Just Had An Awakening Experience

[Kyle]

About an hour ago, I was sitting in the park doing self-inquiry work. Then, about 20 minutes in, I started to become really aware, and as I was looking at the grass in front of me, it didn't even seem like grass anymore. The lines between everything started to blur and I didn't see concepts anymore. This lasted about ten seconds. As I came back into duality, I felt intense fear. I realized I previously knew nothing about enlightenment. I never knew the degree to which I abstract everything. 

Now I'm starting to calm down and I feel a deepening sense of peace coming over me. I now fully understand how the self is an illusion and that everything I thought was real was just an abstraction. The only thing I still know is that I exist and I experience some sort of reality. 

I'm not saying I'm completely enlightened, but I made a big step. 

The thing I have a hard time letting go of is being able to relate to people. Someone on this forum said that this won't be easy anymore. I still want to have meaningful connections with the people I love. Is this still possible if I'm enlightened? And has anyone else gone through something similar? 

 

[A way to Actualize]

 

I did go trough the exact same thing. I follow enlightened teacher Matt Kahn recently. He says that every spiritual practice is a social one. In the perspective he gives he says that a fully integrated soul (can be beyond enlightenment), can relate to everyone. They are as interested in topics other people speak about, as other people themself.

You may be not relating with others in the way that You are going trough the exact same thing. But you will encourage people on their journey and support them.

I would say that you can even more relate to others.

This is really the only rule in spirituality: if you wouldn't say something to a 6 year old kid, do not apply it to your life.

note: when you have your first experience, your percieving point is way above your Head. With enlightenment, is that only 10% of the movie. Eventually your body and the truth of oneness will melt together. There is a point to return to the body with the truth of oneness.

Edited February 14, 2016 by A way to Actualize

[jjer94]

Quote

The thing I have a hard time letting go of is being able to relate to people. Someone on this forum said that this won't be easy anymore. I still want to have meaningful connections with the people I love. Is this still possible if I'm enlightened? And has anyone else gone through something similar? 

You may find it hard to talk about this kind of stuff with others without them lashing out at you. That's what I meant when I said that it may difficult to relate to others. It's best to keep all of this enlightenment stuff to yourself unless people ask genuinely about it. Like a vampire who doesn't pass the threshold until he is invited inside. 

Also, on a fundamental level, you will be in a totally different "paradigm" where relatedness doesn't really apply anymore. In the average egoic conversation, relating to each other consists of reflecting back each others beliefs, reinforcing their own delusions.  Enlightenment removes all of those beliefs, so having a conversation feels more like a fun little dance of words rather than an I-have-to-say-the-right-things ordeal. Your communication will be more honest, unhindered by egoic filters, and you will take it less seriously. Oddly enough, by removing these filters, you naturally encourage the other person to remove theirs as well, and you may connect even better. Connection in this case is not relatedness; I would describe it more as synergy.

Sorry to say this, but love as you currently believe it to be is no more than your attachment to the prejudiced ideas you have about a person. You may not really feel that sort of love anymore after enlightenment. In my opinion, when all the spiritual teachers talk about love, what they're really talking about is radical unconditional acceptance of everything as it is. It's a sense of complete openness and vulnerability. 

In summary, your relationship with others will inevitably change after enlightenment. You may lose some relationships because you used them to fuel your ego, and you may even lose what you call "love" for others. However, relationship will become more open and authentic, and in my opinion, that's a much better place to be than the egoic perspective. 

[Ramu]

I generally avoid spirituality topics with others unless I know they're like minded.  One concept that helped to awaken me is the realization that what I am is pure consciousness.  One sentence in a video documentary made me see this:  your mind is not in your body, your body is in your mind.  From there I went one step further and that is my body and mind are in consciousness.  But that's not true either.  I'm not IN anything.  I am consciousness or more simply, I Am.

[abrakamowse]

That's awesome @Kyle I hope to experience something like that soon. Cool.

:-)

[Leo Gura]

Sure, you can related to people.

But in the meantime, just notice that currently this motivation to relate is coming from a place of insecurity. You feel like you're going to lose something valuable if you stop relating -- which is a just more abstracted delusion. The True Self is complete. It doesn't need to relate. It relates when it wants to, not because it needs to.

With enlightened relationships can deepen a lot because the ego stops getting the way of authentic relating.

[step1]

7 hours ago, Kyle said:

@Kyle How long have you been meditating for Kyle?  I am on the 6 week mark...  Guess I have a long way to go before I experience anything similar...

 

 

[Kyle]

@step1 I've been meditating 40 mins a day (two 20 min sessions) consistently for a little under 2 years. Started self-inquiry for an hour a day (two 30 min sessions) last week.

If you want this to come fast, then definitely do self-inquiry and check out that post on here that's a list of enlightened teachers. Find a teacher who you can really understand. My personal favorites are Eckhart Tolle and Fred Davis. 

Also, I would guess that other self-actualization habits play a huge role in this (eating well, gym, reading, etc.). Make sure to stay on top of those as well. 

[step1]

Just now, Kyle said:

@step1 I've been meditating 40 mins a day (two 20 min sessions) consistently for a little under 2 years. Started self-inquiry for an hour a day (two 30 min sessions) last week.

If you want this to come fast, then definitely do self-inquiry and check out that post on here that's a list of enlightened teachers. Find a teacher who you can really understand. My personal favorites are Eckhart Tolle and Fred Davis. 

Also, I would guess that other self-actualization habits play a huge role in this (eating well, gym, reading, etc.). Make sure to stay on top of those as well. 

Thanks Kyle.  I'm reading Eckhart Tolles 'the power of now' at the moment.  It's giving me a fair few 'aha' moments.  I've never done self enquiry before...  Can you recommend a good online resource to learn it? 

[Kyle]

@step1 Check these out 

http://www.actualized.org/articles/how-to-become-enlightened

https://www.youtube.com/user/fredsdavis

 

Edited February 14, 2016 by Kyle

[step1]

2 minutes ago, Kyle said:

@step1 Check these out 

http://www.actualized.org/articles/how-to-become-enlightened

https://www.youtube.com/user/fredsdavis

Thanks man

2 minutes ago, Kyle said: