- Heightened awareness of the Awakened leads to impartial view of everything
- Balance and composure are the flow of the source - litmus test
- Ideas of spiritual refinement are always in the context of our shortcomings to stay awakened
- Journey of the awakened being towards enlightenment
Awakening brings immediate understanding of the impermanence and uncertainties of life. This loosens the grip of self-identification with life experiences.
The awakened one begins to develop dispassion towards worldly activities, not as an apathy towards life, but as a dynamic response to higher awareness. This heightened awareness leads to an impartial view of situations, enabling the awakened one to perform with greater sharpness in any given circumstance. Dispassion manifests as balance and composure, contrary to the common perception of distastefulness and lack of interest in life.
This balance and composure represent the flow of the source. This is the simple litmus test, if you are not balanced then you are not awakened.
At this stage, through self-enquiry and heightened awareness of the very existence, nature of limited self and its connection to something greater can be unravelled. In the light of the greater entity everything within becomes clear, fault lines and imperfections stand out. Where refinement is required is automatically understood.
Spiritual refinement is a very vast realm to cover in one lifetime. It involves refining and purifying one's thoughts, emotions, beliefs, and actions in order to align them with higher spiritual principles and values. Spiritual refinement is a transformative journey aimed at enlightenment by the awakened ones. It involves deepening one's understanding of the self, exploring the nature of existence, and connecting with the divine power.
This transformative journey begins with inner purification. Recognising and releasing negative patterns, attachments, and ego-driven desires that disturb the balance and hinder spiritual growth.
Cultivating virtues such as compassion, love, forgiveness, humility, and integrity, and aligning one's actions with ethical principles that promote spiritual growth and harmony.
Engaging in practices like meditation, prayer, worship, self reflection etc that foster a state of tranquility becomes the beginning of the inward journey as all of this helps to stay in the awakened state for longer durations.
Awakened ones cannot live in opposite environments, in the world outside and the world within. So they bring spiritual principles and practices into all aspects of life, including relationships, work, and daily routines, to foster a holistic and integrated approach to their spiritual refinement.
The greatest hurdle in this path from Awakened to Enlightened is not in cultivating refining practices or doing "Sadhana" to be in the awakened state. That is easily achieved. It is not even difficult for an awakened one to be away from the temptations of the world.It is the fear of suffering and death that silently slows down the progress. Most people find it difficult to pass this stage of working with fears, the greatest of all being fear of pain, disease, death. Only after this is cleared can one truly be enlightened. To be enlightened is to be fearless and live as a TRUE BEING. It is the one true emergence of the awakened, totally into the light of real existence. It is coming out of the self-imposed limitations.
