What Comes After Enlightenment

Enlightenment has become a fuzzy word, so for the purpose of this article, let’s define it as the realization of Oneness. Not the knowledge nor mind-level understanding that “yes, we are all One; isn’t this wonderful” but the realization based on direct experiences. When you are enlightened, you know it as clearly, solidly, and directly as you know your heart is beating. There is no doubt, no room for discussion, period.

So you want to be enlightened?

If you are still in the illusion of separation, enlightenment (again, meaning this realization of Oneness), especially the first glimpse of it, can be wonderful. You’ve been looking for ways to come home and suddenly you realize you are already home. No more struggles to find your way.

However, the truth is enlightenment is not the end. If it is, we didn’t need to bother to be incarnated at all. As I explained in this article of who we are, we started as the one being.

What would be a good analogy? It’s like making jigsaw puzzle from a picture. If appreciating the beauty of the picture is your purpose, you wouldn’t want to break it up to puzzle pieces. You already have the complete picture. Yet some people actually like to make puzzles — because they want to play with puzzles. It’s fun.

Truth is in ambiguity

So enlightenment is only half the truth. For example, Eckhart Tolle’s “A New Earth” is a great book. I agree with everything in it. But it’s only half the truth.

The other half is about our individuality.

We tend to think “If one is true, the other is wrong”. Well, in this case, both of these statements are true in its full meanings;

• We are all One.
• We are individuals.

This may be hard to grasp because we are so conditioned in the monic thinking. Take your time to get use to this perspective.

Because otherwise, you could be stuck in enlightenment.

After Enlightenment

Many so-called spiritual people are stuck in enlightenment. After they see the Oneness, they cannot make sense of their life as it unfolds on this Earth.

Surely, we are better off by dropping certain ideas. So if you find yourself not caring about worldly achievements or how you might appear in others’ eyes, great. It may take some changes in how you steer your life and you may feel disoriented for a while, but that’s just usual with major changes.

This kind of change is common after enlightenment and not what I mean by being “stuck”.

What I mean by being “stuck in enlightenment” is ignoring the meaning of why we are incarnated with physical bodies, with different interests, likes, etc.

The nature of life

By definition, being in this physical world means we choose one over the other. Whereas you have both male and female energies as a spirit, physically you are either a man or a woman. Whereas you could be anywhere and everywhere as a spirit, physically you are either here or elsewhere.

As a spirit, you already know Oneness and you can experience everything that ever happened and ever will. You have every possible perspective. As a physical being, you experience one thing at a time from a fixed point of view.

Being physical is restricting but also fun. We choose one piece of the puzzle over the other.

Being fully here

After enlightenment, it is essential to learn to be fully here. To experience what is happening right here and now.

Learn to switch the modes. I have three modes: my individual existence mode, my psychic mode in which I choose specific perspective other than my own, and the Oneness mode.

You may have just two (without the psychic mode) or may have more that I don’t know yet. That’s okay. The point is to realize that all these modes are equally important and to be able to consciously switch the modes.

If you have prejudice, such as one favoring the Oneness mode, you miss the joy of this physical world. You also fail to exercise your power you potentially have. This undermines the purpose of this incarnation.

If you cannot switch modes consciously, you are at the mercy of whatever is happening around you or in the shared common consciousness. This is super disempowering.

How much time to spend in each mode? This is up to you, but for most people, I recommend spending sufficient amount of time in your personal mode, while spending enough time in the Oneness mode so you won’t forget it. (Here is another article about the two modes, the absolute and the relative, that you may find helpful.)

True Enlightenment

Come to think of it, true enlightenment should mean this conscious and free shifts in our awareness. Realizing there is another mode besides the separated individual mode is only the beginning.

And what happens when you have this true enlightenment? Freedom! You realize very few things, if any, matters and you can be fully yourself.

