Ram Dass has an excellent quote, “The enlightened version of a river is still a river.” We can substitute any object into this quote and it will still work. An enlightened rock is still a rock, an enlightened cloud is still a cloud, and an enlightened human is still a human.
So what does he mean by this quote? In my opinion, he is giving the license for complete spiritual freedom. Something I’ve struggled with is trying to understand how to get to the “other side” and reach enlightenment. I’ve been sold the idea of Nirvana as another state of being we should strive to achieve. From this quote and others of Ram Dass, that’s not how we should think about it.
“The enlightened version of a river is still a river” brings the idea of enlightenment to reality, for me at least. “The enlightened version of Nick is still Nick.” I know who I am and the daily interactions I have with others. Via interactions through work, friends, family, or complete strangers, I can use those experiences to have us walking away with a smile on our faces.
This version of “enlightenment” might be what works for me now and it could be completely different for you. I’m sure that my idea of living a fulfilled life with changed over the years, and that’s the point! What matters to me now might not matter as much 30 years in the future.
For Ram Dass to say “The enlightened version of a river is still a river” gives me the full confidence to walk around my daily life as the fullest version of me. Even if I did experience a state of Nirvana like Siddhartha Gautama, I’m still me at the end of the day. Most likely I would experience that state by doing what’s true to me.
Peace and Love.