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SHAFIN DE ZANE
My goal in this document is to share with you the blueprint of the journey of authentic spiritual awaken- ing. 99% of spirituality right now seems to be some form of ego trip. So it is my sincere hope that this document will save you from years of needless confusion lost in pseudo spirituality and egoic mind games. I have done that for you having spent the last 20 years going through every kind of spiritual meta- physical teaching you can imagine. In this text, I am going to be as concise and simple as possible to save you time and also to ensure that, in times of need and crisis, you can remind yourself the gist without hav- ing to go through an entire book every time. Although very short, you will see that this document contains a map for your journey of spiritual evolu- tion. Take a printout, keep it handy, and refer back to it when you feel you are getting lost. This text is not a substitute for actual learning from a teacher, nor is it designed to help you in having a profound revelation. The idea is simple: when you have a map, you have an overview of the terrain, and when you have an overview, you can save time by going straight from point a to b, without having to get lost in needless swamps, mountains and ravines. This text is for those who do not like going around in circles for too long. I have tried to omit needless words. I hope you will appreciate that.
It
always
starts
with
profound
discomfort,
or
a
nagging
psychological
itch,
or
a
genuine
crisis.
Something
within
us
becomes
aware
that
there
is
something
more,
something
we
are
not
Oiguring
out,
something
just
out
of
our
reach
but
its
there,
very
surely
there.
Its
like
our
heart
knows
something
that
our
brain
does
not
and
that
creates
an
imbalance
that
makes
us
very
uncomfortable.
What
is
it
that
Im
missing?
When
the
question
becomes
powerful
enough,
the
answer
arrives
in
the
form
of
a
book,
a
discussion,
or
a
teacher.
Usually
this
Oirst
level
answer
is
some
sort
of
Oix
it
type
answer.
We
Oind
some
solution
to
our
crisis,
or
we
learn
how
to
deal
with
our
anxieties,
how
to
make
more
money,
or
we
are
trained
in
the
lan- guage
of
psychology,
success
coaching,
self-improvement
or
personal
development.
Some
people
jump
into
more
spiritual
matters,
but
even
then,
usually
in
the
beginning,
the
answer
is
Oix
it
variety.
At
this
point
we
usually
become
happy
for
a
while
thinking
we
have
found
our
solution
to
all
our
ques- tions.
However
this
happiness
rarely
lasts
very
long,
usually
no
more
than
a
few
months
to
maybe
a
year
or
so.
But
it
serves
its
purpose;
it
whets
our
appetite
and
shows
us
the
path
to
our
inner
world.
The
Seeker
has
been
born,
now
the
seeking
begins.
The
Seeker,
in
all
its
varieties
of
seeking,
has
one
ultimate
agenda:
how
to
become
One
with
the
true
Source
of
power
(some
call
it
Oinding
God,
some
call
it
returning
to
the
Source,
some
call
it
becoming
en- lightened).
The
Seeker
looks
around
and
sees
the
world
in
its
appalling
misery,
his
or
her
own
less
than
perfect
life,
and
says,
There
must
be
a
solution
to
this!
and
the
heart
concurs
Yes!
There
is!
Keep
seek- ing. The
next
level
answer
usually
arrives
in
the
form
of
some
white
magic
type
spiritual
knowledge:
how
to
make
the
universe
do
what
I
want
it
to
do.
People
learn
about
the
law
of
attraction,
power
of
thought,
or
even
full
on
magical
rituals.
And
guess
what?
Lo
and
behold!
It
works!
These
are
the
happiest
days
of
the
Seeker!
It
has
learned
how
to
control
the
Universe.
It
feels
it
has
found
that
thing
that
everyone
is
looking
for
and
it
feels
now
it
can
Oinally
begin
to
party
in
life
full
steam
ahead.
Unfortunately,
like
all
honeymoons,
this
also
ends
at
some
point
and
Life
somehow
teaches
the
Seeker
that
not
all
things
are
subject
to
its
mind
power
and
magic,
in
fact
the
more
the
Seeker
uses
those
powers,
the
more
life
becomes
complicated.
The
more
the
Seeker
rigidly
tries
to
hold
on
to
magic
and
mind
power,
the
more
suffering
it
experiences. At
some
point
the
Seeker
Oigures
out
there
must
be
some
other
better
way,
and
so
the
search
continues.
In
the
next
level
the
Seeker
learns
the
futility
of
control
and
is
trained
to
surrender
instead
of
trying
to
make
everything
go
according
to
its
own
will
and
volition.
It
learns
that
the
less
one
pushes,
the
less
one
Oights,
the
more
one
allows
things
to
unfold,
the
more
harmonious
life
becomes.
