Originally Posted by spaceexplorer
In reply to the original post...
I'd have to agree, that i am sure that a higher awareness can be achieved during waking life.
For many years I studied Zen and other forms of Buddhism, I'd not call myself a buddhist, but i have a huge respect for their approach.
Also, there is a good deal of information out there about "peak experiences", which certainly seems like a more enhanced version of awareness.
The word spiritual is a tricky one, because it has so many different personal uses. I myself use it to define my awe at the mystery and majesty of the Universe... the fact that we find ourselves surrounded (and are part of) the most fundemental mystery that has ever been.
Many people use the term spiritual to mean a belief in the supernatural or similar, which I personally do not share. I do not rule these things out, but i am more concerned with the direct mystery facing us... which is: what the hell are we, where the hell are we, and why are we here?
I myself have experienced incredible moments where i have transcended my normal awareness and entered into what appears to be a hightened state.
As is the nature of such things, words cannot do it justice, so I would struggle to explain it... the best i can do is simply say, I felt as if the veil of the mundane thinking processes had been lifted and I experienced life and reality in a more direct, unprocessed by personal preferences way.
It was essentially as if my personality no longer existed, and i became aware that I and the Universe are one and the same thing... not in some kind of egotistical way, but in the same way that the raindrop can return to the ocean from which it came.
Hopefully, this suprises some people here, who see me as a die hard skeptic, because, yes I do believe that the unverse is an unfathomable mystery... I just like to approach that mystery with tools to get to the bottom of it, and have found skepticism and critical thinking invaluable to help me avoid some of the traps that our egos and personal preferences can so easily be drawn into.
I suppose the higher awareness, the waking lucidity, is much like awareness of awareness... the realisation that you REALLY are here, that every second is a new flowering of this universal mystery... that we are floating in this vast potentially eternal universe... and that every atom in your body has been here since the dawn of that universe.
Where the human personality fits into all this, well I have no idea.
I'd assume death is the end of the personality, that thing we assume is us.
But certainly the universe dosn't go anywhere when we die, and as we are eternaly entwined with the universe, the very physical elements that we are made of ARE that universe... we don't "go" anywhere... the raindrop just slips back into the ocean... from which new, unique, raindrops will eventually emerge.
I see the human personality as a symphony played on the instrument of the mind... when the music is over, that is it... but the effect that music has had on the universe, and the memories of that music, will send ripples into eternity.
So really, I suppose to achieve a higher awareness in life, is simply to bring yourself back constantly, to the mystery of existence, the mystery that you are forever bonded to. The more you can remind yourself of the sheer wonder of being alive, the more you can make your life send meaningful ripples out into the universe. Perhaps that is the only form of eternal life, and what if it is? it is still a wonderful thing.
This is why I find simple answers to questions like "why are we here?"
simple answers like "god did it".
So utterly dull in comparison to the mystery that surrounds us.
It is far better to remain humble and open, and to just enjoy the wonder of not knowing, and the joy of living... to simply understand something like how a flower grows by studying biology, or the harmonys of physics... can be "spiritual" because each are small parts to that eternal mystery... and each question answered, poses new questions.
Isn't it great to be alive!
Right on! Yes, the Buddha was a skeptic, not an occultist. And the universe is really a mystery to be lived, not a puzzle to be solved. And any answer to the mystery has got to be false, and it cheapens the whole thing. Like in the Hithhiker's Guide to the Galaxy the answer is 42! So if you have the answer, then what? How does it transform you? Right? The mystery is beautiful and wonder is a quality to embrace. Looking at the Universe with wonder-filled eyes, with no questions or answers in your mind, will give you the childlike state of consciousness necessary to find how you fit into this heavenly Universe.
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