Enlightenment:
True Awakening
By Bill Harris
Director, Centerpointe Research InstituteHow can you tell if "true awakening" has happened for you? What should you expect?
This question comes up at Centerpointe, several times each hour, from people calling on our Support Hotline. From the many books they have read and gurus they have visited, people have many ideas about what awakening is, how it happens, and what to expect.
Is it Choirs of Angels visiting you in meditation? Is it out-of-body experiences? Yogic powers? The voice of God? Levitation? The complete cessation of desire? A feeling of Oneness with everything? Or is it piles of money appearing on your front lawn whenever you need cash?
Here's what I think it is -- and is not. This opinion is free and worth every penny.
I don't think being awake has much to do with mystical experiences, though you may have some. Many people have mystical experiences without being "awake." In fact, I had many more of them "pre-awakening" than "post-awakening". They were interesting, entertaining, sometimes awe-inspiring, sometimes scary. Some of the most screwed up people I know are always having "mystical" experiences. Some mystical experiences are hallucinations, some are real. But what good does it do to see visions of Heaven if the rest of your life is suffering? If you have them, great; if not, don't worry about it. They're only good as a confidence builder that something is happening, that there's more to the universe than you can see, and as momentary entertainment.
We live in a hectic world where stress can build to a major health crisis; luckily meditation is one of the best tools against stress. If you like what you're reading about Centerpointe check out Holosync for the ultimate meditation experience. - Editors
The same could be said for OOB experiences. Many people call us seeking to get out of their body (there is one sure-fire way -- it's called 'dying'), and I'm never sure exactly what they are really after. For some, it's entertainment, the same thing that makes hallucinogenics attractive to some people. For others, it means they are so unhappy with their life they want an altered state rather than real life. Some seek secrets from another dimension, but I'm here to tell you that all the secrets are available in this dimension, too. It's just that most people don't like them when they hear them because they don't offer an effortless way to get out of their pain.
And once you leave your body, unless you want death, you've got to come back (even if you die, you're probably coming back). It's right here on earth, in this world, in this body, in this life, that you need to make it happen. You might want to escape, but eventually you have to come to terms with the fact that THERE IS NO ESCAPE!
Your real lessons are going to happen right here, in this dimension. Sorry.
Some people think enlightenment, awakening, is desirelessness. It's true that desire causes suffering (this is the second of Buddha's 4 Noble Truths), but more properly we should say that attachment to what you desire (rather than the desire itself) is the cause of suffering. It is the nature of the mind to create desires, and if you have none something is haywire in your mind (the same can be said for thoughts, for those of you who want to have a "no mind" state where there are no thoughts). The secret is to let the mind do what it does (you really have no choice) but to be unattached to what the mind creates.
What does this mean, to be unattached? It means you have a desire, but instead of being addicted to its fulfillment -- which causes suffering if the desire is not met -- the desire assumes the role of a preference. A preference is something you want, but you do not suffer over if you do not get it.
Upgrading attachments to preferences happens naturally as you use the Centerpointe program. It is a function of developing the witnessing state, that part of you that stands aside and watches whatever is happening with curiosity, but without evaluation.
When attachments become preferences, you can pursue them just as avidly as before, but it becomes more of a game. You go for it, and you either get it or you don't, but either outcome is okay, and then you just go on to whatever is next. You don't suffer over the results. The irony is that in not being attached to the outcome (attached in the sense of creating suffering if you are not successful), you become much more effective in getting what you want. This is one big reason why those who are "awake" seem to be able to manifest whatever they want or need in the world.
So one big part of being awake is not being attached to the desires your mind creates.
Is being awake a "Oneness" with everything? I would say, yes, it is. But remember, you are already One with everything (remember the old joke about the seeker who asked the hot dog vendor to make him one with everything? Never mind). You cannot be otherwise than One with everything. It is only a mistaken impression that you are separate. That's why they call it self-realization. It's not that you achieve something when you become "awakened" -- you come to realize what is already true.
In fact, having your attachments (which are, remember, the cause of suffering) become preferences happens because you begin to experientially know you are one with everything. Knowing that you are One with everything, you don't have to be attached to anything (it would like being "attached" to your leg -- it's already you and you don't have to do anything to make it be more "you" than it already is). Instead, you realize the unfolding of the universe is happening in its own way and is being guided by something much bigger than you, and all you have to do is go along for the ride -- kind of like white water rafting.
Now I realize telling you to make your attachments into preferences is like telling you to fly. It's not something you can volitionally do (in fact, wanting it just becomes another attachment). So here's the secret (don't tell): as you develop the witness perspective, you automatically become less attached, without even trying. To do that, keep meditating. To do it much, much faster, meditate with Holosync.
So here's my description of being "awake." The awake person is not at odds with the world. She is a part of it, but not attached to the outcome. She watches as it all goes by, but she is also a participant. She knows most people are caught in the world and asleep to that fact, so she does what she can to help others through their suffering.
To her, the world and life is like playing a part in a play. She knows it is just a role, but she plays it to the hilt, and enjoys every moment. But she also realizes the script is just a script, and it doesn't matter what part has been written for her. She exerts a certain amount of control over her part, but does not have total control because her effort is just one of an infinite number of other efforts, all with their own ends in mind. Mainly, she watches as she plays her part and marvels at the complexity, the infinite permutations, the surprises, and the certainties. She is calm most of the time, but sometimes her part requires her to be upset, or to have some other emotion or reaction. Such is being human. But whatever her mood, there is an underlying peace of mind, an underlying, effortless happiness.
She is in the world, but not of it, floating along, playing her part, enjoying the ride, watching with awe as it all unfolds.
You can be this way, too. It does not happen overnight, but it can happen. Using the Centerpointe program is not the only way it can happen, but it is a very good, and very fast way for it to happen. If you're already part of the Centerpointe world, keep going. It gets better and better. If you've not yet taken the plunge, I invite you to dive in and get wet. The water's warm, and I know your be impressed with what happens.
Be well.
William Harris
Director
Centerpointe Research Instituteblog comments powered by Disqus
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