The Map of Everyday Enlightenment
The Map of Everyday Enlightenment is simply a way of conceptualizing all the many different ways of pursuing meditative practices, and ultimately Enlightenment itself. All the terms are made up and are arbitrary. However, the thematic elements of The Map serve to make it easy to navigate and think about. The intent is to keep The Map as simple as possible, while at the same time being rich enough to incorporate and organize all the various methods and philosophies of Enlightenment.
The Beacons
The Beacons of Everyday Enlightenment point us towards Enlightenment and light the Pathways that we take through the Realms. The three Beacons are Attention, Adaptation and Association, each of which represent a major area of meditative practice and serve as a way of grouping together meditative concepts that are typically explored together. In the journey of Enlightenment, all three Beacons must be followed all the way through the Realms, however each person may choose their own way of learning and exploring.
Attention
Adaptation
Association
Lenses
Lenses, in the context of the Beacons of Everyday Enlightenment represent more specific concepts and practices through which we can understand the rich meaning of each Beacon. There are Primary Lenses, which are the most commonly understood and most robust meditative concepts, and there are Other Lenses which are a collection of other closely related ideas for that Beacon.
- Primary Lenses
- Other Lenses
Shadows
The Beacons of Everyday Enlightenment provide powerful guidance through the Realms. The Lenses represent different facets of those Beacons, which provide further focus or illumination of that Beacon. On the other hand, Lenses are also accompanied by two types of Shadows which tend to obscure our journey to Enlightenment. The first kind of Shadows are the Looming Shadows, which are the obvious opposite of a given Lens, and should hopefully be easy to avoid and train against once we understand them. The second kind are the Flickering Shadows, which could be confused with the associated Lenses, because they are quite similar to the Lens, while actually being a harmful or negative counterpart. Both types of Shadows should be understood in the context of the Lens and Beacon, and reviewed periodically to ensure our view is not obscured.
The Milestones
Deluded
Learning
Training
Masterful
cccc
Enlightened
Arriving at the Realm of Enlightenment is the theoretical culmination of the journey of Everyday Enlightenment. Throughout history, there have been many people that have described their own journey to Enlightenment, and their own experience of being Enlightened, and often these people will impart their wisdom and teachings to all that will listen. This journey is a personal journey, and anyone pursuing meditative practices and Enlightenment should simply focus on moving forwards through the Realms, making use of the appropriate Trails, Guides and Landmarks to continue to find greater peace in their life and greater clarity of mind.
- Landmarks
Landmarks
The Realms of Everyday Enlightenment each have some noticeable Landmarks which show the likely alignment someone within that Realm has with each of the Beacons and their various Lenses. These Landmarks are things that need to be noticed and explored in the context of those Lenses and Beacons. And then through working on the Trails and Guides these Landmarks will serve as markers toward the next Realm where new Landmarks await.
The Pathways
Guides
Guides are a Pathway in The Map of Everyday Enlightenment which are typically articles about a particular time and place for meditative practices. Guides contain Landmarks that highlight examples of how this could work for you, as well as other explanations of how to make use of certain concepts or techniques. The Landmarks in Guides can be reviewed in the context of progress through the Realms of Everyday Enlightenment, and when used in that way, Guides become another way to decide where to go next.
Trails
A Trail in the context of Everyday Enlightenment is a curated journey of self-discovery and personal growth. It is a structured way of traveling through concepts and practices and is designed to guide you towards mindfulness and deeper understanding. Using a Trail helps you systematically navigate and explore the vast landscape of meditative insights, providing you with achievable goals and practical techniques to integrate these insights into your everyday life.
Steps
- Lookouts
- Skills
- Checkpoints
Destination
TODO
Skills
TODO