~ ∞ ~ The Art of Mindful Living - Awaken the Living Awareness Within ~ ∞ ~

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In the previous chapter, we explored something called Lucid Living. As a supportive chapter, rather than a comprehensive one, this chapter introduces the reader something called the Art of Mindful Living, or short, just mindfulness. There are lots of good books and resources out there full of detailed descriptions outlining how to practice mindfulness — this book is not one of them, and therefore it is advisable to seek out those kinds of resources for more insight.

Currently, we live in a world that contributes in a major way to a mental fragmentation and disintegration. It is our fast-paced lifestyle in today’s news feed-driven world that causes restlessness, anxiety, and decoherence of the mind. This happens because we are constantly bombarded with so many different forms of distractions. When we are too involved in life’s distractions, we are losing the sense of what is important and meaningful. As a result, too many unique and memorable moments are missed completely.

Even though we all know at the very core of our being the truth that life unfolds in the present, still most people are never fully present in the moment — instead, they let the present slip away. This happens because they unconsciously believe that the next moment must somehow be more important or valuable than this moment or the previous ones. In so doing, they miss out most of their lives just because they are oriented either in the past or to the future.

When asked, everyone unanimously agrees that it is important to live in the moment, but the problem for many seems to be that they don’t quite know how to live in the moment. Although living in the moment sounds incredibly simple, it isn’t — at least not at the beginning, because living in the moment requires constant alertness and attention to one’s surroundings, to one’s thoughts, feelings, and actions.

Truly enjoying and appreciating life’s most memorable moments takes a conscious effort; and it is precisely due to that effort why living in the moment is often dismissed and replaced with entertainment and other forms of distractions. If follows, naturally, then, that the quality of life is more or less lowered; and so it can be said that remembering to take time to live in the moment is most definitely the greatest challenge of our time.

Living in the moment is closely connected with happiness. We as human beings often believe that happiness is something that is possible to achieve somewhere in the future. This goal-oriented belief derails us from the truth that happiness is inherent in all of us; it’s there — it always has been, and always will be. You see, happiness isn’t dependent on the circumstances; our happiness isn’t dependent on the time or place either.

The conscious realization and acknowledgement that we already have arrived to our destination and we don’t have to travel any further, will create happiness in and of itself. This profound realization further leads to inner peace, from just the simple act of allowing, you see?

When we are more present in the moment, live less out of habit, and more out of intent, and also be careful of our thoughts and emotions — we can increase the quality of our lives. Sometimes this type of beingness or state of being is called “mindfulness,” which is a state of being where one is alert, active and open.

In a nutshell, mindfulness is present moment awareness — a gentle effort to be continuously present with experience. In other words, intentional attention on the present moment. More broadly, mindfulness is complete engagement with the present moment, which enables authentic connection to oneself, to others, and to life itself.

Therefore, mindfulness can be described as knowing what you are doing when you are doing it, which goes on to say that mindfulness is a particular way of paying attention. Thus, mindfulness is the mental faculty of purposefully bringing awareness to one’s experience. Mindfulness can be applied to sensory experience, thoughts and emotions by using sustained attention and noticing one’s experience without reacting. Mindfulness creates space, changing impulsive reactions to thoughtful responses.

Mindfulness is at the root of Buddhism, Taoism, Yoga, and is also found in many Native-American traditions; mindfulness simply stands for the Art of Awareness or the Art of Mindful Living, of what is happening, of living, you see? To be mindful means to deeply enjoy life with a state of active, open attention on the present moment. When one is mindful, one can observe one’s thoughts and feelings from a distance, without judging them good or bad. Instead of letting our life pass us by, mindfulness teaches us how to live in the moment and awaken to experience.

In closing, it can be added that it is through mindfulness that we can experience beauty in everything, everywhere, and in every moment. It is through mindfulness that we can become aware of thoughts, emotions, feelings, physical sensations, behaviors, and speech. It is through mindfulness that the suffering of others and oneself can be understood, alleviated, overcome and eventually transcended.

And more than that, mindfulness facilitates direct intuitive insight (called wisdom) into the ever-changing, conditioned nature of all phenomena from moment to moment. It facilitates understanding that everything is interconnected and interrelated.

