What is it like to be awakened? (覺醒是什麼樣子)

What is it like to be awakened?

TRANSCRIPT OF SKYPE WEBCAST INTERVIEW OF ALINA SHALEV WITH ONENESS RUSSIA


Liliana Maresca en Oneness

【覺醒是什麼樣子】 ( 中文)
http://paris-linda.blogspot.tw/2012/03/blog-post_20.html

View Video http://www.worldonenesscommunity.com/video/what-is-it-like-to-be-awakened



Gratitude to Debra Garver for the transcript.





SASHA: Everybody says Hi to you.



ALINA: Thank you. Dobrei Vecher, Russia! (meaning Good Evening in Russian) It's so good to be with you. Thank you so much for having me.





ALINA: Very good. So the first thing I wanted to speak is about misconceptions about the awakened state, why we make so many ideas about what an awakened state is. So I think one of the main misconceptions is that we think this cannot happen to normal people, to mothers and people who are just normal just like us.



So now it starts to happen to normal people, people like us, people who did not meditate for 40 years in a cave.





And it's very interesting when people feel it, but still people don't quite recognize it because it's so simple and it's not something extraordinary. It's something very simple that is your natural state of being. And with each person that awakens, it will be easier and makes it easier for other people to awaken. And that's why it's so important to awaken yourself, to do the work that needs to be done in order to awaken yourself.





I see so many people, they say how can I help others, how can I help others. The best way to help others is to do the work for yourself and to awaken yourself. When you awaken yourself, you will help so many others just by the state you are in. And another myth about awakening, another misconception is that it will be very hard to happen, and that's not true either. It can happen like this (snap).





I really, really believe it will happen to many, many people this coming year, to many people. Yes. A lot of people, I think, will see that the dream state, meaning not the awakened state, it's really just an illusion of the mind. And this dream state, it's still very strong in the human consciousness, in the collective human consciousness.



But that is changing too. You see that is changing.





It is changing with every awakened person. It's changing in music, it's changing in the movies. And when it starts changing very fast, people will start popping in awakened state like popcorn in a bag. You know, it will be pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, like that.



And one thing that needs to be done, if there will be one thing that you ask me -- "What should I do?" -- it's nothing really you can do because it's all through divine grace and it can happen very fast. But what you can do is to be aware of what's happening to you and to do the work.





When you feel conflict inside your heart, go inside your heart. And look inside your heart and remember not to blame others, not to blame the event, not even to blame yourself. No more blaming. Just look inside, what's happening in your heart, and just see. That's all. Just be aware.





Yes. Maybe we'll take some questions.



PARTICIPANT: The main question is could you please describe perhaps how your state is different from the one which was before, I mean in just normal things like in the family, in the relationships, and how just you feel about your life.



Like we all know that we're full of fears and insecurity and craving for significance, and how is it after that now?





ALINA: Very good. So how has this state changed my relationships? You pointed out perfectly a lot of what's happening. A lot of the suffering comes from the ego because we do crave significance. So if I would be to describe this state, will be that the ego is gone, completely gone. Just not just the ego, but the "I." Like Sri Bhagavan says, the "I," it's completely gone.





In relationships it's very difficult to argue if only one person gets triggered, so nobody can really offend you. If the "I" is gone, how can they offend you?



And, also, the need for significance, maybe it's still there in a way, but it does not grab you. It's not controlling you. I still like to feel loved, I still like to be the center of attention, but it's not controlling me. I just like it.





So in relationships also, let's say in relationships with my son. I have a nine-year-old boy, I feel so much closer. Nothing has changed, it's just everything that's good has enhanced. And I feel so much closer to that state of a baby that has a great energy, that's glorious and happy and joyful and blissful. So you can connect with children much better.





And what's interesting that I see happening -- because this is new for me too, but what I see happening that people who are around me in my presence, they are very sensitive to this state and it's contagious. People just feel happy for no reason.



And when people feel happier for no reason, they don't really want to argue. So arguments or hate or all these kind of emotions don't even come in the consciousness that much at all.









