Is Experience of Bliss Enlightenment

Experience of bliss increases as Sattvaguna becomes more and more prominent. However, as Gita says Sattvaguna binds by creating attachment to bliss (refer this). If you are following meditation based approach (Rajayoga or its variants) to purify mind then you may get stuck in the experience of bliss taking it to be enlightenment which is like a golden cage. Experience of bliss is after all an experience and you are the knower of the bliss. Enlightenment is about knowing directly the knower of all experiences. Any experience comes and goes but you remain and you experience yourself 24×7. Knowing that consciousness is real you is enlightenment. You are the bliss itself and it is the mind that experiences the bliss. It is important to also understand that everybody experiences bliss every now and then. In deep sleep there is experience of bliss for everybody (that is why nobody likes getting up from deep sleep) but one does not get enlightened in deep sleep. Since an enlightened person generally has greater percentage of Sattvaguna, he/she may experience it more often. Also, an enlightened person may choose to experience bliss more frequently by abiding more often in the reflection of Self*. Bliss is a state of mind.

*Even an unenlightened person can experience bliss more frequently by abiding more often in IAmness/presence.

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