AWAKENING - Literal or Figurative

[AEJOTYX]

Whats your take on the term awakening, is it literally waking from a spiritual sleep whereby some long dormant psychic spiritual powers are remembered alongside the recollection of past incarnations or is awakening simply coming to a realisation, a realisation which leads to living as our highest selves and constantly maninfesting conditions that favour the growth and wellbeing of our highest selves?

 

[HoldAll]

Here's the Buddhist take because that's what I'm currently studying: the key to awakening is becoming dissatisfied with being asleep and dreaming. "Happy slaves are the bitterest enemies of freedom", as the quote goes, although there's also an element of ignorance involved - the dreamers aren't even aware they're sleeping and consequently aren't curious about ways of waking up. This sleeping and dreaming takes the form of delusion, and waking up would mean seeing stark reality for what it truly is; it doesn't involve becoming superhuman or omniscient. Psychic powers (allegedly) appear and disappear in higher meditation stages but are considered distractions, same as states of infinite bliss and wellbeing, and Buddhist meditators are enjoined to ignore those too as the real goal is still far off. As no permanent unchanging self exists here, there can be no higher self either, and certainly no soul. Past lives are irrelevant, this one is where it's at so don't waste your time and get down on your pillow already! It's admittedly a pretty bleak religion, come to think of it but right now, it's the only one that makes some sense to me.

Once you introduce the term 'delusion' into the dialogue, frequently a tug-of-war of opinions between followers of different systems will ensue: "You're deluded when you claim…" - "No, it's you that's deluded, the real truth is…" What's the nature of the ultimate reality in which will you wake up? And how can you be so sure right now, not having awakened yourself yet?

Here is my fallibilist copout: we can only speculate but can't really know, so it all comes down to belief. Belief in turn rests on emotions, with a thin veneer of reason and logic most of which consists of justifications - we believe what we want to believe, and here's why. Ask people about the afterlife or the existence of god, and they'll describe what they feel is true (sometimes out of fear of eternal punishment and whatnot, another set of emotions). The idea that clinging to the idea of a permanent self as an obstacle to awakening resonates so strongly with me because I feel (again: feel) vindicated, me being a cynical bastard in certain respects; others may find it appalling. Or delusion as the root of all evil: it fits my own life experiences perfectly.

Coming from a chaos magic background, I regard all belief systems as more or less arbitrary; I just feel (that feeling again!) more at home with some than with others. Nevertheless, I don't consider all paths equal and don't think they lead to the same goal either.

 

[Ombriel]

Here's the Buddhist take because that's what I'm currently studying: the key to awakening is becoming dissatisfied with being asleep and dreaming. "Happy slaves are the bitterest enemies of freedom", as the quote goes, although there's also an element of ignorance involved - the dreamers aren't even aware they're sleeping and consequently aren't curious about ways of waking up. This sleeping and dreaming takes the form of delusion, and waking up would mean seeing stark reality for what it truly is; it doesn't involve becoming superhuman or omniscient. Psychic powers (allegedly) appear and disappear in higher meditation stages but are considered distractions, same as states of infinite bliss and wellbeing, and Buddhist meditators are enjoined to ignore those too as the real goal is still far off. As no permanent unchanging self exists here, there can be no higher self either, and certainly no soul. Past lives are irrelevant, this one is where it's at so don't waste your time and get down on your pillow already! It's admittedly a pretty bleak religion, come to think of it but right now, it's the only one that makes some sense to me.

Once you introduce the term 'delusion' into the dialogue, frequently a tug-of-war of opinions between followers of different systems will ensue: "You're deluded when you claim…" - "No, it's you that's deluded, the real truth is…" What's the nature of the ultimate reality in which will you wake up? And how can you be so sure right now, not having awakened yourself yet?

Here is my fallibilist copout: we can only speculate but can't really know, so it all comes down to belief. Belief in turn rests on emotions, with a thin veneer of reason and logic most of which consists of justifications - we believe what we want to believe, and here's why. Ask people about the afterlife or the existence of god, and they'll describe what they feel is true (sometimes out of fear of eternal punishment and whatnot, another set of emotions). The idea that clinging to the idea of a permanent self as an obstacle to awakening resonates so strongly with me because I feel (again: feel) vindicated, me being a cynical bastard in certain respects; others may find it appalling. Or delusion as the root of all evil: it fits my own life experiences perfectly.

Coming from a chaos magic background, I regard all belief systems as more or less arbitrary; I just feel (that feeling again!) more at home with some than with others. Nevertheless, I don't consider all paths equal and don't think they lead to the same goal either.

You make a brilliant point about the danger of treating psychic powers or past lives as the ultimate goal. In my tradition we are taught the exact same thing. Chasing visions or getting drunk on bliss is just another form of sleep, just a more colorful dream. But I think there is a middle ground between the literal superhuman fantasy and the purely figurative realization. Awakening is not just realizing you are asleep. It is the brutal physical and energetic process of upgrading your vessel so you can actually survive being awake. Stark reality is heavy. If you suddenly see the machinery of the universe without delusion, but your internal battery is weak and your nervous system is fried, that clarity will destroy you. You will go mad or burn out. True awakening requires building the voltage to hold the charge.

Growing up in Southeast Asian martial mysticism we view the body as the microcosm. The awakening happens when the macrocosm finally recognizes the door, but the body must be forged like iron first to handle the pressure. The breathwork, the ascetic discipline, the silence, these are not just psychological tricks to feel good. They are structural upgrades to the wiring.

I agree with the chaos magic view that belief is often emotional, but authority is not emotional. Authority is built in the quiet hours when no one is watching, through strict discipline over the flesh and the mind. You do not just wake up and decide to be your highest self. You wake up, realize the house is on fire, and then spend years building a fortress strong enough to withstand the heat.