What does it mean to awaken?

Leaf in Autumn

Awakening

One thing that I was unclear about when I started my spiritual practice 25 years ago was how does one know that they are awake? I believe that there are a few good indicators to determine the difference between a genuine awakening versus another mental state or construct. Of course, as with most things there are no guarantees, and the practitioner should always be aware of the tendency of the ego to co-opt a genuine spiritual awakening as its own. As the Katha Upanishad says, "The sharp edge of a razor is difficult to pass over; thus the wise say the path to Salvation is hard."

Few characteristics from my own experience that I believe are the hallmarks of a genuine awakening:

• In most cases, but not all, recognition of our true nature (Self/Awareness) always comes as a surprise. You can read about it, hear about it but when the recognition happens it is always a surprise. Everybody I know who has had this experience is always surprised by the utter obviousness and simplicity of the recognition that our essential nature is us. We don’t have to go anywhere to find it.

• It is not an energy transfer or shaktipat. No teacher can give you this recognition, you have to find it for yourself.

• It is not an experience. It does not come and go depending on how good or bad you feel that day. It is always present, unchanging, and you don’t need to make any effort to find it because it is always with you. Actually, it is non-different from you.

• There is a perceptual shift in how you experience the world. Things that bothered you don’t have the same grab on your consciousness as they previously did in the past.

• Awakening does not happen to you. It is not an experience. It might feel like an awakening from the perspective of the Ego but from the perspective of the Self, nothing ever changed.