By removing the doctrine and dogma of Religion, the stories myths and legends of Ancient Spirituality can be seen as Transpersonal metaphors for the Personal Enlightenment experience

Enlightenment, Religion and Spirituality

People have long made sense of their spirituality and relationships by telling stories. All of the texts of the World's Religions and Spirituality may be seen as stories, personal narratives of individual Transpersonal or Enlightenment experiences, written in the language of the time. Stories are a vehicle through which we can connect to each other's experience - regardless of time and place.

Transpersonal Metaphors, Stories, Myths and Legends

The doctrines and dogma of Religion (including Bible Stories) forms the root of all our beliefs but are based on spiritual metaphors which were designed for a people of the time to put the mind in accord with the body and a person's way of life in accord with the dictates and experiences of natural order.

It can be seen that, when preconceptions and learned (or conditioned) beliefs are put to one side, there is another possible translation for the stories myths and legends of all of the world's Great Books. But, to do this, we must move beyond the doctrinal language traditionally associated with spirituality.

Enlightenment

Throughout the history of Human Kind, People have been having their own Enlightenment experiences. Just as some of us find difficulty communicating our own Transpersonal experiences in words that can have some meaning to other people, so in the ages past, people sought to explain the Natural Order in a Transpersonal Language - a metaphor that had relevance for the people and culture of the time.

Religion, even now, takes the Passion of the Personal Enlightenment Experience and seeks to both explain and use it as a form of Religious Doctrine and Dogma or as the basis for a Psychology.

Yet, as one reads the essence of these stories, it can be seen that there is a parallel within the metaphors used - no matter what time and language they were originally written in.

The Enlightenment Experience itself, which allows one to explore a Transpersonal perspective for each story, myth or legend and offer an alternative translation which may facilitate the reader to move beyond the holding patterns of the Language of Doctrine and Dogma.

In this notebook, we have drawn some parallels between various legends, stories and Personal Narratives of different Ages, Cultures, Spiritualities and Religious Doctrines to show how each could be a Metaphor for the Essence of Personal Spirituality revealed by an Enlightenment Experience.

"Enlightenment - Religious and Spiritual Stories Myths and Legends in Plain Transpersonal English"  was written, produced and © by Transpersonal LifeStreams®, Tasmania, Australia. The URL's of this page are http://www.anunda.com/enlightenment/index.htm and http://www.lifestreams.com.au/enlightenment/index.htm