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~ ॐ ~ Sambodhi Padmasamadhi ~ ∞ ~

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Get the Book: Awaken the Living Awareness Within – Discover the Keys to Happiness, Inner Peace & Harmony

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[ Click » here « to read the next part: Living Quantum World - A New Synthesis of Knowledge ]

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Extra Material: Video: You're It - Alan Watts. Video description: "An inspiring and profound speech from the late Alan Watts. Speech extract from 'Zen Bones and Tales' by Alan Watts"

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Further Reading - Book Recommendations

For those who might be interested in deepening their understanding of these areas, I can wholeheartedly recommend the following books: 1.) The Way of Zen 2.) An Introduction to Zen Buddhism 3.) Manual of Zen Buddhism 4.) Essays in Zen Buddhism, First Series 5.) Essays in Zen Buddhism: Second Series.

1.) The Diamond Sutra 2.) The Heart Sutra 3.) A Treasury of Traditional Wisdom: An Encyclopedia of Humankind's Spiritual Truth (Wisdom Foundation series) 4.) Words to the Wise: A Practical Guide to the Esoteric Sciences 5.) The Tao of Physics: An Exploration of the Parallels Between Modern Physics and Eastern Mysticism.

~ ღ ~ Living Awareness ~ ((( ॐ ))) ~ The Heart of Living Life ~ ღ ~

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Perhaps it is best to start this chapter by highlighting what Lucid Living is. The term itself goes hand in hand with the idea of Living Awareness – it is the implication of experiencing deeper levels of awareness. In a nutshell, Lucid Living refers to a state of being widely awake, vividly clear, and totally lucid, while at the same time being empty and receptive.

Imagine for a moment, if you will, that you would be able to be fully present in the moment, without the interference of thoughts, feelings and emotions. Now, imagine for a moment that you could live your life in this state; then, ask yourself: What are the implications and benefits of living life in such a state? To get a glimpse of what Lucid Living is like, one would need to expand their level of awareness way out of the norm to experience it for themselves.

With Self-Mastery, it is possible to awaken to the Living Awareness that dwells within – this happens through one’s own free will, which is, in turn, aligned with the Divine Will, you see? Living Awareness opens up the doors of perception for a wider reality and to deeper levels of understanding. With this, the journey within begins. The journey always begins from the Self; it happens through the Self; and ends with the Self, you see?

The beautiful Art of Lucid Living arises from the conscious realization and acknowledgement that life is a continuous process of evolvement and development – a process of becoming, of attaining new levels of existence and organization; the process itself includes different cycles of learning, integration, and expression – these cycles consists of different stages that direct the evolution of a living being.

As one goes through this process, it is possible to awaken and become aware of myriad things – within and without, you see? As one awakens to one’s true nature, one comes to realize that life isn’t a material, but rather a spiritual experience. In other words, spirituality is the crystallization of whole existence. This deep realization brings out the curiosity to investigate the Divine World that surrounds and interpenetrates everything in a reality we call the material world.

Those individuals who are willing to daringly explore new frontiers of their own consciousness, of their inner world – Innerverse, and are ready to go fearlessly beyond their usual limits, will eventually find the Key that unlocks the Mysteries of Lucid Living within. When one consciously trains oneself to be more present in the moment, they can eventually develop the needed clarity to see beyond the ordinary and aim for the extraordinary.

Furthermore, if one trains oneself to be actively conscious of the present moment, one can consciously start to change the structures of the mind and rewire the neural pathways, so that one can have more control over their own happiness and quality of life.

In so doing, the courageous individual enters to the world of extraordinary and arrives at the forefront of Creation, where all the new and exciting is discovered and created; this is the Sacred Place within the Self where only the worthy may enter – a place of Divinity, Infinite Love, Peace, and Serenity; in this place, the unknowable is made knowable, the unimaginable becomes imaginable, and the unbelievable becomes believable.

The beginning steps may be difficult – yes, but the process gets easier as the individual begins to walk the walk instead of just talking the talk, so to speak. If the journey would be easy, everyone would be pursuing it, wouldn’t they? It is for this reason why the path of Self-Mastery is often a lonesome one, as it eventually involves the spiritual aspect as well – Awakening From the Dream of Life, you see?

Therefore, it goes without saying that only a few are able to awaken, and even fewer can become aware that such path even exists; of those who do, only very few recognize, acknowledge and appreciate the possibility it represents, even fewer contemplate and reflect upon it, and finally, a rare few have the capacity, tenacity and resilience, perseverance and will to embark on a spiritual path that will lead to Self-Mastery. The truth is that only a few have the needed courage, determination, and strength of will to even try.

