The symptoms of enlightenment, what are they? They’re rather like what Evagrius and the Desert Fathers called apatheia. Apatheia means literally ‘being without disordered passion’, but it’s a highly energised state. In the way that we understand it and they taught it, it’s part of a cycle that we pass through regularly. We are always in this cycle of spiritual growth as we move from acedia, which is discouragement and dryness and depression, to apatheia when things bloom as they do in springtime and in the height of summer and everything is fully alive. And it’s also a state of peace, of joy, being without fear, high energy, and the ability to actively participate with the people in the world around you. And this overflows then into the third stage, which is agape or the boundless love of God. So enlightenment whether it’s sudden or gradual, the symptoms are identifiable in all traditions.
( Enlightenment by Laurence Freeman OSB )
