Awakenings & Liberation
As mentioned in the previous post, there are many forms of awakenings.
Liberation
When we awaken to the nature of mind, we have our first glimpse of liberation. We have found another "ground" than the world of phenomena, and are liberated from an exclusive identification with the self and the processes of the self.
We see the landscape of the nature of mind - with is spacious awareness, and its manifestations of joy, compassion and sense of no separation. And we see the landscape of the mind when it is exclusively identified with the small self, and the confusion and suffering that comes with it. And we clearly see the distinction between the two.
In some cases, it can be a permanent shift. The awakening is so clear that we stay in the landscape of the nature of mind, still fully engaged in the world through the self. Although now, we have no need to go into the landscape of confusion.
In other cases, and more commonly, it is more of an oscillation for a while. We taste one landscape, then another - in different situations. When the outer/inner situation is favorable, we stay in the landscape of the nature of mind. When it is not - when the hooks (the situation) find the ring (an area in us not clarified), we are brought to the landscape of confusion.
There are many ways we can work with this, and many practices available.
We can learn to recognize the contractions bringing us into confusion, and use that as a reminder to bring our center of gravity to the nature of mind - to that which is experiencing (by being with what is experienced, or come to the breath, the weight of the body, etc.)
And we can engage in inquiry. When I close my eyes, what do I find? What is experiencing? We can also use processes such as that of Byron Katie to dissolve the rings within ourselves.
There may also be a need for healing. The rings are often pointers to areas that need awareness, healing and maturing.
After engaging in this process for a while, there may be a sense of fullness - of having done it enough - and then more stably releasing the need to engage in the landscape of confusion. And in this, there are new explorations that opens up for us.
Labels: awakening, liberation