Those who decide to pursue the path of Self-Mastery will enjoy the journey to the fullest, as it is of their destiny, you see? The journey of becoming a Living Master Piece of Living Art is the destination in and of itself – the pathless path. This path – is you, and every obstacle on the path is you, as well; and this, my friend, is The Way of Life that Lao Tzu wrote about a long, long time ago in ancient China.

Now, let us circle back to the present time, which represents a turning of the tides, so to speak. Currently, we are in the midst of a transformative maturing of Collective Human Consciousness, which allows us more flexibility and control over our own happiness. In other words, we are being called to explore the totality of Life itself.

Living in the moment is the single most important thing that we can do with our life. Instead of letting our life go by without living it, we could awaken to the experience of being fully alive and free from the chains and shackles that have previously held us back. At best, this type of state opens up a new window to life, introducing us a whole new type of experience. When we begin to live in the present moment, we can consciously access the dreamscape itself – this type of experience can be called “Lucid Living.”

The best way to explore the mysteries of life, the mystery of consciousness and the mystery of existence itself, is to subjectively explore the different levels of our own consciousness by practicing being more aware.

If one were to use an analogy to describe Lucid Living, they probably would use the following one: this type of alive and vivid experience of life can easily be compared to viewing a film in an Ultra-HD resolution with stunningly high refresh rate – an experience that has not only more depth and variety in colors than the ordinary normal resolution, but also more temporal resolution which allows one to notice more detail and nuance.

The most amazing thing about this type of living is the truth that the experience isn’t only richer in color and sound, but that the experiencer is embedded in the action and creating the story in real-time, you see?

In mastering the Art of Lucid Living, it is of paramount importance to remember that the past is history, the future is a mystery, and this very moment – here and now, has been given to us as a precious gift from Life; that is the reason why this “now” moment is called “the present,” you see? The best advice I can gift you with on your own unique path in life, for you to take with you and treasure, is simply this: Be present in the moment, enjoy the process, and live life to the fullest.

By doing so, the unfoldment of life in the present becomes more fun and interesting – in all possible ways – always. Living in the moment involves a profound paradox, though: You can’t pursue it for its benefits; that’s because the expectation of reward launches a future-oriented mindset that subverts the entire process – instead, you just have to trust that the rewards will come to you in perfect timing.

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~ ॐ ~ Sambodhi Padmasamadhi ~ ∞ ~

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Get the Book: Awaken the Living Awareness Within – Discover the Keys to Happiness, Inner Peace & Harmony

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[ Click » here « to read the next part: The Art of Mindful Living ]

~ ღ ~ Living Awareness ~ ((( ॐ ))) ~ The Heart of Living Life ~ ღ ~

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~ ∞ ~ Self-Actualization ~ ∞ ~

This chapter is pretty much self-explanatory as it highlights the deeper levels of Living Awareness. You see, presence itself is our true nature, and the more we become aware of this presence, the more our perception expands. Living Awareness opens up the perception in all levels of Reality, which means that in this level of perception, one would be able to realize that there is no separation between the observer and the observed, the subject and the object. As we have learned from the previous chapters, and continue to learn in the following chapters as well – being aware of what is present » here and now « is the key to experiencing fulfilling life.

7 Levels of Living Awareness:

1.) Awareness.
2.) Awareness of Awareness.
3.) Awareness of Awareness being Aware.
4.) Awareness of Awareness being Aware of you.
5.) Awareness of Awareness being Aware of you being Aware.
6.) Awareness of Awareness being Aware of you being Aware of Awareness.
7.) Awareness of Awareness being Aware of you being Aware of Awareness being Aware.

The same expressed in a more dynamic way with more context. By embodying all the levels of Living Awareness, one is not focused upon the past nor the future, but rather, one exists fully present, awake and aware in the now. In this state, one can become Aware of Awareness. After becoming Aware of Awareness, one would naturally become Aware of Awareness being Aware.

This realization would lead into the next phase of awareness: becoming Aware of Awareness being Aware of you. This realization would lead into the Awareness of Awareness being Aware of you being Aware; resulting the state of awareness, in which Awareness is being Aware of you being Aware of Awareness – extending to the level of awareness, in which you would be able to become Aware of Awareness being Aware of you being Aware of Awareness being Aware.

Experiencing this magnitude of realization is so profound that it might be shocking to say the least – if digested in the ordinary states of wakefulness; it is because this level of awareness would result in a real-time mirroring effect, in which the Living Life would be arranging a specific set of nexus points in the fabric of space-time continuum. That is, Living Life would respond directly to you by utilizing the Phenomenon of Synchronicity as a gateway for delivering the response to be experienced in a serendipity-like fashion in the present moment.

