Awakening is not the same as bliss

The recognition of one’s true nature as this ever-present, eternal awareness with no objective qualities is merely the beginning of a beautiful journey (in this lifetime). This is because the ideas, beliefs, emotions, sentiments, and environment that a person finds themselves exposed to carry/contribute to a certain kind of momentum that may take time to dissipate completely. In the case of a few rare individuals whose awakening was so acute and deep (e.g: Eckhart Tolle, Sri Ramana Maharshi) that changed their entire being almost instantaneously, most people will go through a process of de-conditioning, where the Vasanas (tendencies of the mind) will slowly lose their momentum as the individual re-orients their thoughts, actions, and beliefs in ways that allow their true nature to shine through.

Even after my own awakening, I still find myself being visited by negative thoughts and tensions on rare occasions. The only difference between now and before is where I formerly dived into my addictions/junk food, now I choose to sit with them and stay present. Whatever action taken then will be from a state of presence, guided by God’s grace.

On the most serene of days, simple things like a cup of tea, a bowl of ramen, or a nice couch is the perfect catalyst for bliss, but even in its fleeting-ness, there is peace.

Negativity is never the enemy

It is easy to say that the negativity in the world comes from a vicious cycle of suffering, only for the sufferer to inflict it unto others, then approach the issue like a math problem. Good luck finding the value of x in that case, for like the Ouroboros, this cyclic, bootstrap paradox-like problem never really has a true solution that one can force others to adhere to in order to impose world peace.

It’s like a plot-line of movies in recent years, where a villain strives for global dominance or some diabolical scheme in order to bring justice to a corrupt/failing system/world order, only to cause even more suffering in the process. This “the end must surely justify the means” type of thinking is what causes people to believe that the negative element must surely have an external cause, and thus must have an external solution; thus justifying whatever it takes for them to achieve their goals (to put an end to the negative element so that they can be happy), all the while perpetuating more of itself in the world. Essentially, they become what they seek to put an end to in the eyes of the world.

By reacting to negativity with more negativity, it only makes the metaphorical fire bigger, or as Abraham Hicks puts it best (in Law of Attraction terms): “you can never suffer enough to end your suffering“.

No amount of fighting can dispel the darkness, one only need bring in the light.

You can become a Buddha right here and now

The best part is that becoming a Buddha does not have any prerequisites, nor does it require any kind of belief or teaching, for it is what you are. This may sound like a poorly done advertisement, and if I were to put it out, it would probably sound like one of those email scams.

The only thing that the Buddha truly did (the term did is a concession due to the limitations of language) was see the mind for what it was, recognize our true nature as awareness, then live the implications of that recognition. Because the only true constant in life is the present moment, enlightenment can never become a state that can be found some-place in the future, nor can it become an achievement that adorns your portfolio.

To become enlightened (the term become again, is used as a concession due to the limitations of language) is to simply abide as what you already are, pure, unconditioned awareness; untouched, eternal, and unaffected by all things that come into or go out of it. You were never anything but that awareness which has no objective qualities, and the beauty of it is that it frees you of the burden of having to adhere to the labels of being a hardened politician, a witty comedian, a humble football star etc. On the ephemeral and relative level of form, we will always be superior to some, inferior to others in different aspects (I’m no Hafthor Bjornsson though I love strength training), but on the level of being (awareness, vibration, energy, spirit, Christ consciousness, Buddha nature, Atman, God, or whatever we call it), we are all the same.

It does not matter that the mind may persuade you otherwise, because the best part of the whole thing is that you are it! Look and see for yourself if you must, but you have always been aware & present, and that’s enough.