some degree or we wouldn't be able to look in a mirror and recognize ourselves. The first time we learned who that face was staring back at us, that was a moment of enlightenment. The first time we tied our shoes, or discovered that if we dropped our Cheerios on the floor, mom or dad would put them back on the table for us to drop on the floor again. The first time we rode a bike. And these moments of enlightenment are all learned behaviors. How did we learn them? Cognition? Grace? Imitation? Desire?

How we learned them matters in this moment, because they were somehow "learned." Which means enlightenment can be learned. How we learn it - well, that's another matter. We need to look at our learning styles. If we need things to make sense, then Jnana yoga, or the yoga of intellect or mind, that would be a path to consider. If we have faith in a higher power and see the world as Divine, or at least feel a palpable presence of the Divine, then Bhakti yoga, or the path of devotion may be the game. And so on. What's really interesting is that it can be learned, which means it's not just available to the ones who were born into enlightened families, or it's not limited to the ones who were just "born that way." It's open to all who are willing to learn.