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I've put the word enlightenment in quotes above because, like 'God', enlightenment is a word loaded with misconceptions. Simply stated, the point of 'enlightenment' is to make one a better human being. That's it!
Here is a little more elaboration from American Zen Master John Daido Loori:
“When we start our practice, it is like climbing a mountain. We move a few feet ahead and then slide back a few feet. We repeat the process and gradually work our way to the peak, the enlightenment. The view is vast, boundless and no hindrances. But the practice doesn’t end there. You have to keep going when you reach the peak….We go straight ahead, and straight ahead takes us right back down the other side, into the valley, into the market place. It is there that our realization functions and manifests itself in everything that we do; in the way that we drive car, raise a child, maintain a relationship, grow a garden, live a life. If our practice doesn’t function there, what good is it? ”
Here is a little more elaboration from American Zen Master John Daido Loori:
“When we start our practice, it is like climbing a mountain. We move a few feet ahead and then slide back a few feet. We repeat the process and gradually work our way to the peak, the enlightenment. The view is vast, boundless and no hindrances. But the practice doesn’t end there. You have to keep going when you reach the peak….We go straight ahead, and straight ahead takes us right back down the other side, into the valley, into the market place. It is there that our realization functions and manifests itself in everything that we do; in the way that we drive car, raise a child, maintain a relationship, grow a garden, live a life. If our practice doesn’t function there, what good is it? ”
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