PARTICIPANT: One second. How about fears, insecurity or, you know, the fear of the future and the memories of the past and charges?





ALINA: You are asking such amazing questions. Thank you. They are questions in very high states of consciousness, I can tell. Yes. Because these are the questions that will come when the ego knows it's about to die.





So, yes, about worrying about the future or worrying about the past, see, the ego cannot survive. The way the ego survives is taking you either in the future, worrying about the future, or taking you in the past, taking you in fear and anger because of some events that happened in the past. The ego cannot survive in the present moment.





In the awakened state, it's living in the present moment. You do not live in the past and you do not live in the future. You live now. And that's why life is so beautiful, because you enjoy every single moment and every moment is just marvelous. It's so wonderful that you do not even consider going back to events that happened in the past and at the same time not even consider worrying about the future. There's no need to worry about the future because the future is not now.





So when you live in the now, a lot of that is gone. A lot of the worries are gone. A lot of the guilt is gone. A lot of the "not forgiving" is gone. It just happens. It's nothing you can do about it. It just happens when you live in the now, in the present moment.



And about insecurities, again, when we feel insecure, we only feel insecure because we think we are worried about what others will think about us. When there is no I, there is nobody there to worry about that.





Like, for example, right before I came to speak with you, I didn't worry for a second about what you will think about me or if you like me or not. I just be this. I just enjoy the interaction. I just enjoy the moment. I just love. I just love you. It sounds quirky, but it's true. It's just the love that's coming out, that's all.





SASHA: People are saying in the hall that they can feel it.





ALINA: Yes, good, good. Me too, yes. So that's all. There is no need to be feeling insecure. Why should you feel insecure?





But I think another point about that, it's important that before you get to this point where you just love and you don't feel fear, before that, you really have to again look inside and accept everything. You have to see everything that's happening inside. And the only reason we feel insecure is because there is something inside of us that we have not accepted.





SASHA: Insecurity arises when you don't accept something about yourself. ***?





ALINA: Yes. And the best way to see it is, let's say you have judgment towards somebody else. When you see somebody and you have judgment about that person, that is because you did not accept something about that person that's in you too.



I teach the Oneness Awakening courses, and I used this myself before awakening. When I used to see somebody and I judged them for whatever reason, I would say, oh, this person is so controlling, and then I would add, "just like me." So that way it really forces you to look inside and see what's happening inside you. And that leads to a very, very strong inner integrity.





And when you have that kind of inner integrity, you don't necessarily have to say it out loud. First you just -- you're just being very honest with yourself. And when you are so honest with yourself, like really, really honest, and you start to see everything that you don't like about yourself, everything that you hate about yourself, everything that you thought this is so ugly about me, and you see everybody else is the same, then the Divine really rushes in. That's when the shift starts to happen in a big way.



As you know, Sri Bhagavan was saying there are four stages for awakening. First is being one with yourself. Second is being one with others. Third is being one with nature and animals and trees and -- one with nature. And four is being one with God.



So the first *** is being one with yourself. And this is what you can. This is what people can do. This is what you can work on, being one with yourself, meaning not being divided in self, inside yourself.





And when you are one within yourself, when you accept all those things about yourself that you reject, usually reject, when you accept it, when you embrace them, then you become one with others automatically. It just happens, because you cannot judge others anymore when you see them. They are just like you.





Then you start to enjoy nature because it just happens automatically. There's nothing you can do about it. When you feel so connected with everybody and so at ease and so comfortable with yourself, then you start enjoying the moment to moment to moment, and you start enjoying life and enjoying nature.





Then you can look at a tree and you don't see a tree. You don't label it. You just feel it. You just see this beautiful creation that's movement of life and you become one with it automatically. There is nothing you can do. It just happens.





Then you start to have so much love for the Mother Earth, for the planet, because it sustains us, it's giving us life. You cannot not feel so much love towards the planet. So when you feel one within yourself, then you feel so connected with everybody around, one with others, then you feel one with nature, how can you not feel one with God?





