Who Am I? A Journey into Awakening – Part 3

Continued from Part 2

We’ve established previously that the Self is pure consciousness. One thing I would like to add is that the Self is continuously turning back and witnessing itself.

When consciousness recognizes itself continuously, life is experienced from this perspective. We are consciousness having a human experience. This realization is a monumental step in our spiritual evolution which can give us a profound sense of unity with creation.

At some point, consciousness recognizes itself in everywhere and everything. The Self-reflection of this process eventually matures. When ready, consciousness can then look beyond itself. What is possibly beyond the infinity of pure consciousness?

Brahman – Stage 3

The term “Brahman” comes from Vedic philosophy and refers to absolute reality. Absolute reality is beyond time, space, and causation, yet is the source of all phenomena in consciousness.

Unlike previous stages, it isn’t the individual or the Self that perceives Brahman. Rather, Brahman is known by itself. There’s a transition from experiencing to knowing. We can say that Brahman is knowing itself prior to consciousness.

There may be an initial experience of emptiness – yet, emptiness doesn’t quite describe this state of being because there is fullness. It also may feel as if the electricity powering creation has been turned off, and everything goes into blank silence. The mind may perceive blandness or dryness during this initial phase. In hindsight, this “dryness” was not indicative of a lack or deficiency. Rather, it was a shift in reference point of being. The mind, with its preference for activity and sensation, might perceive the attribute-less nature of Brahman as nothing.

Indeed, the correct word to describe this state of being is “nothingness.” Nothingness is not meant to be understood as emptiness. Rather, it transcends existence and non-existence, and form and formlessness. The individual continues to exist in creation, yet knows itself as Brahman. The individual may realize the entire universe is contained within the physiology.

However, all words, including “nothingness”, fall short of fully capturing the essence of Brahman. While “nothingness” can be used as a language pointer, it’s ultimately the direct realization and knowing that leads to Brahman.

Linear time as we normally understand it is also transcended. Time and space are all concepts that apply to consciousness, but Brahman lies beyond these dimensions. There is no past, present, or future… just timeless existence. There’s a freedom from the confines of chronological time because Brahman is eternal and unchanging. The concept of time tends to vanish when all subtle dualities are collapsed into one.

As one matures in the Brahman stage, there’s often a transition into what has been called the “Refined Brahman” stage. In this stage, one starts to notice very subtle qualities of Divinity emerging within the nothingness of Brahman – like noticing a faint melody playing in the background of silence. So while the initial transition into Brahman might feel dry, over time this will deepen into an experience of quiet lively fullness.