Sudden or Gradual?

Sudden or Gradual?

Enlightenment is not like a retirement fund, in which there is an accrual that in time will dependably reach its goal. Even if you have had a spiritual practice for forty years, the realization which occurs as undeniable clarity occupies but a moment.

It is in the wake of this Aha! moment that the gradual phase begins. This is a matter of getting accustomed to, or acclimated to, a radical shift in one’s perspective. Values will change, attitudes change, and behavior changes. Developing over a greater or lesser span of time, depending on each participant’s maturity, Self-awareness will be finally embodied.

So, the sudden part is the advent of knot-cutting Self realization. The gradual element is the living out of the Absolute awareness which has dawned.