The individuated finite mind would not be able to handle it all at once, which is why the awakening into one’s true fundamental being happens in stages. Awakening to Living Awareness could simply be imagined as a continuous series of in and out breaths of God/Source/Ultimate Being – resulting in the experience of the experience itself – as many emanations, variations, colors, sounds, and flavors, as it were; the more one becomes aware, the more vivid these colors, sounds, and flavors get, you see?

And when it comes to breath itself, one should be reminded of the fact that more often than not, people take it for granted that they can breathe – not noticing the immeasurable value in the breath itself. It goes without saying that we should be grateful for our ability to breathe, and furthermore, directly acknowledge that we are privileged to receive the Gift of Life in each breath we take. When we focus on our breath, we can realize that it is always there – present at all moments.

As such, it is quite clear that presence in itself is the breath; it is the greatest gift from God – the Breath of Life; it is You and I, it is We – Living Awareness, pure Self-Knowing. In the breath, there is no sense of the individuated self – You, I, or the other; the breath is therefore the Union, and the space between the in-breath and the out-breath is the real You – it is pure, fundamental Existence of Eternal Living Presence.

Living Awareness is shared with every particle within All Life, and thus Living Awareness is the Heart of Living Life – this eternal, Infinite Awareness observes every part of Creation by utilizing Living Consciousness as the means; consciousness arises when awareness observes the Creation or any part of its many emanations – so in this sense, Living Awareness is also aware of itself as the other (mirror).

~ ∞ ~ Dude... I AM You ~ ∞ ~

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~ ॐ ~ Sambodhi Padmasamadhi ~ ∞ ~

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Get the Book: Awaken the Living Awareness Within – Discover the Keys to Happiness, Inner Peace & Harmony

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[ Click » here « to read the next part: The Art of Lucid Living ]

~ ღ ~ Living Awareness ~ ((( ॐ ))) ~ The Fountain of Youth ~ ღ ~

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~ ∞ ~
~ ॐ ~ Awaken to ~ ॐ ~
• Living Awareness •
~ ∞ ~

And now, we can delve deeper into Living Awareness itself. As we learned from the previous chapter, Living Awareness is a term that describes expanded and focused state of being, or simply “pure awareness”; it builds upon the idea of an Omnipresent Awareness – residing beyond consciousness, transcending space and time. Living Awareness creates Living Consciousness through which we perceive the world around us; consciousness arises when Living Awareness observes itself through its many emanations.

So it could very well be said that Living Awareness – Pure Alive Presence, is the very nature of Life itself; sometimes this presence is also called as God, Spirit, or simply just the Source of All Being – whatever name suits your fancy, for you see, it matters not what name we call it – in essence, at the deepest level, they all mean the same.

Living Awareness is the creative ground of intention and intuition, and at the same time, it is the source of the sparkle, joy and vitality that we enjoy when we are in touch with our own being; it is our bridge to the creative ground, in which all things abide and from which they spring. Living Awareness is shared with every particle within All Life, and thus Living Awareness is the Heart of Living Life.

This eternal, Infinite Awareness observes every part of the Creation by utilizing Living Consciousness as the means; consciousness arises when awareness observes the Creation or any part of its many emanations – so in this sense, Living Awareness is also aware of itself as the other (mirror). In order for the Infinite to know itself as something that is finite, it has to pretend to be separate from itself – this is the way in which the Living Awareness creates consciousness through which we perceive the world around us.

Living Awareness provides the key to the nature’s secrets and its natural, normative way of life that is inherently invisible, inaudible, and intangible. In nature, Life’s secrets and the containers are invariably intertwined and paired together – answers lie hidden beneath appearances, which means that the questions and answers, the problems and solutions, are separated only by imagination and abstraction.

And these are connected and linked together by awareness, and what keeps them seemingly separate is the level of awareness, you see? This is the clue to understanding all existence. Everything is disclosed only to those who can get rid of their personal biases, opinions, wishes or prejudices about life and existence, which goes on to say that one comes to grips with it by aligning with the core of all being – simply by being more aware of what is.

If one were to ask how does Living Awareness differ from awareness, they would get an answer along the lines of: not by much, other than that of emphasis being placed on the experiential aspect of it – to differentiate between mere idea and something truly alive. Living Awareness is all about experiencing our core essence, experiencing life directly, experiencing reality directly.

This type of experiencing is beyond all indirect methods we commonly depend on for knowing about our experience – such as thinking, sensing, reasoning, feeling, and believing. Just in the same way as intuition doesn’t need reasoning for it to work, so in the same way is the case with direct experiencing, you see?