You will see God in everything. You will see God in the sky, God in the tree, God in another person. Just a beautiful -- everything, it's a beautiful manifestation of the One, a beautiful manifestation of the One, the Divine.





But it all starts with being one with yourself, and that's all that you can do. There is **nothing you can do about that. The rest just happens.



I think was a very long answer.





SASHA: One more question: How did the actual shift happen? Was it instantaneous or was it gradual over a period of time? And if at all there were any efforts from your side, what were those efforts?





ALINA: Let me write it down because there are three questions in one. Let me start with the end.





Was there any effort? For the actual awakening moment, was no effort at all. It just happened out of the blue. And I just knew something happened because life looked very different. So there was no effort at all on my part. It was just all Divine. No effort for me. It was nothing I did, nothing I did.





So it did happen spontaneously, but I would not like to share with you how it happened, because if I do people will just make concepts that this is the way it has to happen. That's not true.





SASHA: Spontaneous, it happened to you, right?





ALINA: Yes. And like Sri Bhagavan says, there are 7 billion people on the planet and 7 billion ways to get awakened and be awakened. So the way it will happen to you, to each one of you, is very unique to you. And it's perfect for you.





I would say one of the questions was it spontaneous, and then was it gradual, and what was the process like. I would say before it was permanent I did have a period of time where I would go back and forth. A lot of "I got it, I lost it, I got it, I lost it." And it was very frustrating, but it was necessary for the process.





So, again, I don't know how it will happen to everybody. It can happen in the blink of an eye. It can happen in the next breath you take, or it will take, you know, a few more months of back and forth and a little frustration.





And it's just something is there for you to learn and something is there for you to see, but I have no doubt that it's happening. I see it in people around me. It's just beautiful to see. It's -- I think this is even a bigger gift than being awakened, to see it happening to other people.





So, yes.





SASHA: Also, of course you have this emotional bliss, state of bliss and you feel good, but maybe you had some physical changes as well? On a physical level something changed?





ALINA: On the physical level, I'm not sure. I'm not sure what happens changed on a physical level because I can't really -- you know, it's like a child that grows. You see it every day, so you don't see the difference much. But if you don't see a child for six months, then you say, "Wow, you've grown so much."







So I see myself in the mirror every day so I'm not sure what changes have occurred in a physical life, in a physical form.



SASHA: Maybe health or something?





ALINA: Yes, people have told me, "You have changed, something about you has changed. I see you six months ago and I see you now, I don't know what but something has changed."





As far as energy for the body, I think what's influenced the most is that there is no drain of energy because every time we worried or, you know, would blame others or we are in a state of suffering, the energy is being drained from the body.



So when that energy is not drained anymore because you are not in the mind, you are not going around and around to the same subject and all that chatter is gone, then you have energy for your body so your immune system is stronger, gets stronger. Your organs have more energy to process the food, to sleep better. So I think that that's changed a lot.





And that's why I really feel that in a case of ailment that's caused by an emotional charge, those ailments really -- I don't have any, but I really think that they can be gone if they are caused by an emotional -- emotional turmoil.



Did that answer?





SASHA: Okay. So you don't want to tell how it happened to you, it's okay. But maybe you want to tell us what you felt when it just happened. Maybe some feelings, just sensations, something.





ALINA: Yes, that's fair. Fair enough. Fair enough. Yes.



When it happened, I -- I remember walking, and all of a sudden I was enjoy- -- it was at night. It was in India and it was a full moon. And I was walking on this path. They had trees around the path. And all of a sudden, I enjoyed the darkness.





I never knew you can enjoy the darkness. It was just -- I enjoyed the air around me, the sound of my flip-flops, the sound of a dog barking in the distance. Everything became so enhanced. It was just such a bliss to just enjoy what was around. It was just incredible without the mind interfering. The mind was quiet. There was no comments from the mind.