You could be singing and dancing all day long. (By the way, this is close to what I’ve been doing since I got a piano. I am on voluntary sabbatical, not making any money, just going crazy with music ♡ I heard Rumi did something similar, too.) Or maybe you have something else you like doing — isn’t it wonderful we each have different likes?

And if you think I’m so conceited — well, what do I care? This is so much fun!

Also I have forgotten most of the things I use to write. Seeking cannot be a part of this being, and even the memory of it means so little now. (And mind you, this blog has been my life.) In order to place some links in this article so that it would be helpful to some readers took quite a lot of time because of this.

Soon, I will forget enlightenment. That is true enlightenment.
(photo credit)

Everything Is Perfect As It Is

(Photo credit)
After sensing the oneness, I realized the real depth of our current economic situation and other issues we have globally. We are far worse off than most economists and environmentalists say. This, of course, gave rise to my ego. Then came the undeniable sense of perfection and awe, just as I sense oneness.

Everything is perfect as it is.

Regardless how horrible it may look and how nerve-wrecking it is to our ego. There is absolutely no error in the Universe. The One Life that we are is always perfect and things are unfolding perfectly.

Perfection in movement

This does not mean we need to be stuck in the way it is now because “everything is perfect as it is.” That’s a very static view of life. Life is constantly changing and this perfection is there in the movement.

So if you are overweight, broke, lonely, or whatever problems you have, please take relief. You don’t need to stay that way. You also don’t need to hate the way it is now.

Paradoxically, realizing this perfection brings power that is far stronger than the power our ego can handle. I cannot explain this because explaining is the function of the ego. I just know.

Perfection beyond proof

I also cannot explain how each situation is perfect despite the seeming troubles. I am starting to see how the global economic meltdown is the perfect solution to our environment issues, but that is only one thing among many. I cannot explain how this war works perfectly in the big picture. (My ego despises the war, by the way.) I also may not know how your personal problem is perfect in your life.

I just know it is.

Not about perfectionism

Needless to say, this enlightened sense of perfection has nothing to do with perfectionism, which is what the ego does all the time to cover up its imperfection. It’s not about trying to be perfect; you already are.

An example — the current economic meltdown

If you have felt this absolute sense of perfection, then you probably don’t need to read the rest of this post. As you know, we cannot explain — the sense comes from something bigger than our ego and it is beyond words.

The rest of this post is my intellectualization of why we are experiencing the economic crisis. If you haven’t felt the perfection, it may bring some hope. Maybe.

First, please realize you have no real control or access to the money you have in the bank. It’s gone. Whether the balance is close to zero or multiple digits doesn’t matter.

If you are in doubt, think of the money you have in an account that you usually access by phone or internet. So what happens when the internet or their website goes down? What if the automated answering system of the bank is malfunctioning and no real person ever takes your call?

See, you are at the mercy of the bank to do anything with your money. Let’s just hypothetically say you find a big chunk of the balance is gone mysteriously, so you call your bank to ask what happened. No one answers — you just go round and round the recorded system. You try the website, but like the recorded phone system, it only has preset choices, and you cannot find the answer to your situation nor fix the issue.

Even if the bank branch is nearby, the situation is pretty much the same. It’s not you who has the control of your money. It’s the bank, and other systems.

It gets even worse…

And if you get scared and take out your money from the bank, you are taking even bigger risks. You may get physically assaulted for the cash you have.

Further, money has no real value anyway. It’s a make-belief game we play with the government. When the government betrays our trust, the value changes without warning. So, if you think your money is safe because it’s in FDIC insured saving account, think again. All they have to do is to print more paper bills to give you. In such situation, the value of the money plummets and steep inflation happens, as it happened in Germany after WWI. You may not be able to buy a loaf of bread with $1000.

Even if you have your assets in the form of precious metals (like gold, which value has sky-rocked because so many people noticed the danger of paper assets) or real estate, you are not safe. The precious metal values are on the bubble now and the market can crash anytime, like the real estate market did.

