Dear Francis,
A question that has been on my mind for a number of years and which I asked a number of teachers and (so-called ) enlightened people is: are you aware in the deep sleep state?
My notion of full realization, when one is fully cooked, full cirkel so to say is when one is aware in the deep sleep state, also during the day. Ramana calls it susupthi.
You yourself describe in the perfume of silence that in deep sleep awareness is there. There is no conking out, the light does not go out in deep sleep.
The reason I got interested in this is when there was an awakening in 1990 of my true nature I was, as awareness awake for a couple of weeks in susupthi, during the day and also during the night.
After these few weeks this non-experience subsided and I felt that realization had not pulled through, so to say. You know my story.
I find that the majority of advaita teachers and self-proclaimed enlightened ones are not fully realized, while they claim to have reached the summit. So, I asked them: are you aware in the deep sleep state? Most of them got annoyed by this question, or some of them would throw out an advaita plattitude.
I understand well the distinction between enlightenment and realization, the way you explain it. So, my question boils down to this: is tit correct to say that realization is complete when susupthi is 24/7 the case?
I feel that most of the pseudo advaita people are fooling themselves and along with that other people. There is in their writing looks and speech something which is not quite true or of the mark.
It amazes me that almost 99% of the spiritual people don’t see this. Why is that? And why don’t they feel that the cirkel is not 100% fully round.
I would appreciate if you can tell me if I’m seeing something wrong here or what. Maybe I’m not quite clear on this but it feels important to me.
Love, JohnDear John,
24/7 waking doesn’t imply full self-realization, but self-realization implies 24/7 waking, which progressively emerges as an after effect of a complete glimpse of the Self, during the stabilization phase that follows the glimpse. The most reliable evidence that the goal has been reached is abidance in peace and happiness at all times (or at least 99% of the time). We shouldn’t call off the search unless we are fully satisfied.
The tricky thing about 24/7 waking is that the mind may not recognize it right away: when we realize that we are always awake, even in presence of the deep sleep state, we may discover that this condition has been in effect for several years already, unnoticed by the mind. Although it was triggered by the glimpse, and was already somehow in effect from that moment on, it reaches its full effect gradually, just as a headache leaves us after taking some Aspirin. Just as we are not able to pinpoint a precise moment when the pain disappeared, we may not be able to .pinpoint a precise moment when we stopped sleeping.
Atmananda (Krishna Menon) says somewhere (I am paraphrasing a little): “after a glimpse of the Absolute, the superimposition of limitations during deep sleep ceases and we remain awake at all times.” At the end, the two states of waking and seep sleep merge in the natural state of the sage, who is in deep sleep while awake and awake while in deep sleep. He simultaneously enjoys the peace of deep sleep and the alertness of the waking state.
With Love,
Francis
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