So it was just this overwhelming -- overwhelming feeling of joy for what it is. And I didn't understand how in the world I could miss this all before. Because I was so trapped in the mind, my mind was very, very busy all the time talking, talking, talking, I didn't have time to enjoy what was around me at all. For the first time, I enjoyed that.





And in moments like that, what I used to do -- because I had moments where I felt very thankful and very grateful to the Divine for a special moment. So I went inside my heart and I tried to connect with God. And before I was connected -- this is me, this is me, and this is God, and I have a relationship with God. Right?



Yes. And for the first time I could not connect with God that way because there was no I. I tried to find myself and I could not. I was looking inside to find myself and I couldn't find anybody. It was just gone. Also, I could not find God outside either. It was not something that was outside. It was just everywhere. So it was very disorienting. I didn't know how to function in that very much. So that grew and changed and went deeper and in very -- in many ways got much more beautiful as the time passed.





And all those teachings that Sri Bhagavan is giving us for the past month or so, when he says the awakened one, this, this, this, for the webcast, those -- every single one, it's an experience. It's a life experience. It's not the concept. It's something I live. And I'm so grateful that he gives it because I wouldn't have the words to say it. And that's that.





PARTICIPANT: One last question, my last attempt, actually. Because you are refusing to say straightforward, I'm trying to paraphrase the question.









ALINA: The answer will still be the same.



PARTICIPANT: Let's try it. Actually, you're saying that the actual moment of the shift, there was no -- there were no efforts from your side. But there must be some efforts before it happens -- before it happened. So we just can't stop putting efforts before it happens. We can see it from our side. So maybe you can share and maybe you can suggest something. We heard a few things that you mentioned already, that we have to face whatever is there inside and -- but maybe you can just point it out once again. What would you suggest us to -- how to put our efforts?





ALINA: So the question was: We know you said it doesn't take efforts, but could you please tell us what effort should I put in. So I'll answer. I will answer.







A long time ago I heard Doug from the Oneness University say something that stuck with me for a long time. He said this, he said if you bring all the awakened people in one room and you put them sitting on the floor, and you ask them -- you ask them a few questions. You say, Okay, how many of you got awakened because of a Sadhana that you did? Nobody would raise their hands.





If you ask them, how many did you get awakened because of some meditation technique that you learned, nobody would raise their hands. How many got -- how many of you got awakened because of some teaching that you learned and you put in application? Nobody would raise their hands.





But if you ask them, how many of you got awakened because it was pure grace and it just happened, everybody would raise their hands. So it does happen automatically. And that's the way it will happen to you, because the energy of the earth are right and because a lot of people are getting into this awakened state, which will influence everybody around.





As far as effort, I want to address effort. Sri Bhagavan talks about effortless effort. So how much effort is needed? I did say you have to put effort before awakening, not for awakening itself, but for awakening, how did we get prepared?



You put in application the teachings from Oneness, stay with your suffering until it turns into joy. See the suffering. It's coming for the perception of the fact, not the fact itself.





I didn't do anything else except the teachings from the Oneness and the meditation that I learned in Oneness, nothing else. But the truth is that I really had the passion, really a burning desire to apply the teachings. It wasn't just the teachings mentally, but I applied them and I put myself on the line applying the teachings. And I really stayed with the suffering wherever it came up. Really put in application the fact that everything, when fully experienced, turns into joy. I really applied everything.



And also sometimes -- sometimes about effort, sometimes we put too much effort and sometimes we put too little effort. And how much is too much and how much is too little, only you know.





If you are really honest with yourself, you will know that you are not putting enough effort. And if you are totally honest with yourself, you will know when you are putting too much effort. And when you know you are putting too much effort, then you know that effort is not what's needed. What's needed is surrender.





And that will bring you to that place where you completely surrender to the Divine, and that's when the Divine can do the work. It will be a point in your spiritual path where you completely have to surrender, complete surrender, because it will be very clear that there is nothing you can do about it. That's that.



SASHA: Thank you very much, Alina. Thank you.



ALINA: Maybe we'll go into a three-minute -- two-minute meditation.



Last updated by Maria Bernett 17 hours ago.