This is the economic system we have built. Our life is on the thin line of trust, trust that the value (the buying power) of the money stays about the same tomorrow that it is today, trust that the bank is there tomorrow, trust that our communication system works seamlessly, and so on.

So many presumptions and no real guarantee.

It’s not only the currency issue…

Let’s say you have a job, an employment. How do you get to work? Perhaps by car or public transportation. So what if we become out of gas? Can you get to work on foot? If not, you don’t have a job, and without its employees, your company dissolves.

How do you get foods? Probably by going to stores. What if there were no foods on the shelves of the stores? Now it doesn’t matter how much money you have. Even with $1000, you cannot buy a loaf.

These situations have happened in many areas of the world, some quite recently. The danger is real even though it is hard to visualize for someone living in America or other “wealthy” countries.

And why this is perfect!

When you really understand the seriousness of the economic crisis, that it is not a temporary “down” but is based on the fundamental systems we have built globally, you may feel shocked, like I did.

And yet, all this, and beyond, is perfect.

Here is my thoughts. Again, this is my intellectualization of why it is perfect. Like any thesis, it is subject to rejection and objection. The sense of perfection is there anyway.

So imagine what you would do when you lose all your money, cannot get to work, and cannot buy foods at stores. After the initial shock, you realize you need foods.

The only real source of foods is the earth. Sow the seeds, and mother earth, with the blessings of the sun, gives us foods. Quite abundantly. You might also raise chickens (pretty easy and doesn’t take much space) and other animals.

If you have a piece of land, you can do this there. Like your backyard. If you don’t (like myself), and lose our residence, we might have to start a community living arrangement.

How the environment will be restored

We all become farmers. People with other basic life skills such as building and repairing houses and furniture / tools will be well appreciated, too.

Only manufactures that build life necessities would survive this social change. And there will be far fewer transportation (mostly public). So the causes of pollution are naturally gone.

How we will be very sad, and then happy

The transition will be extremely painful. Especially in northern cold areas where fuel shortage can mean life threat. Many people will die, and I might be one of them.

But after that, people will live in a small scale, reality-based economy. Living close to the earth will bring back the joy and peace many of us have forgotten.

It’s not only good for the environment. We will be happier. We will be restored to the original loving nature.

In such a small scale economy, we get to know each other and help each other. Most of the issues people go to counseling for will be gone. Want to feel stronger bond with your spouse, family, and friends? Want to feel you are worthy? Come work on the earth together.

A new lifestyle

Is this the return to the primitive rural lifestyle? Yes and no. We will retain the knowledge and technical expertise we have now and even expand more.

I am not suggesting we become uncivilized cavemen nor old-fashioned (often narrow-minded) so-called country folks. It’s a new enlightened way of life that incorporates small scale agriculture and other hands-on community living features.

Our modern life has become too much of the excesses — at the cost of destroying the environment. In the process of restoration, some loss and pain is inevitable. It’s not a punishment — we have pushed the scale out of balance so we just get some reactions.

The Apocalypse is perfect, paradoxically

This is just one example of how seemingly negative situation is in fact perfect.

You cannot sense perfection by thinking, however. Your thinking mind (the ego) knows no perfection, it only knows imperfection and complaint.

On the other hand, once you sense everything is perfect, beyond reasons, you see perfection in everything. Not only the economic situation, but all your problems are perfect. For instance,

Your break-up is perfect.
I don’t know how it is perfect — perhaps you are meant to meet someone else, perhaps it helps you to find the strength in you, or it could be any other reasons — but I do know it is perfect.

Your illness is perfect.
It doesn’t mean you need to be that way for the rest of your life. Or you may have to live with it. You may be learning something from it, you may be losing something unnecessary to you thanks to your health problem. I don’t know, but I know it’s perfect.

Plug in any “problems”. Everything is perfect as it is.

Feeling Oneness

(photo credit)

I have a tendency to complicate things. First of all, I read too much and think too much. Do you have the same tendency?

