Spiritual Awakening - From A Dream To Reality

Have you ever had a dream and then woken up, only to find that you're actually still dreaming? Is it possible that you are still dreaming now, but haven't realised yet that it is a dream? Spiritual awakening means awakening out of your dream state of consciousness into the truth of who you are.

The Dream Of Form

Also known as spiritual enlightenment, spiritual awakening is essentially waking from your dream state of consciousness - lost in thought, time and concepts - to what you actually are: intense conscious awareness. It is also described as being awake within the dream that we call reality - the world of form.

Remember a dream you had, any dream. Now remember a past event from your life. Is there actually any difference between the two? Of course you may say that one was a dream and one wasn't, but if you take away this concept - what is the difference?

-There is not much difference. Is it possible that you are still in some kind of dream? The only difference being that you may not have yet fully woken up or realised that this is actually a dream?

When you have a dream at night, unless you have a lucid dream (link opens new window)you believe that whatever is happening is real. You feel emotion, see things, feel things as if it is all "real".  Then you wake up. "Oh, it was all just a dream".  It may even seem ridiculous that you were even tricked into believing it was real, as the situation within the dream was so absurd and unlike the reality that you are used to.

Then you may continue with the rest of your day, where you believe that whatever is happening is real. You feel emotion, see things, feel things as if it is all "real".  What if you just haven't woken up this time?

When you think you are looking at the outside world, what you are actually looking at is a picture in your mind - light enters the eyes and the brain projects a picture of reality for your consciousness to view. It is all in your head. This is similar to when you dream at night - it is all a reality within your mind.

When you are in a dream and become fully aware that it is a dream, you can do seemingly impossible things - flying, telekinesis, walking on water, creating reality as you choose. This is called lucid dreaming. These kind of powers are what enlightened masters are said to have had. For example similar stories exist about the powers of Buddha and Jesus - healing, walking on water etc. Characters such as these were teachers of enlightenment and were themselves enlightened beings. They were awake within the dream.

How Do You Wake Up?

Waking up is the same as what is called becoming spiritually conscious, knowing yourself as the awareness behind your thoughts, emotions and sense perceptions.  Practice present moment awareness, understand the nature of the ego, practice non-resistance and non-judgement - and you will realise what you already are from seeing what you are not.

Drop the idea of spiritual awakening or spiritual enlightenment being a goal to be obtained. This implies future, as well as looking to the future for fulfilment - this is just a "spiritual version" of ego. 

Do not think your fulfilment depends on spiritual awakening, or think that you may or may not attain it. Just bring conscious presence into this moment, now. This is spiritual awakening. Everything else happens by itself. This is waking up from the dream.