In Buddhism, particularly in the Theravadan texts,
enlightenment, or awakening is described as follow:
One has seen and witnessed, directly and with extraordinary
lucidity, within oneself, the quick arising and passing
away of all physical and mental formations, their inherent
unfullfilling nature, and realized that they are not “me”,
not “I”, nor “mine”, and, seeing thus, with mind
unagitated, there is a profound letting go (i.e. of
clinging to formations) which leads one to realize the
escape from all formations, the deathless dimension which
is Nibbana.
There are four levels of awakening. In each of the fours,
the above profound truths are realized. The difference lies
in the amount of mental defilements or fetters that have
been abandoned (there are ten of them).
In the first stage, one can see that within oneself, there
are no beliefs about a self in relation to the body and
mental elements (for one has seen in awakening that there
are no such thing), there are no attachments to external
rules of conduct (sila) as a sole mean to reach awakening
(for one has seen what leads to awakening in one’s own
experience), and there are no doubts about the veracity
and efficiency of the Buddha’s teaching. However, there are
still manifestations of sense desire, irritation, clinging
to form existence (as experienced in deep absorptions of
form jhana), to formless existence (as experienced in
formless jhanas), restlessness, and delusion in one’s mind
stream from time to time. One can no longer be reborn in
painful forms of existences, and will attain the final
stage at most within seven existences in human or celestial
births.
In the second stage, the three first fetters being
abandoned by the first stage, all the remaining fetters are
weakened significantly but not eliminated. They are said to
be experienced but quickly receide due to good mindfulness.
One will attain the final stage at the most within the next
life.
In the third stage, again, of course, the first three
fetters being abandoned in the first stage, sense desire
and irritation are completely abandoned and eliminated, but
one can still manifest attachment to form and formless
existences, restlessness, and delusion. If one dies while
still at this stage, one will go to the Suddhavasa realms
(literally, suddhavasa means “pure land”) and reach the
final stage there for sure.
In the final stage all defilements are eliminated and one
will never know any further births.
The best self-test (or reviewing knowledge) one can do to
see if one is enlightened in the Buddhist way is to check
within oneself if fetters are eliminated.
May we all reach enlightenment.
with metta,
benoit

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Confucius say:
those who say, don’t know
those who know, don’t say
no se’ senor
no way doctor
awhim Ahway
…

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