Fake it till you make it

I just read this interesting article on enlightenment by Sally Kempton.

In case you work and don't have time to do all the reading I seem to be doing, she basically says that we can "practice" enlightenment just like we practice piano or being good at our jobs. She says that most of us have glimpses of enlightenment in our lives already. After talking about a particular man who wrote a book on how to find enlightenment, she says:

While this man's experience may sound dramatic, most of us, especially in the yoga community, have glimpsed facets of the enlightened state. If you've stood aside from your own mind and become the witness of your experience, or felt loving toward someone you ordinarily don't like, or stood in nature and sensed the interconnectedness of everything, you've touched one of the flavors of the enlightened state. If you've ever lost yourself completely in a task, in sexual ecstasy or dancing or music, or felt pure happiness or compassion well up for no reason, you've touched enlightenment.

Interesting. I have experienced several of these things. In fact, I have had that experience of witnessing my own mind many, many times. My first husband thought I was crazy when I tried to explain the sensation to him.

So? Well, I'm looking for enlightenment and peace, and this is encouraging. But, if I seem enlightened when you next see me, remember, I may still be faking it.

:)