Hence, it goes without saying that indirect experiencing is limiting in more ways than one. You see, our senses only give us indirect information, which means that we filter in the things that we are familiar with, and filter out the things that we have no prior knowledge or comprehension. And so it goes that the mind and the senses filter out the reality of pure presence – that of Living Awareness.

And this is where the difficulty comes in: there is more to experiencing direct connection to all Life than any language could ever describe – language can only convey an idea of what direct experiencing is like, and because language cannot ever describe the true essence of our existence and our experience of it, we are forced to use sounds, signs and symbols in an effort to re-connect with the Life-force that runs through everything.

Furthermore, even though language is a process of free creation – its laws and principles are fixed, and also the interpretation of words are infinitely varied. Therefore, one can only do their best in conveying even a minor portion of the essence of it, in conveying an explanation that is both understandable and easily approachable, yet precise and comprehensive enough to cover the essentials.

And so it goes that of all the words we have in our vocabulary, Living Awareness is best suited to describe our True Essence, which is just pure beingness, pure awareness – unchanging state free from all ideas, concepts, and definitions. In that sense, it can be said that Living Awareness differs from awareness in the way that it’s a state of being that includes everything and does not exclude anything; this kind of state can be seen as non-dual, which means that there’s no judgment of any kind because there’s no thinking process involved.

By virtue of the aforementioned, it can be said that embodying the present moment by being a fully conscious witness is the same as Living Awareness – it is a pure state of being in this direct experiencing, you see? When Living Awareness embodies our existence – we feel truly alive, in harmony with ourselves and with the world around us; we know who we are, and what we should do in any given moment; we are balanced and effective in ourselves, and hence others appreciate our coherence.

When we are open to Living Awareness, everything we experience is fresh and full with new possibilities. Living Awareness brings into balance the conflicting needs of the different parts of our life – feelings and emotions, mind and body, Soul and Spirit.

This type of pure presence aligns all parts of ourselves and takes us to a place where we discover with absolute certainty exactly what is appropriate for any given situation – with greater awareness we can make better choices, picking options that genuinely enrich our life. It is quite interesting that although this should be our normal state of life, our normal state of being, we mostly settle for less. Intriguing, isn’t it?

We all have within us the capability of becoming aware of this innate connection to all Life, but somehow, we as the collective humanity have learned to forget it. And yet, in spite of this, there seems to be some kind of innate driving force within every human being that seeks to remind us of this lost connection.

Some people have immersed themselves so deeply into forgetfulness that they have fallen to oblivion, like a ship lost at sea at night without the guiding light from a lighthouse, drifting farther and farther off course. This disconnection has caused the experience of separation, and further polarized the individual into a completely opposite direction from the Living Life. The separation itself causes the basic feeling of emptiness that drives us to seek fulfillment from the outside sources.

Spiritually oriented people are often searching for the connection to this pure Living Awareness outside of themselves, which happens in countless different forms like self-help books, podcasts, videos, websites, workshops, workouts, lectures, courses and retreats, but also with many different kinds of healing modalities.

In a similar way, also scientifically oriented individuals are searching for the answers from outside of themselves, through microscopes and particle accelerators; likewise, mathematicians are trying to solve the mystery of life with their ever-complicated formulas; theoretical and quantum physicists are doing this with their mind-based theories which are sometimes so obscure that even they themselves don’t seem to understand their own theories – mainly because these various theories have no basis on the actuality of reality, on how the multidimensional, simultaneous, eternal existence is actually working.

The only reason why people feel the need to return to Living Awareness through these various methods is because they think that they have left from somewhere as Spirit. In all actuality, there is no distance between Living Awareness and itself, nor time where something can occur; Living Awareness never becomes anything else than Living Awareness, it never leaves anywhere – Living Awareness just is. If the individuated self could comprehend this on a conscious level – that realization alone would set it free.

You see, knowing that you have never been anything else than pure Living Awareness – is true peace and happiness; the clear, deep inner knowing that I am whole, all experience is made out of myself, I need nothing but I am everything – is fulfillment in and of itself – see? This we can call an “Awakening,” which is something that takes place within each of us whenever we are ready to remember our eternal nature, whenever we are ready to take that first step in remembering who we are at the deepest level of our being, whenever we are ready to know our core essence as Spirit.

