Enlightenment is about the
infinite presence in everything, including you. There is comfort in thinking
that this presence is already within. Yet the presence is the one noticing the
thoughts. It is beyond the thinking. Coming into the experience of the presence
itself, within, around, transcending everything—and then living at least most
of the time in this awareness constitutes the definition of one “level” of
enlightenment.
For most of us, there are moments
when we get it. These are invaluable moments, because they give us a taste of
what we were previously seeking blindly. However, noted philosopher Ken Wilber
likes to say that “States are free,” meaning that it is possible to have these
realizations without trying to achieve them, or that they are relatively easy
to have. Sometimes they are mild hits, while other times they are profound
awakenings.
What happens to a lot of people
after having had direct contact with the state of pure awareness is that they
want to get it back full time. This becomes a goal. But does it make sense to
try to attain that which you already are? It’s like an orange trying to be an
orange. Simple practice of noticing what already is here and now is what
eventually slows down the mind chatter and allows awareness of the state of
being to emerge. One way to practice this is to sit quietly and just listen to
the sounds around you while noticing your thoughts float by. If you notice that
you have become lost in the thoughts, gently return to the sounds and the
watching. This helps you to separate awareness from the thoughts themselves,
including them in the whole experience of body/mind rather than excluding all
your other sensations by becoming so identified with only your thinking.
What is it like to be in the state
of contact with non-physical awareness? Getting it for the first time can be
highly amusing to people because it’s so ordinary. You are living it at all
times anyway; it’s just a matter of where your attention is. At the same time, this
state is extraordinary, because you come into the vastness, the timeless
infinite knowingness of it. You experience Self beyond your particular body/mind;
realize its presence in everything around. A sense of deep reverence and awe
often arises; you see others and the world as literally God/Goddess/All That
Is. You touch in to the fact that everything in creation truly is alive and
intelligent in its own way. You come to understand the utter magic and majesty
of the gift of simple, effortless Being. Even though you still experience life
through a particular body/mind, you realize that you are infinitely more than
that.
Zen teachers call meditation
“practice” because it truly is just that. Enlightenment for the rest of us
takes practice, like learning any new skill. Along the way, we can celebrate
the moments of awakening into our limitlessness.
For more information, visit my Seminars page and my Professional Services page, call (831) 212-2168 or email andrea@awakeability.com
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