How Enlightened Are You?

By: Steven Miller
Estimated Completion Time
9 min
How Enlightened Are You?
Image: Shutterstock

About This Quiz

Whether you've reached a state of nirvana or it just feels like you're slogging it out in the daily grind of life, this quiz will help to give you a sense of where you are on the path.
How happy are you?
I'm pretty much always glowing with joy.
I'm generally quite content. It takes a lot to throw me off.
I have good days and bad days. I'm happy about as much as I'm sad.
I'm not very happy with my life right now.

Advertisement

Would you consider yourself to be an optimistic person?
Not at all. I'm a total pessimist.
I try to be optimistic, but there's just so much garbage in the world.
I'm a fairly optimistic person, but I do tend to be more pessimistic when I'm having a hard time.
I'm very optimistic. I feel that any situation is workable.

Advertisement

How much peace of mind do you have?
Most of the time I have peace of mind, but I still can get worked up about certain things.
There are times when my mind is clear, but I have to admit that they are pretty rare.
I have trained my mind to remain quiet and peaceful.
My mind is constantly full of crap.

Advertisement

How fearful are you in general?
I have let go of fear completely.
I'm not as fearful of the future as I once was, but fear still has way too much of an influence on my life.
I am anxious all the time, especially about the future.
I'm generally pretty calm, but there are some difficult moments where fear creeps in.

Advertisement

How regularly do you experience negative emotions?
A few times a day. It really does wear me out.
It's pretty rare, but I do still get ticked off from time to time.
All the time. They really have a hold on me.
Hardly ever, if at all. I cultivate positive emotions.

Advertisement

How much do you worry about the unknown?
All the time. I run through about 10,000 scenarios for what might happen for just about everything.
I don't spend any energy on that. I have made peace with that which I have yet to know.
Way more than I would like. I know it will work itself out, but I still find myself obsessing a bit.
It's pretty rare, but I do find myself getting anxious about the unknown once in a while.

Advertisement

What is the cause of human suffering?
How we internally deal with what life brings our way.
I know it is about my reaction to things, but people can be so cruel.
Life is full of suffering, but I definitely have a tendency to make things worse.
People who are ignorant and mean.

Advertisement

Would you consider yourself to be a loving, kind, and compassionate person?
I need to work on this. I tend to be kind of a jerk.
I strive to be this way, and I do manage to put these qualities into action from time to time.
I definitely am this way most of the time, but I do have my moments where I don't embody these qualities.
Absolutely. I can't imagine being any other way.

Advertisement

Think of someone who has a negative opinion of you, how do you feel about them?
I know they are dealing with their own stuff, but I admit that I can struggle to feel love for them.
I just kind of wish they would go away. I'm not that bad of a person.
I feel love for them. I'm not attached in the least to their ego's opinion of me.
Honestly, I kind of hate them.

Advertisement

Are you involved in a mindful community?
I am very involved in my mindful community. My work there fills me with joy.
I haven't found one yet or I know of one, but I'm not very involved.
No, I don't have time for that.
I am, but it probably wouldn't hurt for me to be more involved.

Advertisement

How open are you to others?
I struggle with staying open to people. I've just been hurt so much.
I'm pretty open, but there are times that I find myself closing down to particularly irritating people.
I tend to be pretty closed. People are a nightmare.
I'm open to all beings. I have so much to learn from all those I meet.

Advertisement

How much of your energy is focused on yourself?
Almost all of it. I have a lot of stuff going on.
I focus hardly any of my energy on myself.
I care about others, but I have to take care of myself. Otherwise, who will?
I'm pretty focused on other people, but I do tend to get caught up in my own internal drama once in a while.

Advertisement

How would you describe your diet?
I'm a vegan, and I eat local and organic produce whenever possible.
I eat mostly healthy stuff. It's pretty rare for me to eat processed foods.
I eat some healthy food, but I do tend to binge when I'm stressed.
I eat way too much stuff that is unhealthy, but it tastes so good.

Advertisement

How connected to animals and other living things are you?
I honestly don't feel much connection to the animal or plant world. I barely feel connected to humanity.
There are times that I feel this connection, but I have to admit that it is pretty rare.
I feel pretty connected to animals and plants, unless they are really aggressive.
I feel a deep connection and a desire to care for all life.

