Using Awareness As A Tool For Spiritual Advancement

We usually learn through books, courses and after our experiences but whatever the medium is — it happens with thought. It’s through thought that we’re accustomed to learn.

Thought processes the information we absorb from the world. More thoughts in the form of books or experiences means a more complex mental machinery; one that may look impressive to the world but depressing to us.

As we keep feeding this machine with more thoughts, we become attached to it. Our opinions, our beliefs, our basketball team, our story all turn into a heavy burden that we must carry throughout life.

Most people look terribly exhausted today. They carry too much weight. They’re identified with their thoughts. They must defend them, fight for them. It’s a never ending battle because others too, are doing the same.

What most don’t realize is that thought, like the body, is supposed to be a great servant, not a master. Both are supposed to be tools we use to navigate and experience physicality.

If we allow the body to use us for instinctive inclinations, as most do — we forget who we are, why we’re here and what we’re supposed to do. And thought becomes deranged — always working on how to prevent pain, and enhance pleasure.

We’ve all jumped from our seats whenever something took us by surprise. That’s the body’s intelligence. It knows what to do. It doesn’t need unnecessary thought.

A mind that thinks based on those biases — preventing pain and enhancing pleasure — is a mind that has become entangled by polarities. It lacks the freedom to move, question and stay alert/alive.

Whatever information passes through such a mind is immediately distorted, because it gets ‘cooked’ by these extremes.

Because of this ‘corruption’, such a mind cannot serve — it dictates. Reality is always processed very slowly. It’s like a computer from the 50's trying to handle all the information in today’s world.

By spiritual advancement therefore, we mean the freeing from this entanglement. If we cut all the noise that’s associated with ‘enlightenment’ — it’s just this—more processing power. With more processing power, we’re able to perceive/process much more information in ‘live’ — this moment. It’s like having the bigger picture in mind, at all time.

We’ve all regretted acting like a jerk at some point in our lives — we were triggered, emotions were high, we did things we wouldn’t do otherwise. And so on. We didn’t have enough processing power.

Now how do work it out?

By realizing that the only true freedom we have comes from our awareness. It is by being aware that we reclaim our freedom over any situation.

As we increase our awareness over situations, we gain more processing power. Eventually we may live in absolute ‘bliss ’or ‘ecstasy’, but for now, it doesn’t truly matter.

Because most of us have identified with thought most of our lives, awareness feels bizarre. It shouldn’t.

Behind every thought, there is awareness. Thought is displayed on the screen of awareness. This same awareness can be felt in the body. Awareness uses the body and thought before they’re given enough energy to start behaving like independent entities.

If it’s through awareness that body and thought find enough energy to create the endless conflicts, the pain, the suffering, the confusion, the hopes , the despairs (because there is not enough processing power) — it’s by reclaiming this awareness back that we regain freedom. That we process more.

In doing so, we turn all our automatic/unconscious processes into conscious ones. We go from a life without choice to one of decision. Through our relationships with people and life, we learn about ourselves. Relationships bring to light our different facets. In paying attention, we learn.

Being aware or paying attention is not to be confused with engaging in thought — awareness is not commenting or criticizing oneself. That’s thought’s trick.

Awareness doesn’t have an opinion, it’s unbiased. It just looks and in looking, it brightens the darker corners of unconsciousness. As it happens, we free ourselves from limited reasoning. And our processing power goes up.

As we keep turning our experiences into opportunities to go deeper within ourselves, as we keep a close eye on our internal rhythms— we know thyself, well, ourselves. And this process is freedom.

This is it. Start simple.

Become aware of your thought and body. When triggered, try your best to observe things while they happen. You feel like messing things up? Maybe you already did? It’s fine. Start small. Don’t expect much. Keep it doable. And one day you’ll be surprised at how far it got you.