What is Awakening?

Awakening is a change in our perception of what we are. We discover that we are not separate vulnerable bodies. Instead, we are the root of life itself, flowing as a single whole.

Imagine discovering the core rhythm that dances everything into existence and inexplicably dances us toward and away from each other. Such a rhythm would be unending and indestructible, projecting a perfect masterpiece each moment, needing nothing. This is similar to experiencing our true nature.

Our habitual thoughts, emotions, and somatic conditioning, however, are typically disposed toward fear and separation. So, even after knowing what we are, the conditioning typically persists.

There is a Buddhist saying, “Always being, always becoming.” That is, what we are has never changed. And, abiding in that awareness in our day-to-day lives is an ever-deepening process.

There is a myth that awakening makes you blissed out or always happy. Instead, consider the above diagram. When we evaluate life by whether or not we’re getting what we want, we live in the box of our expectations. Happy or unhappy, we aren’t free. Using gratitude and wonder or inquiry we can move into freedom, a more open serene experience of moment-by-moment discovery and curiosity. We live as the aware space through which human experiences pass.