Subject #7: On awareness

Awareness is about seeing reality as it is, not as one would like it to be. Seeing everything without one's ego - therefore without judging, without preference, without past and future, without idea structures, without any filter which distorts the vision of what really is. It is the result of self observation when one becomes aware of the function of mind and finds out what really is this "me". One with clear vision. Another expression for awareness is being awake.

Most people are at deep sleep and remain in sleep their whole life. There may be sudden moments for them when they open slightly their eyes, see nothing but darkness and fall immediately back to sleep. And when they're sleeping, they see nightmares - in other words, they suffer. Still, the paradox is that people don't want to wake up because it threats to take away their toys of pleasure, their desires, their shelters of religions, their identity and so on. Awakened one has let go of grip of past and tension of future - only present is real.

Anthony de Mello expressed it in very fine way:

Most people tell you that they want to get out of kindergarten, but don't belive them. Don't believe them! All they want you to do is to mend their broken toys. "Give me back my wife. Give me back my job. Give me back my money. Give me back my reputation, my success." This is what they want; they want their toys replaced. That's all. Even the best psychologist will tell you that, that people don't really want to be cured. What they want is relief; a cure is painful.

I could also note that it was Anthony de Mello's book Awareness (where that quote comes from) which got me into spirituality. Though I have always been a wonderer and interested about deep questions of life, that book started my real inner journey. And what a journey it has been so far... Am I aware? Am I awake? You might want to ask me those questions but what really matters is how is it with You?