Awakening to Living Awareness is simply becoming aware; and being aware, each moment, of what we are doing as we are doing it, of what we are thinking as we are thinking it, and how we are feeling as we are feeling it, you see? Thus, the quality of our consciousness is elevated, the quality of our mind is elevated, and in turn, the quality of our thoughts, words, and actions is elevated. Mindfulness, meditation, concentration, and contemplation are the keys through which, and by which, one can make real progress – see? It is through these methods that one is able to discover their True Essence as Spirit.

This brings us to the conclusion: at this point in our evolvement as a species, with this level of collective consciousness and understanding, with this level of spiritual development – it is almost pure impossibility to understand the mystery of life from the view-point of the mind. This is because the human mind – as we know it today, is the limiting factor; the dualistic human mind with linear programming cannot understand something that is very much non-linear, beyond words, ideas, concepts, and definitions.

This goes on to say that philosophical pondering will only feed the mind with more pondering and thinking; religions will always create debate with their differing and opposing views; scientific methods will always provide an outside representation of what IS, and eventually what IS – can only be experienced subjectively in perfect symmetry, harmony, and balance of light/dark, female/male aspects of ourselves; and ultimately, what IS – can only be experienced subjectively in full harmony, here and now » within « from where we can transform polarity back into a Non-Dual state of Unity with all Life.

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~ ॐ ~ Sambodhi Padmasamadhi ~ ∞ ~

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Get the Book: Awaken the Living Awareness Within – Discover the Keys to Happiness, Inner Peace & Harmony

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[ Click » here « to read the next part: 7 Levels of Living Awareness ]

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Extra Material: Video: Live Fully Now - Alan Watts. Video description: "Live Fully Now: An inspirational and profound speech from the late philosopher Alan Watts."

~ ღ ~ Living Awareness ~ ((( ॐ ))) ~ The Heart of Living Life ~ ღ ~

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~ ॐ ~ Awaken to Living Awareness ~ ॐ ~

As a natural continuation of the previous chapter, where we talked about Self-Awareness, this and the following two chapters will deepen our understanding of awareness – more specifically, Living Awareness. This is because we have used the term Living Awareness here and there throughout this book, to differentiate between mere idea and something experiential, truly alive; and now it’s time to delve deeper into it.

Living Awareness is a term that I coined back in 2014 to refer the deeper levels of awareness, which I began to experience at that time. In a nutshell, Living Awareness means of a direct connection to Source of All Living Life – it is a state of pure awareness beyond the limitations of space, time, and form – the union of opposites, in which self and non-self are realized as one.

In other words, Living Awareness is a pure state of being that passes beyond the boundaries of our personal existence – a deep inner knowing, an instant realization, recognition and acknowledgment in every moment that the observer and the observed, subject and the object – are the very same thing – One Interconnected Whole.

Before we can delve deeper into Living Awareness itself, it would be beneficial to explain the basic idea behind awareness, so that we can expand upon it later; and by doing so, we can ease the process of understanding when it comes to Living Awareness. Undoubtedly, awareness is one of the greatest gifts that existence has given to human beings – we all experience it, even if we don’t have a true understanding of what it is or how it works.

With increasing awareness, one does find life to be more fulfilling – we will learn more about this in the following chapters. So what is awareness? Beyond definitions related to having consciousness, knowledge or understanding of something, awareness is the quality of being awake, with the recognition that there are different ways in which we may or may not be awake.

Awareness is the state or ability to feel, to perceive, to know, and to be conscious of our own existence – within and without. As such, awareness is closely linked to, and intimately connected with consciousness that makes us conscious of our body and mind, our environment and the world around us. This, in turn, makes us aware of our beingness as a living and breathing expression of life. The physical level of awareness is represented by the body and its sensations of the world.

Although our sensations are experienced through the body, this awareness is distinct from awareness of sensation within the body itself, which goes on to say that there is more to awareness than meets the eye – a spiritual dimension or component, if you will. The spiritual level of awareness goes much deeper than the ordinary everyday states of wakefulness – it can be said to be a direct connection to all that is – knowing reality, knowing existence, knowing one’s being, and ultimately, knowing God, you see?

Furthermore, all life has awareness in varying degrees, or more aptly, all Life is Awareness – Living Awareness that comes from Spirit. Our current level of awareness separates us from rocks, plants and animals; as human beings, in a human level, we have expanded our awareness to a certain level of self-awareness, which allows us to express sapience – the ability to think and act using knowledge, experience, understanding, common sense and insight.

