What are your Kensho and Satori moments?

We’re in a time when we have access to so many amazing free resources for self development (including this!). Recently, I was recommended to watch a video by Vishen Lakhiani, Founder of Mindvalley. He spoke of a concept first suggested by spiritual thought-leader and founder of the International Agape Spiritual Center, Rev. Michael Bernard Beckwith. And it’s called Kensho vs Satori Moments. I hadn’t heard it before so I was all ears. It changed the way I looked at certain incidents in my life, and I’d like to share it with you.

Kensho and Satori

Rev Michael said that we have two ways in which the Universe pushes us to grow; one is through “pain” and the other through “insight”. And it is critical for us as individuals and spiritual beings to understand this for the sake of our personal growth.

‘Kensho’ is growth by pain. We lose a loved one, face heartbreak, lose money, fail an important exam, cope with a disease, fail in business, someone cheats us; these are all incredibly painful and heartbreaking moments in our life. They can break our spirit. But the wound is where light enters.

Somewhere in this pain, there is learning, there is an upward growth of our soul, an expansion of the spirit. Often this heartbreak leads to something far greater than we could have imagined.

How often a breakup has led to a beautiful, lasting relationship, or a failure has led to greater success? Your pain makes your heart more resilient and you learn to love and appreciate yourself more.

Take a moment right now, and think or put down on paper, your most prominent heartbreaking moments, your Kensho moments. And by its side, write down the greatest learning/lesson or blessing that came from it. There will be some good in each of these moments, and if you are not able to find them, create it now. Use your Kensho moment to rise to the next level, it has the energy and it will propel you forward, if you allow it to.

17th century Austrian psychotherapist Alfred Adler said, “Trust only movement (action). Life happens at the level of events, not of words. Trust movement.” So take the next step forward after acknowledging your Kensho moment. It is a precious gift, do not let it waste away.

Your Kensho moments show you growth by pain, it is so gradual and subtle that you may not even notice your growth. But a few years later, when you look back, you will see how it shaped you.

There is one more route to growth. These come in as “a-ha” moments, a random idea, a sudden revelation from a seminar or a book, a new form of wisdom that suddenly hits you. This is Satori.

Zen Masters described it as sudden enlightenment. These are far smoother and happier, and also less frequent, compared to Kensho.

One of my favourite quotes from Rumi explains the essence of Satori moments. He wrote, “What you seek, is seeking you”; if you can only stand still, let go of judgement and control (rising from ego), and truly allow the flow of the Universe to come to you, you will experience these moments of divine inspiration. How many people have claimed that their best ideas come to them as soon as they wake up, or in the shower, or while driving? That’s when the veil of our ego is the thinnest and we have access to this wisdom. It is devoid of that desperation to get an answer. By letting go of baggage and trusting the flow, we can access our Satori moments of growth.

Connect with Delna Mistry Anand across social media @DelnaAnand