Questioner: What is enlightenment and what is the path to enlightenment,
for people like us who have social and family situations,
is there something like a path that we follow, and we become enlightened?
Sadhguru: That’s…
You learned the art of asking question, three-in-one questions (Laughter).
What is enlightenment, what can I say?
I wish I could find words for that.
So to put it technically, what is enlightenment means,
your experience of life has crossed the limitations of the physical.
Dimensions beyond physical have come into your living experience, moment to moment.
So though you live in the body, you are not it.
Though you use your mind, you are not it.
Though you live in the world, you are not it.
Or in other words, you have become a perfect stranger, to the world, to the body, and to your own mind.
A distance has come within you.
Now once the distance is there, if you wish to withdraw, you can withdraw, but if you want to play, you can play,
because anyway there’s no danger of getting caught up with the world,
or with your mind, or with your emotions, or with your body.
Once there is no danger, you want to play, you can play any kind of game, isn’t it?
So enlightenment is a certain freedom, freedom which releases you from the very process of life and death.
How do we get there?
We just started a little step,
a small way we made a beginning,
but the first step is always the most significant step.
Because the first step has to happen in the right direction,
turning into the right direction itself is a great step.
Even if you don’t walk the path –
see, now you are facing this way (Gestures), but enlightenment is this way (Gestures).
You just turned in this direction, you didn’t walk this path, it doesn’t matter, you’re turned in this direction,
that itself is a fantastic step, because someday you will walk,
you’re bound to walk, isn’t it?
Either you walk out of your own intelligence, or you walk because life bites you very badly (Laughs).
When life bites you very badly, then you will say what the hell is all this about, which way out of all this.
If you’re intelligent, you will walk before life bites you,
otherwise, you will try to walk when life bites you, but when life has bitten off one of your legs,
it’s… to walk with one leg is difficult, you know (Laughs)?
But you’re turned in the right direction, that itself is a great step.
So for people who live in family situations, is there a possibility?
Your family has nothing to do with your enlightenment.
Not your…
Nor your monkhood has anything to do with your enlightenment.
With…
By taking…
Becoming a monk or becoming a family person, you are just choosing a certain atmosphere to live in.
What is within you will not change because of this, isn’t it?
Yes?
Whatever is the kind of atmosphere that is suitable for you, conducive for you, you choose that.
If family atmosphere is conducive for you, you choose that.
Living in the forest is conducive for you, go to the forest.
You want to dig yourself into a mountain cave and live there, do that.
Whatever is conducive for you,
but don’t ever believe by going to the mountain you will get enlightened,
by leaving your family you will get enlightened, no, it has nothing to do with that,
because it’s an inner dimension,
what kind of external arrangements you make for your own life has nothing to do with that.