[the grouve]

I would say enlightenment is like peace and contentment, like because words cannot express peace and contentment.

Now what does peace and contentment compel you to do?

Answer= Nothing.

So you see, in that state you are free, free from all drives and motivations, hate and anger especially, for hate and anger are the opposite of peace.

Then you see if a person holds hate and anger or pride or fear, no matter how rational they are, these feelings will influence their behaviour, the rational tend to deny their feeling and suppress them, they hammer their brains into a rational notion of normal, but suppressed or not, if these feelings are present in a persons life, their actions will be effected,  maybe only subtly but their presence will have an effect and in some way control them.

The enlightened person is free of that, for peace and contentment push them to do nothing.

The free and the slave.

Enlightenment is a feeling, you see a feeling, the rational don't agree with feelings, it's thoughts that drive the rational mind.

Now ask yourself, if a person is compelled to do nothing, will he do nothing? If he does nothing, then he does nothing with his life. So to live, it's love that moves him on, for love and joy are really the only things that, allow a person to stay enlightened and act in the world.

The east understands this very well in some ways, from the beginning they saw that feeling and experience stood over thought, the west took a different direction, and put thought at the top.

So know and understand to exist with hate and fear in your life is in some way to live as a slave, for wether you like it or not, these feeling will compell you to act, and even if you act the opposite, they are still influencing your life. Do you understand?

Words cannot express feelings, and enlightenment is a feeling, a state.

"The kingdom of heaven" not the place you go when you die, but rather the other kingdom of heaven on earth, 'a place you can enter into while alive' is something else, futher down the road.

To be born again, is really the day you first meet God in your life.     

[Damo the Optics Monkey]

oh boy... I have heard this many many times and it simply does not 'fit' my own experiences.  'Enlightenment', to me, is something that is not a 'one glove fits all' situation, meaning that there is no set 'rues' or definition - it is a very individual thing.

The past 3 years have been rough as hell for me and my family (we have lost over a dozen loved ones amongst other things).  I still have hate and resentment, by choice and I find them very useful at times.

ONe thing abut enlightenment, it is a path, not necessarily a destination - I know I am on the path, as it occurred to me that I do not have to conform to others' definitions or 'normals' - because taht is true fo them and them only... just as what is true for me is for me only.

Just to confuse things even more - I am a scientist and a Christian-Buddhist

[the grouve]

oh boy... I have heard this many many times and it simply does not 'fit' my own experiences.  'Enlightenment', to me, is something that is not a 'one glove fits all' situation, meaning that there is no set 'rues' or definition - it is a very individual thing.

Both individual and in defineable.

The past 3 years have been rough as hell for me and my family (we have lost over a dozen loved ones amongst other things).  I still have hate and resentment, by choice and I find them very useful at times.

Useful for what? Then consider your answers, for they are individual very much so, but others will be able to understand. Their is no need to air them it's personnel and should stay so.
It's like a box, you can't understand the box properly until your outside it. To rummage around inside will never give you a true understanding.

ONe thing abut enlightenment, it is a path, not necessarily a destination - I know I am on the path, as it occurred to me that I do not have to conform to others' definitions or 'normals' - because taht is true fo them and them only... just as what is true for me is for me only.

No some things unite all people. What works for you may be different, what you see relates to your understanding and so on.

Just to confuse things even more - I am a scientist and a Christian-Buddhist

Beautiful.

Jesus is the keystone, that means what? Well, in my opinion it means that all faiths in some way come together through him.

The blind men touch the elephant and touch different parts of the elephant, which leads them to think and believe different things, Jesus gives sight there.Which ever way you see it, all faiths share so much.

P.S Thankyou for your post, it's nice to have met you. 

[Damo the Optics Monkey]

Hatred, resentment etc is very useful for me, because when  did step out of the 'box' and reflected on who I was and where I was going - I realised that I had 'used' these negative emotions and feelings as fuel for positive action.

It worked and still works for me.