A is for Awakening
awakening
/əˈweɪk(ə)nɪŋ/
noun
- 1.
FORMAL
an act of waking from sleep.
“since my awakening I had realized it was a very special day”
2. 2. an act or moment of becoming suddenly aware of something.
“the war came as a rude awakening to the hardships of life”
adjective
- coming into existence or awareness.
“his awakening desire”
What is awakening?
In this case we are talking about spiritual awakening. Nonetheless there is a lot to sifted even from the above literal definitions. Spiritual awakening IS “an act of waking from sleep”. But rather than physiological sleep there is a ‘waking’ from ordinary consciousness. This consciousness is not necessarily a sudden altered perception (although it can be). It is more often a gradual shift towards a new way of perceiving ourselves and the world around us.
So in what ways might we begin to perceive differently? The most common example (and most classically used) is that of a greater sense of oneness. A loosening of the egoic grip that held so firmly to its sense of self and other. This might come in the form of feelings of unity with others and a sense of connection to all things.
Non-duality (as well as many other spiritual traditions) position a state of ‘oneness’ as the final destination. However whilst many people have fleeting experiences of this state it is far less common for it be experienced permanently. Those many figures throughout history considered as enlightened masters eg. Buddha, Jesus are considered to have attained this state. It is important to mention that there are different paths towards this same goal, such as the effort oriented Buddhist approach and the more effortless non-dual approach.
For many the experience of awakening can come as ‘a rude awakening’. This is particularly important to understand. Despite how it is sometimes glamorously presented, true awakening is not easy. This is because in the very process of awakening we are faced with everything we are not.
There is in fact no awakening without an extended confrontation of the ‘other’. All that we find difficult, uncomfortable, unlovable, and unbearable about ourselves or the world. This ‘shadow’ as Jung so famously described is mirrored to us both individually and collectively. To see that much or all of what we held so firmly to be true crumble down around us is a sobering experience indeed.
This is of course all a necessary process. Much like muddy water shaken in a glass only to settle at the bottom and reveal what is truly crystal clear. This is also the case with the journey of the lotus flower, a frequent symbol of enlightenment. To understand what we truly are we must understand what we are truly not. This is partly why the journey of awakening is so fraught as the majority of human beings are not currently in an awakened state. Therefore we are continually challenged and tested by the mirrors held up to us by others, and of course by our own hands.
Awakening is shadow work. It’s emptying the closet. It’s taking out the trash. None of which we are naturally inclined to want to do. Is it therefore surprising that supposed fully awakened or ‘self-realised’ beings are few and far between? If Awakening were easy and everyone was walking around in an awakened state the world would be a very different place indeed.
Arguably one of the most mainstream or culturally significant ode’s to the awakening process can be found deeply embedded in popular culture. So much so that the title of the film itself ‘The Matrix’ has entered our common vernacular. Used as a throwaway reference to society and its trappings, or for some as the very description of our current reality it’s hard to deny its impact. In one particular scene the character Cypher sits at a restaurant table and reflectively states:
“You know, I know this steak doesn’t exist. I know that when I put it in my mouth, the Matrix is telling my brain that it is juicy and delicious. After nine years, you know what I realise?Ignorance is bliss”.
Ignorance can be said to be one of the many blocks in the path of awakening. From a buddhist perspective it is one of the causes of suffering, pain and overall unsatisfactoriness. It is through ignorance that many negative emotions such as anger, envy, greed and hatred are said to arise. Once again the mud is obscuring us from seeing this clearly. From seeing things as they truly are rather that what we want them to be.
It may be your goal to ‘Awaken’. You may believe that you already have. Whilst it is a noble goal to work towards it is also a trap. Your very attachment to awakening may be what is preventing you from it. Your very concepts of it a further barrier. As the guru Papaji said:
“If you see the illusion, you are enlightened, but if you think that you are enlightened, you ARE IN the illusion!”
Lastly we might also ask ourselves what good is any ‘state’ of being (awakened or otherwise) if our actions are not wholesome or cause harm. After all awakened action is very much needed at this time. Whilst we must always continue to take our own action and realise that no one else can take us into this state, we can take inspiration. Inspiration from other awakened beings that may hint or point to the path. One such as Lao Tzu who most eloquently said:
“Those who know don’t talk. Those who talk don’t know. Close your mouth, block off your senses, blunt your sharpness, untie your knots, soften your glare, settle your dust. This is the primal identity. Be like the Tao. It can’t be approached or withdrawn from, benefited or harmed, honoured or brought into disgrace. It gives itself up continually. That is why it endures”.
