ASK ABDI: WHO ARE WE?

QUESTION: Starting to see the truth has been a life-long process, hence the act of waking up vs. living awake. Many said to me… the problem is that I don’t believe I’m already awake, and the illusion is believing there is a process to waking up. I’m told awake already exists in the parallel universe of waking up. I listen and ponder the feedback and wonder... isn’t being born in human form simply to experience the human condition? If I am made in the likeness and image of a God consciousness, and I live in a realm where everything is God consciousness, then the human condition/experience by the very nature of humanness will be duality, living in love and shadow. Isn’t the human journey our conscious evolution of bridging love into the shadow? The process of waking up, not necessarily the destination of awake?

ANSWER: Words are tricky business when using them to address deep knowing. They are akin to soothing an itch on our face by scratching our reflection in a mirror. You say, “Many said to me… the problem is that I don’t believe I’m already awake”. Two points: the first is that you have tried to intellectually understand something that is beyond the intellect and have asked these questions before and they have not satisfied your inquiry. The second is, that many of us confuse belief with knowing. We can have a belief in something, but that is not concrete evidence. Knowing is what is solid. Aim for that solidity - in matters that are important to you.

A person in dire financial need can go around and ask people if she is wealthy. After much discussion, she might be told that she is, in fact, a millionaire. She can even believe this to be true. But until she can find and use her bank card to withdraw the cash, her belief will not help her reality. That is what I mean by knowingness.

There are many techniques into this self-inquiry. Pick one and keep at it. The vichara practice of asking “Who am I?” is brilliant. Keep asking this question. The first reply might be your name. Ask again. The next reply might be: a woman. Ask again. A daughter. Again. A seeker. Keep going deeper and deeper and see what treasure this well will bring to you. Find out who is asking these questions.