DREAM DATUM

Category: Self discovery articles

A new phase   It's been a while since I wrote the last article of this series. There are some new changes to my state of being. I will attempt to document them here.
Essentially, at this stage, I am beginning to experience the benefits of Enlightenment. It is a new phase but it is not the end. In fact, this phase simply marks the beginning of establishing non-duality into more tricky areas of life. It is just the beginning and many more challenges lie ahead. Life as we know it, is extremely complex and varied in its manifestations. The 'Sense of self' overrides non-dual recognition most of the time and very very easily. It is an unconscious and automatic way of relating and dealing with life's complexities. Initially, we establish non-dual awareness in the easier areas of life. This is mainly in the solitary based activities. They include activities such as walking, eating, seeing and sitting. During these non-dual moments, there is only the act of doing the activities without the feeling of volition. There is a luminous and spacious quality to them. In this new phase, one is better able to 'maintain' non-dual awareness in other types of activities. The nondual recognition can be felt better amidst more complex activities. Life experience begins to take on a new way of seeing. It feels like life experience merely is, without seeing it through the sense of self. This is not an accurate translation but is the closest that I can think of. Viewing life through a 'sense of self' is different from that of experience via non-dual mode.
In dualistic experience, we tend to 'zoom' into what we see or percieve (with our senses) and immediately label certain portion of perceptions (including thought imageries) as 'objects' or 'subjects of attention'. In another word, we think that what we percieved as objects and 'point of attention' are self-existing objects, concepts or entities. The sense of self then arises to try to modify what is being 'labelled'. This creates the tension that is being felt at the bodily level, giving rise to the experience of discomfort. Once we have come to this point, non-duality will not be felt in real-time. One point that I have observed: Non-dual awareness is more easily felt in an open space environment than in a enclosed one. This should not be the case, but it is. By right, there shouldn't be a difference at all as non-duality is the basis of reality. However, our mind is so used to cogniting dualistically that dualistic labelling is occuring in an unknowing manner. In an open space environment, the mind is aligned to the spacious nature of Non-dual Presence. In an enclosed environment, our mind will unknowingly and subconsciously labelling the features of that environment. We will tend to subconsciously label the walls and objects that are seen by the sight vision. This cause the mind to 'forget' the non-dual nature. However, in this phase of spiritual development, this subconscious habit of labelling is also lossing its grip, thus resulting in non duality being able to be experienced even within an enclosed environment. Also, additionally, the 'sense of self' or egoic mind is beginning to lose its power to condition. There is the experience of rising and falling wave in one's consciousness. When a tension arise, the self-recognition of the tension allows it to fall away on its own accord. At times, when all bodily tensions fall away, there is no sense of being a physical form. This rising and falling wave sensation is different from using the mind to reason itself out of a predicament. When we use the mind to reason, it is characterised by the need to know an answer or find a solution. The desire in wanting to know the answer or finding a solution is itself a dualistic project of the mind onto a potential future scenario. There is no equanimity in that state. In this new phase, one is also able to enter into a state of deep rest while fully awake. This includes stationary sitting and standing positions. The mind can come to a most blissful rest. This is one of the benefit of Enlightenment. The bliss is not something that a pre-enlightened mind can experience on a recurring basis. One important point to note: We tend to think that Enlightenment is an attainment. This is not entirely true. Enlightenment is simply a concept. It is a non-attainment. The egoic mind or sense of self can only understanding way of relating and achieving in terms of striving. However, the state of non-dual awareness cannot be recognised in the striving. That is why Enlightenment cannot be achieved by striving. Therefore it is a non-attainment. Ironically, non-attainment is such a struggle to achieve. OK, that all I can think of and write about this topic. I will revise and improve this article where the need arises. For your necessary ponderance. Thank you for reading.   These articles are parts of a series of spiritual realisation. Each article represents my understanding at that given stage and may not be fully reflective of the current state Search this website