It is this very self-awareness that allows us to think, wonder, ponder, and contemplate topics concerning existence itself; it allows us to conceptualize deeper or larger questions about human existence, to pose and ponder questions about life, death, and ultimate realities. This expansion has not yet reached the level where we would be fully self-realized beings, although we are well on our way towards it.

More broadly speaking, there are two broad categories of awareness: internal awareness, which is all about gaining insight through introspection, meditation, concentration, contemplation, and self-inquiry; and external awareness – which, by contrast, requires one to gather insights from the world around them. As such, awareness is the state or quality of being aware of not only ourselves, but also our surroundings, others in the world, events, and objects.

Awareness, in and of itself, is not something that we have to attain or achieve – awareness is our core essence, and since we are awareness – there is no need to cultivate it; all we have to do is to become more aware of this awareness. This happens by giving up being aware of other things that blind us from seeing that we are awareness itself. In other words, unlearning and unbecoming everything we are not. By doing so, only pure awareness remains. You see, awareness doesn’t have to practice being awareness any more than the Sun has to practice illuminating itself.

That said, it is worth pointing out that there are definite levels of wakefulness, though. We can become more wakeful, more aware by simply being more of ourselves in the present moment. And so you see, by being more aware of what is – we can help ourselves to expand our level of consciousness to house more awareness, which goes on to say that the more we want to become aware – the more we become aware; the more we become aware – the more our consciousness expands. This, in turn, brings more wakefulness and more alertness – an experience of immediate connection to all Living Life.

This direct connection increases our overall energy frequency levels, and thus we can become even more aware of the pure Living Awareness within Living Life itself. This kind of awareness, or pure presence – has immense practical value. Expanded awareness takes us into a deeper relation with the underlying pattern of life, it takes us beyond the limitations of linear mental thinking – into a place of greater wisdom.

When we enter into a deep relation with our own awareness, we go to the heart of the universal pattern which connects all things – seen and unseen. We find ourselves part of a set of relationships, in which whatever happens is connected to everything else. This is how our perspective changes, and our inner understanding (Innerstanding) deepens.

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~ ॐ ~ Sambodhi Padmasamadhi ~ ∞ ~

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Get the Book: Awaken the Living Awareness Within – Discover the Keys to Happiness, Inner Peace & Harmony

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[ Click » here « to read the next part: What Is Living Awareness? ]

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Extra Material: Video: Live Fully Now - Alan Watts. Video description: "Live Fully Now: An inspirational and profound speech from the late philosopher Alan Watts."

~ ღ ~ What Is Self-Awareness - Awaken the Living Awareness Within ~ ღ ~

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Perhaps it is best to start the discussion about this topic with the following truth: one doesn’t have to look very far to see that we are merely semi-conscious beings – it is premature at best, and the height of hubris at worst, to assume otherwise. Let us clarify the previous, shall we? As ordinary human beings, we are not fully awake or fully conscious, even though many want to believe otherwise. Due to our semi-conscious state, our level of Self-Awareness is relatively low.

This is because our thoughts and behavior are conditioned by ignorance, confusion, misunderstanding, and lack of insight. According to cognitive neuroscience, we are conscious of only about 5 percent of our cognitive activity, which means that most of our decisions, actions, behavior, and also emotions depends on that 95 percent of the brain activity that goes beyond our conscious awareness.

Furthermore, we often think that our decisions are conscious, but the data from cognitive neuroscience says otherwise – our brain makes up its mind up to ten seconds before we realize it, which goes on to say that most of the time our experience of life is created by our subconscious mind. This can easily be compared to a situation where we are on a passenger’s seat instead of driving ourselves. Therefore, it is reasonable to ask the question: Are you driving your life, or is life driving you?

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*1 The subconscious mind is a composite of everything that the mind collects by using the senses of the human body. In other words, it is a collection of everything that we have experienced. The subconscious mind stores information that the conscious mind may not immediately process with full understanding, but it stores the information for later retrieval when ”recalled” by the conscious mind.

The subconscious mind consists also with different kinds of processes – such as thought processes, behavioral patterns, habits, and programs that occur automatically. Most often these processes are not available for introspection, but with a certain level of self-awareness, one can become aware of their existence, modify, and even remove some of the processes that are no longer needed.

There is a saying that our lives are the sum total of our choices, or more aptly, sum of our responses to the choices we have made. This brings about the question: If most people live their lives in ‘autopilot’ mode, based on the contents and programs that are stored within their subconscious minds – how many conscious choices have they really made throughout their lives?

