In your noble and esteemed opinion, what is "enlightenment"*?
Do you accept Jerome Gellman's notion that enlightenment involves more than merely having a certain kind or type of experience, but also involves a specific kind of transformation of one's psyche? If so, how would you characterize that transformation?
Does any kind of knowledge -- including knowledge of religious literature or holy scriptures -- bring one closer to enlightenment? If so, what kind of knowledge?
BONUS QUESTION: If you were to ask an enlightened person whether or not there was a god, would he or she necessarily give you a true answer, assuming they were being perfectly honest with you?
*By "enlightenment" I mean here what some would call religious, spiritual, or mystical enlightenment, as distinct from the historical movement known as the European Enlightenment.
Do you accept Jerome Gellman's notion that enlightenment involves more than merely having a certain kind or type of experience, but also involves a specific kind of transformation of one's psyche? If so, how would you characterize that transformation?
Does any kind of knowledge -- including knowledge of religious literature or holy scriptures -- bring one closer to enlightenment? If so, what kind of knowledge?
BONUS QUESTION: If you were to ask an enlightened person whether or not there was a god, would he or she necessarily give you a true answer, assuming they were being perfectly honest with you?
*By "enlightenment" I mean here what some would call religious, spiritual, or mystical enlightenment, as distinct from the historical movement known as the European Enlightenment.