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Waking Up: What Does It Really Mean? - Adyashanti on Insights at the Edge

Sounds True・41 minutes read

The Sounds True Foundation aims to provide transformational education regardless of challenges, offering tools like mindfulness to at-risk communities. Adyashanti's spiritual teachings focus on awakening and self-compassion, cautioning against intense striving for enlightenment while emphasizing the need for honesty and self-awareness post-awakening.

Insights

  • Adyashanti, along with his wife Mukti, founded the non-profit organization, the Open Gate Sangha, dedicated to spiritual teachings free of tradition or ideology.
  • Awakening experiences involve a profound shift in identity and perception, with individuals experiencing moments of truth that may lead to a timeless and unified sense of being, emphasizing the importance of conscious participation and continued growth post-awakening.

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Recent questions

  • What is the mission of Sounds True Foundation?

    To create a wiser and kinder world.

  • Who is Adyashanti and what does he focus on?

    American spiritual teacher focusing on awakening.

  • What is spiritual awakening according to Adyashanti?

    A revelation shifting one's identity.

  • How does Adyashanti advise approaching awakening?

    Acknowledge without grasping or recreating.

  • What is the speaker's reflection on their emotional journey post-awakening?

    Shift in response to past experiences.

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Summary

00:00

"Sounds True Foundation: Transforming Lives Worldwide"

  • Sounds True Foundation aims to create a wiser and kinder world by providing transformational education to all, regardless of financial, social, or physical challenges.
  • The foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to offering tools like mindfulness, emotional awareness, and self-compassion to communities in need, including at-risk youth, prisoners, veterans, and those in developing countries.
  • To learn more or support the foundation, visit soundstruefoundation.org.
  • Adyashanti, an American spiritual teacher, focuses on awakening all beings through teachings free of tradition or ideology.
  • Adyashanti, along with his wife Mukti, founded the non-profit organization, the Open Gate Sangha.
  • Adyashanti's works with Sounds True include "The End of Your World" and "Falling into Grace," along with a new digital subscription called "Adyashanti Weekly Moments of Grace."
  • Adyashanti and Tammy Simon discuss spiritual awakening, defining it as a revelation shifting one's identity from ego-based to a more fundamental nature.
  • Spiritual awakening involves a shift from emotional identification as well, moving beyond common emotional centers.
  • Temporary awakenings, like vacations or trips, offer glimpses of truth but may not permanently alter one's way of being.
  • Adyashanti advises acknowledging the lingering effects of awakening while cautioning against grasping or recreating the initial experience, emphasizing the conscious participation required post-awakening.

19:10

"Enlightenment: Unity Beyond Seeking and Perception"

  • The individual experienced a rapid succession of enlightening moments, feeling like lights going off or popcorn popping.
  • They felt a liquid-like substance being poured into them, leading to a timeless experience.
  • Upon regaining bodily awareness, they found their body in a state of calm with no energy or heartbeat.
  • Bowing to a Buddha figure made them realize they were what they had been seeking all along.
  • Following this realization, the individual felt a lack of seeking energy and drive.
  • A voice advised them to keep going, hinting at more to discover beyond their current understanding.
  • Years later, during a meditation session, they perceived themselves, a bird's call, and the sound as one unified event.
  • This experience differed from previous ones, lacking emotional byproducts and offering a pure perception.
  • Testing this newfound perception, the individual found unity in all things, feeling like they were experiencing everything for the first time.
  • Another awakening occurred a year later, where the individual felt they had lost their inner life, leading to a different way of experiencing the world without mental processing or narrative.

39:11

Emotional journey and awakening: a reflection

  • The speaker reflects on their emotional journey, noting a shift in their response to past experiences over time.
  • Initially, sharing deep emotions felt poignant and significant, but over the years, the speaker became less emotional when discussing these experiences.
  • The speaker attributes their current emotional response to a sense of value and appreciation for their past experiences, possibly influenced by age and maturity.
  • They express a newfound peace and acceptance of their humanity, feeling both connected and separate from others due to their unique experiences.
  • The speaker discusses the gradual nature of awakening, noting that some may experience small shifts over time while others have more explosive awakenings.
  • They highlight the role of psychic tension in intense awakenings, suggesting that striving and seeking can lead to more volatile shifts.
  • The speaker observes that individuals with less psychic tension may have gentler awakenings, akin to a flower opening slowly.
  • They caution against intense striving for awakening, emphasizing the importance of being grounded to navigate such experiences.
  • The speaker addresses the misconception that awakening solves all problems, emphasizing that it brings perceptual shifts but doesn't eliminate personal challenges.
  • They stress the need for honesty and self-awareness post-awakening, as individuals must still address emotional and relational issues with integrity.
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