I am awake.

[Aaron]

Can someone please help me? In this context, what exactly does "awake" mean? When people use the term, do they mean they are simply aware of "something" beyond the self? Is there a connection to "the beyond" implied?

Is this different from mere psychological awareness of one's thoughts and actions? Does it imply any responsibility or re-orientation of principles or activities? Would people who refer to themselves as "awake" seem to act differently than others to an outside observer?

Thanks.
~p~

Has everyone been getting enough sleep lately. Not me!

Hi, Peregrine. What I meant when I said "I am awake." is that I am no longer largely functioning on the level of my ego (although sometimes I slip back "down", whether it's for a thought, sentence, a few minutes/hours, or even a whole day!). I am both thinking and acting on a level that's less confused, more accepting, and more aware than before. It's hard to explain. Whereas before, "truth" seemed to lie scattered in a million different statements I could make about myself like "I am male. I play videogames. I like x type of music. I like x type of movies. I have a girlfriend. I don't have a girlfriend. I have a job. I don't have a job." etc. now "truth" seems to have pulled together to something that is closer to a single statement, "I am." coupled with the realization that everything else will come from that, not the other way around. Of course, I look back on my own thoughts and actions from a few months ago and laugh at how unconscious I was then. And those few months ago I was laughing at how unconscious I was a few months before that! So I assume I am in no way fully awake yet. Haha The most powerful method I have found for awakening myself is to constantly watch the emotions and thoughts that flow from me. Don't judge, don't control them, just watch. And when I'm thinking or speaking, I always ask "Who is really thinking or speaking right now? Is it my ego? What is the real purpose for thinking or saying this?"

"Is there a connection to "the beyond" implied?"
I think that that is the automatic reaction that people have when trying to understand what's really going on. But to me, it's more like "becoming more genuinely human". Instead of blocking parts of me out, I allow all of me to flow. That's just how I see it. There's a book called "Buddhism Without Beliefs" by Stephen Batchelor that talks more about this subject.

"Is this different from mere psychological awareness of one's thoughts and actions?"
I don't know if it's any different from simply being more "brain aware" of your own processes in there. To me, it changed from "I am this thinking, breathing human being." to "I am aware of a group of processes called a thinking, breathing human being." But I don't feel like I am an awareness, I feel like I'm an aware human.

"Does it imply any responsibility or re-orientation of principles or activities?"
Definitely yes and yes, for me anyway.

"Would people who refer to themselves as "awake" seem to act differently than others to an outside observer?"
I've gotten a lot of comments about my behavior that I never got before. I can't post them here without feeling like I'm stroking my ego, haha but they've been along the lines of "You're so free-willing." and "How come you never get mad?"

Sorry for the long post. It could have been a hundred times longer but I'm trying to refrain from saying way too much.

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Hi Aaron, thank you for joining us here. I look forward to our learning from each other. Thank you for sharing your heart of service.

At 40, I have an interpretation and I wonder what you think about it. I think that growing up in the Internet age gives both an advantage and a challenge that is quite different to what previous generations experienced.

I think that for today's youth - whatever reasonable cutoff age you use for "youth" - it's easy to appreciate that there are many diverse points of view, many perspectives and interpretations, countless voices. And of course we should explore and learn together, assembling our own tradition as we go. These types of thoughts all come naturally to someone who's been online for life. These ideas can be such a struggle for older people, especially if they haven't used computers or the Internet much outside of their job duties.

Yet there can be too much stimulus, always something new and exciting just one click away. Because of this, it might be far harder to learn how to have a still, quiet mind, to meditate and find peace within, to not get caught up in the dramas of the day. Younger people today might more easily be tempted to have an overly cluttered mind, like a computer running too many programs at once until the whole system grinds under the load.

Do you think this generalization is worthwhile? Or does it really depend more on the individual 20-year old and his particular circumstance and personality?

Thank you for your welcome. (I love that little play on words!) Well, when I first made this thread, my trains of thought were going more towards the second half of your post "too much stimulus, too much identification with drama, too hard to find stillness", but after Pereginus' and your post, I am feeling a little differently now! In fact, I was just thinking the other day "Wow, if I want to learn about a subject, any subject, I can just look it up in the library or online! Colleges are easy for most everyone to get into. We certainly live in the Information Age." So I think that way more information generally cycles around the mind of the younger people.

But what you said in the first half of your post is also true. If I may paraphrase, that they haven't had years to become egotistically attached to any one role of stereotype. And due to the massive amount of information freely available, due to the seeming ability to go in any career direction or travel anywhere they want, the ever important realization that "I have free will!" seems more apparent.

I think it definitely depends on the individual, and we can't make a blanket statement like "It is easier for youth to awaken." or visa versa. Thank you for your enlightening post!