The Myth of Enlightenment

Enlightenment, also known as “awakening” or “bodhi,” is a central concept in Buddhism. It would be fair to say that there would be no Buddhism without it. The term “Buddha” means “the awakened one.

Given the central importance of “enlightenment” in Buddhism, it is amazing that there is no agreement as to what the term means. I have been having an ongoing debate with someone in a secular Buddhist group about the nature…