What is the State of Enlightenment?

(image source: https://jooinn.com/enlightenment.html)

Preface

I received the following comment.

How can you determine what level they have reached unless you have also reached that level? It would be like an elementary school student who has only studied arithmetic not being able to accurately judge the level of mathematics of a college student in the math department.
ref: http://news21c.blog.fc2.com/blog-entry-17269.html#comment403

Below is the reply. This article was written because of the length of the text.

The State of Religious Enlightenment

If the state of enlightenment depends on one's ability in mathematics, then you are probably right. However, as the example of Cūḍa-panthaka/Cūḷapanthaka (須梨槃特) clearly shows, the state of enlightenment is largely independent of mathematical ability. An outstanding religious person would not achieve a great mathematical discovery.

In this sense, enlightenment is analogous to artistic sensitivity, not mathematical ability. You don't have to be a piano competition winner to know that Vladimir Horowitz is a top-notch pianist. Even an amateur who cannot read music score can tell the difference between a first-rate musician and a second-rate musician. You don't have to be an architect to appreciate the magnificence of a building like a cathedral. You do not have to be a beautiful woman to recognize a beautiful woman. You don't have to be a cook to know whether a dish is good or not.

More to the point... Enlightenment is a kind of "illusion about the model of what the ideal personality is like" shared among the community. Therefore, even the majority of ordinary people must be able to perceive it to some extent. If the state of enlightenment cannot be perceived by anyone, it is as if it did not exist. Since it is an illusion to begin with, it has no substance. In other words, it is a fictional existence that can only be vaguely perceived. It is a fiction, but like money, it exerts a strong influence on the community and controls the thought patterns of its members.

The idea that "one cannot judge the level of enlightenment of the other person until he or she has reached that level of enlightenment" itself is also part of the aforementioned illusion shared among the community. The notion of "this is what enlightenment is. this is what an enlightened person does" is already a shared illusion. Literature of Zen Lore has played a role in spreading this illusion.

To use a crude example, the state of enlightenment is like the "kanroku"(great presence with dignity) of a Yakuza(gang) boss in a fictional narrarive story. The "kanroku" is a kind of illusion of normative personality shared among the community of Yakuza(gang) society. The literature of Zen Lore corresponds to the narrative story in Yakuza community, both of which are fictional stories.

(2020-12-29)

Thanks

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

(2022-07-16 translate)

First published article (Japanese)

宗教的境地とは何か。 (2020-12-29)