Advertisement

Would you consider yourself to be an emotionally stable person?
I would say so, at least most of the time. There are moments where I do lose my center.
There are times where I feel stable, but just as often I find myself overwhelmed emotionally.
Yes. I am totally grounded and stable emotionally.
Not at all. It's a total roller coaster ride with me.

Advertisement

How do you react when someone does something that was meant to hurt you?
I don't take it personally. I know that they are dealing with something and struggling at that moment.
I'm likely to be deeply angered, and I will likely never talk to them again.
Honestly, I get pissed and figure out a way to hurt them back.
It's likely that I will react negatively to this at first. It will take me a while to forgive.

Advertisement

Which reaction would you most likely have if you saw someone behaving negatively?
I would likely make a snap judgement. It would take some time for me to get to a place of compassion for them.
I might react negatively at first, but it wouldn't take me long to begin to see past the behavior to the person.
I would probably think that they are a horrible person.
I would be curious as to what was causing that behavior and look for solutions to help them.

Advertisement

How patient are you?
I really have very little patience. I'm in a hurry.
I am very patient. I know the path and its challenges.
I struggle a bit with patience, but I'm learning to be patient with myself first.
I'm a pretty patient person, but there are times that another person's pace drives me crazy.

Advertisement

Are you forgiving or do you tend to hold grudges?
I am a very forgiving person. I don't do grudges at all.
I may hold a grudge for a little while, but I soon realize the error of my ways and let it go.
I try to be forgiving, but there are a few things that I will hold a grudge about.
To be honest, I hold grudges quite a lot.

Advertisement

Would you say that you're a judgemental person?
It's pretty simple, either you are a good person or a bad person.
I try very hard to not judge people, but I'm aware that I do it a lot.
I'm becoming more and more aware when I make judgements, which is a sign I need to let go.
I prefer to make observations. I try never to put things in boxes.

Advertisement

Are you a humble person?
I'm pretty humble, but I do get full of myself once in a while.
I could be more humble. I tend to think things about me are way too important.
I'm a very humble person. I know my place in the universe.
Not really. I brag about myself quite a bit.

Advertisement

How important is validation from others for you?
I don't need any external validation. I have a strong internal belief in myself.
I have to admit that I care way too much about what other people think.
I kind of need to know that I'm okay from outside sources a lot.
I'm mostly confident, but I need some reassurance once in a while.

Advertisement

How open to new ideas are you?
I struggle with being closed to new things. I'm working on opening up.
I'm pretty open to new ideas, but I do have a few pretty strong beliefs.
I've got things figured out. I really don't need new opinions on things.
I always remain open to new possibilities.

Advertisement

How attached to your beliefs are you?
I am totally committed to my beliefs.
I hold all my beliefs as hypothesis, always open to new perspectives.
It can be very hard to have my beliefs challenged.
I'm pretty open, but I have to admit that there are certain things that I struggle to have people question.

Advertisement

When difficulty arises, how well do you tend to handle it internally?
I handle it very well and look for the lesson that is to be learned.
I may struggle for a little while, but I soon find my center.
Difficulties will tend to throw me off quite a bit. It can take a while for me to recover.
Difficult circumstances tend to make me crumble like a house of cards.

Advertisement

Would you consider yourself to be a leader?
Not at all. I try to avoid people.
I much prefer to be a follower.
I can step up to a leadership role, but I'm definitely more comfortable following.
I feel it is important for me to take a leadership role, and I do so frequently.

Advertisement

Which best describes your leadership style?
I tend to be a bit controlling in my leadership style, but I'm working on it.
I don't have one. I don't want to be a leader.
Lead by example and through compassionate decision-making.
People only respond to strict rules and punishment.

Advertisement

How much exercise do you get?
I get plenty of exercise on a daily basis.
I don't get as much as I should.
I don't get any. I'm kind of lazy.
I try to do something physical as much as I can, but I do tend to miss it once in a while.

Advertisement

How often do you meditate?
It's been a while.
I try to meditate once a day.
Never.
Multiple times a day.

Advertisement

How committed to your mindfulness practices are you?
I don't have any mindfulness practices.
I am very diligent about my practice. I know how important the practice is.
I flake on them all the time. I really need to buckle down.
I'm pretty good about keeping up with my practice, but I do skip it once in a while.

Advertisement

You Got: