How does one achieve Enlightenment? What are the mechanics of it? How long will it take? Do I need to prepare for it? What will happen to my life after awakening? How to become enlightened.
There are other posts on this site that address some of these issues. This category is dedicated to the real life reliable techniques that one can use to achieve the first stage of enlightenment; 
Self-realization.
There are a couple of issues that we need to address here and now before you go on any further with how to become enlightened. First of all, preparation is very important when it comes to enlightenment. Too many souls weren’t ready when the awaking moment came and ended up going off the deep end. Lots of ‘mental patients’ in mental facilities (especially in the west) are there because doctors and psychologist didn’t understand what was happening to their patients. In parts of the east, these people would end up in an ashram being taking care of by the local staff until they could function again.
This preparation refers to spiritual practices like meditation, inquiry, yoga, reading spiritual works, prayer, proper diet, etc. There can be a huge inflow of spiritual energy that one can experience with the awakening. Sometimes this Kundalini energy can overwhelm the unprepared. Some say that ‘enlightenment only comes along by accident. But there’s nothing wrong with being accident prone’.
Another thing to remember regarding enlightenment is something a famous enlightened soul once wrote;
“There are many factors and influences that play a role in one’s awakening to the greater reality, but the greatest factors by far are one’s sincerity, one-pointedness, and courage. Sincerity is a word that I often use in teaching to convey the importance of being rooted in the qualities of honesty, authenticity, and genuineness. There can be nothing phony or contrived in our motivations if we are to fully awaken to our natural and integral state of unified awareness. While teachings and teachers can point us inward to “the peace beyond all understanding,” it is always along the thread of our inner sincerity, or lack thereof, that we will travel.”
Adyashanti, ‘The Indispensable Qualities of Awakening’ (from his website)
Spiritual Guidance Where to look? TheTruthAboutEnlightenment.org is subtly aimed at providing guidance for the ‘spiritual do it yourselfer’. Most seekers intuitively know that no matter whom you follow or what religion you’re in, you’re still going to have to eventuality … Continue reading →
The Map You know….when you go on a journey, it’s always a lot easier to get to where you want to go if you have a map. But what about the journey to spiritual enlightenment or Divinity? Where’s the map? … Continue reading →
Fred Davis – Waking Up I’ve heard it stated so many times by so many different spiritual teachers that there aren’t any specific techniques that will work consistently in getting a student to self-realization. They say waking up happens ‘by … Continue reading →