Life begings with Awakening- by John Bernie.

Found this short, beautiful piece in my inbox today. John speaks from an ever fresh experience of This.


Life Begins with Awakening

Awakening — the direct experience of our true nature — may be just a brief glimpse at first, a little taste of infinity; or it may persist longer, as a kind of luscious steeping in awareness; or there may be some more permanent shift. There are so many different ways awakening can unfold. Prior to that initial glimpse, that first realization, explanations and translations seem to be necessary. Models, roadmaps, guides, all can be very beneficial. But after realization, explanations are unnecessary. Because now you see clearly that everything is mirroring the truth; everything is teaching; everything is guiding. Guidance is automatically available.

The realization, however fleeting, that you are this — that this infinite awareness is what you fundamentally are — is the beginning, the middle, and the end of the path simultaneously. At that moment, awareness and understanding shift radically. When the truth is really revealed, everything changes. You begin to find the mind becoming incredibly malleable, flexible. No longer caught in the constrictions of paradigmatic thinking, you’re no longer enslaved by your beliefs, or anyone else’s beliefs either. You’re free of all that.

So then what? What’s next? You don’t know! From the awakened perspective, each moment is a new discovery. It’s all brand new, always brand new, right now. There’s no anticipation, no expectation. There’s just radiant aliveness, this vibrancy of being, and in that we recognize our deep interconnectedness with all things.

It’s fantastic to discover who you truly are. And the amazing thing is that that revelation keeps on happening, over and over. As one teacher of mine said when she was in her 90s, “I’m always learning new things and becoming more sensitive.” That’s the freshness, the innocence of pure consciousness — always learning new things and becoming more sensitive, and totally, totally okay with being human. You may have heard me say that the path begins with awakening, but truly, life begins with awakening.

(John Bernie, Clear Water Sangha)