The other day, I got on my bike and went to the bike path. Eugene has a bike path where no motor vehicles are allowed — just people walking, jogging, biking, roller skating, wheelcharing. It’s along a little creek, and although it’s not far from the main street, it’s surprisingly peaceful there.

And there, everything reminded me the simple truth: It’s One Life.

The sky, the creek, the trees, the birds, and me. And other people passing by.

One Life, one heartbeat, manifesting as many, in different, seemingly separate forms.

I guess I knew this for a long time, but then, as I read about enlightenment and so many other things about spirituality, I got confused. I started to think about oneness, rather than simply feeling it.

That doesn’t work.

Spirituality myths

So, this article is a reminder that truth is actually very obvious, very simple, it’s right in my face. This article is also about my way of expressing how things feel to me (now) because I suspect a lot of things that people believe in spirituality are just myths.

The myth of awakening
Nay, I don’t get awakening. It’s more like the One Life in me awakens. I think Adyashanti says the same thing but I cannot find the exact quote right now.

The “I” that I usually think of me is the ego. It doesn’t matter how careful I am with the various tricks the ego uses. The one that is being cautious of the ego, the one who thinks I shouldn’t be identified with the ego, is only another persona of the ego.

On a nice day like that, however, the One Life in me awakens despite the resistance of my ego. And then, there is a good deal of confusion and disorientation because, at one moment, I identify with the One Life, and at the next moment, my ego sneaks back and I “think” from the place of my ego.

The myth of the ego
Some people claim they have killed the ego or their ego fell off. That sounds cool. All I know at this point, however, is that hasn’t happened to me. The ego is still there. And as I wrote above, if I am fighting against the ego, well, that fighting me is just another aspect of the ego. The One Life really doesn’t care.

“Enlightenment” is a dumb word
Because it implies you are dark, or at least, not light enough. And when you believe in that and start “seeking”, well, of course, that is your ego in operation.

While we are at it… “divine” “sacred” and other blah’s are dumb words, too
Realizing oneness is simple. All these holy sounding words are just working against you and the natural process by compartmentalizing spiritual realization.

“We are all one” is a confusing phrase
I understand what this phrase tries to express and I totally agree. But for me, the phrase implies there are “we” — you, me, and other people. It sounds that we (collection of individuals) come together, trying to believe in the oneness. And of course, “trying” has nothing to do with realizing.

The way I feel is there is only One Life. First, there is this One Life, and then, it appears as many. For a good fun reason.

“The world is a mirror” is another confusing phrase
Here is my apology. I use to write things like, “When I see myself in you, in everyone and everything, how can I not love you?” (From I Love You) Well, that was still a mental image. The way I now see it is the One Life in me sees the One Life in others.

I don’t see myself (Akemi — Akemi’s ego) in you. Akemi is here. What it is is the One Life (also called Consciousness or Source, etc) that is always present in me, in you, in everything and everyone, finally wakes up and recognizes itself in everything around.

The law of” attraction” is a confusing term
Ultimately, there is only One Life. How can it not create what it wants within itself? It’s not about attraction. It’s about creation, and creation is always in the process.

I’ve always insisted it’s creation, not attraction, but it is so clear now. So here is a tip if you want to use LOA effectively: Relax. If you are working so hard with affirmations, visualizations, and so on, you are actually resisting the natural flow.

Get out, get a life

As far as I know, from my own experience and from what I heard from some of my friends, we are a lot better off spiritually when we get out in the nature rather than spending extraordinary amount of time reading and thinking. This doesn’t mean reading and thinking are no good, but I’m afraid some of us are imbalanced like I was before.

Also, a lot of time doing nothing is a good thing. I am taking this month of December off from my work. A voluntary sabbatical. It may sound crazy to people who think work or money are the most important, but right now, I just want to be watching the sky.

I have a feeling I’ll be posting less often going forward.
So a bit early, but here is my holiday greetings to you all.

Happy Holidays!

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