To make a significant change to correct this situation, we would need to become conscious of the present moment, conscious of the world around us, conscious of reality, and most of all, conscious of ourselves to reclaim our own lives and to take control into our own hands, so to speak. This is possible with a certain level of Self-Awareness, which is attained by using different mindfulness practices.

And now we can move the conversation forward by answering the question of “What is Self-Awareness?” In a nutshell, Self-Awareness is the capacity for introspection – conscious knowledge of oneself; therefore, it is the ability to recognize oneself as an individual and separate from the environment and other individuals. Self-Awareness involves being aware of different aspects of the self, including traits, behaviors, feelings and emotions – it is the ability to see yourself clearly and objectively through reflection and introspection.

In other words, Self-Awareness is having a clear perception of one’s personality or individuality, including strengths and weaknesses, thoughts, beliefs, triggers, motivators, and other characteristics. More broadly, Self-Awareness means of being aware of the things one should be aware of and paying more attention to that – this allows one to see where their thoughts and emotions are taking them.

When individuals are aware of themselves, they are more calm and responsive to what is happening. To be conscious of who we are, how we think, and what we do – is invaluable because it leads to Self-Knowledge, and in turn, to change that could eventually lead to Self-Mastery, to Self-Realization – realizing one’s deepest desires and capacities, fulfilling the possibilities of one’s potential, and to Self-Actualization – expressing one’s creativity, quest for spiritual enlightenment, pursuit of knowledge, and desire to give to society.

By virtue of the aforementioned with regard to Self-Knowledge – the desire to seek knowledge that guide the development of the self, it is worth highlighting the following: Self-Knowledge requires ongoing Self-Awareness and Self-Consciousness. Likewise, the pursuit of Self-Awareness requires dedication and effort, which are the first steps in mastering one’s life.

You see, it is only through one’s conscious effort, dedication and will, through which one strives towards higher evolution, towards inner transformation, by which inner peace, happiness, contentment and fulfillment is attained and maintained, meaning found, and purpose realized. Are these not the things many people in the world seeks after, alongside with health, happiness, and love? Are these not the reasons why one seeks to develop the self in the first place?

Self-Awareness is developed through practices in focusing one’s attention on the details of one’s personality and behavior, in focusing one’s attention on the present moment, you see? It is through mindful awareness of the present moment that we can become aware of thoughts, emotions, feelings, physical sensations, behaviors, and speech. The practice of mindfulness is therefore more important than ever before – it is the aliveness we bring to our everyday lives that makes all the difference.

Having a developed sense of Self-Awareness allows us to understand other people, how they perceive us, our attitude and our responses to them in the moment. Self-Awareness allows us to sense that we are separated from each other, resulting in the perception of individuated consciousness, which goes on to say that while consciousness is being aware of one’s environment, body, and lifestyle, Self-Awareness is the recognition of that awareness.

Therefore, Self-Awareness is the ability to recognize oneself as an individual and separate from the environment and other individuals. This brings us face to face with another aspect, far too rarely or infrequently discussed or written about with regard to Self-Awareness. We may be different on the surface, we may be different in terms of our upbringing, beliefs, personality, and so on, but underneath, at the very core, we are all the same – human, awareness, consciousness – see?

On a larger scale, this means that there’s no separation because we are made of the same primordial substance, we are made of the same substance as the universe – having one supreme energy with an Infinite number of manifestations of Life. So in this sense, having the ability to feel separated from each other and the rest of Creation gives us the illusion of having a sense of freedom.

This, in turn, enables us to perceive life in more variety – making it seem more interesting, if you will; this is because we have the power to choose due to our free will (or sense of it), which, in turn, allows us to explore reality in our own unique ways.

In closing, when we become truly conscious (Self-Aware), we immediately step into the present moment. And to that, some would say: to what extent we as individuals are aware, is the extent we are alive. You see, our Self-Awareness and consciousness are closely linked together. As such, our consciousness is connected with time, and very much into now (what is here and now in this very moment).

The more we become truly conscious – the more we can realize that what was in the past is actually upheld in the now. We all have memories that need healing, which goes on to say that they must be healed as they arise, you see? This is also the reason why it may be difficult for some people to live in the present moment (ability of being mindful).

To stay conscious in the present, the memories of the past experiences must be brought back into alignment with the Eternal Now. When we become aware of the past, present and future events (all are happening at once – simultaneously), we can consciously change our thought patterns, emotions, and also our actions toward what we actually would like to see and experience in our reality.

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~ ॐ ~ Sambodhi Padmasamadhi ~ ∞ ~

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