What is Enlightenment?

By Damodar Prasad das

We were once interrupted from a discourse on the Enlightenment when, a young person from Nepal said “Yes, enlightenment is about the search for the self and detachment from the world.” It occurred to me that “enlightenment” meant something very different to someone from the east.

From the western point of view, the Enlightenment refers to a cultural epoch beginning in Western Europe in the mid-eighteenth century, and gradually filtering to Eastern Europe, America, and the world at large, and continuing, it may be argued, to the present day. The epoch was characterised by the rejection of religion and religious dogma, especially in terms of their influence over the Sciences, the State, and the Economy, and the idolisation of Reason as the supreme means for establishing the Truth. This age produced its leading personalities, including Locke, Hume, Descartes, Hegel, Kant, and Marx.

In an essay submitted to the Berlinische Monatsschrift in 1784, Immanuel Kant, an eminent German philosopher, defined enlightenment as mankind’s exit from self-incurred immaturity, a state of irresolution in which individuals remain content to allow others to think for them. He declared the motto of enlightenment to be sapere aude! Dare to know! Have the courage to use your own understanding. (1)

Kant’s definition of enlightenment bears some resemblance to enlightenment as expressed in the vedic tradition: tamasi ma jyotir gama – “Don’t stay in darkness, go toward the light”, but also contains some rather distinctive features. First, In Kant’s formulation, darkness is self-incurred, and so must enlightenment be self-attained. Secondly, and somewhat paradoxically, Kant’s definition refers to others, the guardians of thought, as it were, which makes enlightenment a public, as well as a private concern.

The remainder of the essay approaches enlightenment as a public activity, almost as a government policy regarding freedom of speech within appropriate (that is controlled) forums, focusing particularly on the working out of religious doctrine. Kant admits that though living in the age of Enlightenment, his was not an enlightened age, because most people were unable to use their own reason in religious matters without the guidance of another. But there is surely a need here to re-examine the argument. In particular, it has to be asked whether exit from immaturity, or even a complete state of maturity, necessarily implies living without recourse to guidance on important matters. Rather, it seems that such a life resembles real immaturity.

At any rate, the approach of the Enlightenment, namely, the commitment to freedom of thought and freedom of expression has brought about undeniable progress in the fields of science, education, philosophy, ethics, arts, and so on. But what is the impetus of these pursuits? Srila Prabhupada points out: all of this progress represents so many attempts to solve the problems of birth, old age, disease and death. That the flagships of the Enlightenment have proved unsuccessful, even in acknowledging the basic problems, indicates that they do not constitute actual enlightenment.

In a talk given in 1968 at Boston University, Srila Prabhupada explained the goal and the means of enlightenment, or of coming out of a state of immaturity: “Human life is meant for advanced knowledge. And what is that advanced knowledge? To know oneself, to answer the question, What am I?” He later reminded his audience that although they may try to solve the problems of life through philosophy and science, “the actual solution is to reform or purify our consciousness.” (2) It may be added in passing that the effectiveness of such a process requires the guidance of a superior authority, the guru, who is himself already enlightened. Submission to that authority constitutes real maturity, and real enlightenment.

Actual enlightenment must solve the problems of birth, death, old age and disease, must dispel the darkness of fear and ignorance forever. And although civilisations may be able to afford centuries to attain that goal, individuals cannot. For actual enlightenment that we can experience as an immediate reality, our consciousness must undergo a cleansing process. For this there is only one effective means: the chanting of God’s Holy Names: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/ Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, under the direction of an enlightened spiritual master.

Damodar Prasad das (BCaiS)

References

1) Kant, I. “An Answer to the Question: What Is Enlightenment?”, Translated by James Schmidt, in James Schmidt (ed), What is Enlightenment? Eigteenth-Century Answers and Twentieth Century Questions (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1969).
2) AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. “The You that doesn’t change”, The Quest for Enlightenment (Sydney: Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, 1997).