I’m basically looking at two sects, sahaja yoga’s claim of self realization and buddhism’s enlightenment.
Sahaja yoga claims you gain "self realization" after meditation, and many of its members claim they gain inner peace and periods of intense joy after this experience, and that it occurs after cleansing your ‘chakras’(energy points). Hence with regular practice they claim they can access this experience with lasting effects…in their lifetime
While buddhisms enlightenment seems to take up lifetimes to achieve.
However they both seem to strive for truth of the way things are, including of ourselves.
If any practitioner of either sect would help me clear up their distinctions, or anyone who has knowledge on them could help, that would be appreciated.
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They are pretty much the same, the only real difference is the concept of self. In Buddhism there is no individual self, so the term enlightenment is used.
Both are the same.
Once attained there is no going back. The ego is dead. There is no duality between ‘I’ and the rest.
There is no question of periods of intense joy. It is a state of continuous bliss. A state of I am that I am.
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You may try these four first. Of these the first one is more general. These are not religious. They do not proselytize. They deal with just Self.
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It is if you realize your self is enlightened.
self realization is the state where the attention is able to move beyond the mind and the individual can reflect on themselves in a silent state.
Enlightenment is the final point, what is sometimes called ‘god’ realization. (although that term is not really used in Sahaja yoga)
In buddhism the two terms are often used interchangeably.
I have practiced both forms and have found that Sahaja Yoga delivers on the simple promises it makes. The claims are verifiable within a few weeks of practicing.
Buddhism on the other hand goes into ever more convoluted and complex philosophical treatises and usually relies on an external teacher as a mediator between the student and their spiritual path.
The fundamental difference between the two as I see it is this;
Sahaja Yoga is concerned with empowering the individual to directly experience and understand themselves, while Buddhism is concerned with propagating a religion with all the inherent power structures and ideologies.
I think it is necessary to know yourself. But knowing yourself is only one aspect of enlightenment. In Buddhism enlightenment regards all living things. What is the self by the way? Maybe there is no "self" at all. Your perception that you are a distinct entity in some way may be in error.