This
is
a
hard
lesson
for
the
Seeker
to
learn
but
once
one
learns
it,
life
becomes
easier
again,
with
less
conOlict,
struggle
and
Oight.
One
learns
the
art
of
Olowing,
the
art
of
surrender.
For
a
lot
of
people
this
level
of
learning
is
associated
with
a
return
to
religion
and
an
act
of
surrender
to
God
and
His
will.
Since
most
religions
speak
of
surrender
to
Gods
will,
the
Seeker
believes
that
the
an- swer
must
be
in
the
religion
itself. Some
people
stay
stuck
in
this
level
forever
because
religion
brings
a
tremendous
sense
of
psychological
security
heaven,
afterlife,
a
sense
of
familiarity
due
to
ones
own
childhood
conditioning,
and
not
to
men- tion
the
sense
of
solidarity
with
all
other
members
of
the
same
religion
and
psychological
security
is
the
ESSENCE
of
what
the
Seeker
was
seeking
all
this
while.
But
no
matter
how
much
psychological
security
the
Seeker
Oinds
in
surrender,
that
nagging
discomfort
of
not
knowing
does
not
go
away.
And
at
some
point,
after
suffering
ten
years
or
ten
life
times,
in
one
mo- ment
of
total
honesty,
total
surrender,
all
consuming
Oire
of
total
destruction,
the
Seeker
Oinally
asks
the
root
question,
the
question
that
collapses
all
other
questions:
Who
Am
I?
3
At
this
point,
the
Seeker
realizes
this
profoundly
uncomfortable
thing:
I
dont
know
who
I
am,
and
since
I
dont
know
who
I
am,
I
cannot
possibly
know
what
anything
means
and
all
my
beliefs
and
ideas
are
noth- ing
but
shadows!
Everything
I
think
is
good,
bad,
real,
unreal,
are
all
based
on
the
faulty
premise
of
who
I
think
I
am.
Since
I
dont
even
know
who
I
am,
how
can
I
know
what
anything
else
is?
This
is
usually
referred
to
as
the
Dark
Night
Of
The
Soul,
but
what
it
really
is,
is
the
dark
night
of
the
Seeker,
the
ego.
This
dark
night
can
last
for
days
or
months
and
as
long
as
it
lasts
its
very
painful
and
even
depressing.
Yet
ironically
enough,
the
dark
night
lasts
only
as
long
it
takes
for
the
Seeker
to
get
sick
and
tired
of
playing
around
and
trying
to
avoid
that
Oinal
confrontation
with
InOinity.
The
dark
night
has
one
purpose,
to
show
the
Seeker
the
futility
of
faking
it!
And
so,
one
day
after
the
long
journey
of
seeking,
after
the
painful
period
of
not
knowing
anything,
after
suffering
so
much
that
one
cant
suffer
anymore
the
next
level
answer
arrives!
The
Seeker
realizes
this:
there
is
NO
Seeker!
The
one
who
has
been
seeking
all
this
while
is
not
a
real
per- son,
its
an
IDEA,
its
a
network
of
thoughts
created
through
a
process
of
years
and
years
of
conditioning:
childhood,
social,
religious,
economic,
geographic,
ethnic,
psychological,
spiritual
conditioning!
There
is
not
even
one
seeker,
the
one
with
the
name
(put
your
own
name
here),
but
only
a
movement
of
thought
that
creates
an
illusion
of
individuality. So,
the
Seeker,
for
good
reasons,
tries
to
run!
Run
as
far
away
as
possible
from
this
realization.
Of
all
the
things
that
the
Seeker
thought
enlightenment
would
be,
this
was
not
on
the
list.
The
Seeker
wanted
to
be
enlightened,
to
know
the
deepest
secrets
of
the
Universe,
to
sit
on
the
right
hand
of
God
but
not
this!
At
this
point,
if
you
are
in
the
hands
of
a
good
teacher,
before
the
Seeker
is
able
to
run
away,
the
damage
will
be
done,
the
Seeker
will
die,
the
seed
will
be
planted,
awareness
will
awaken,
true
spiritual
awaken- ing
will
happen!
The
one
who
is
behind
all
the
seeking,
behind
all
the
ideas
and
knowledge,
behind
all
the
conditioning,
behind
all
the
Oilters
has
awakened.
This
is
not
the
me
who
wanted
to
be
enlightened,
but
something
far
deeper
than
me.
This
is
not
the
Seeker,
whose
death
is
the
hallmark
of
true
awaken- ing,
meaning
genuinely
we
are
no
longer
seeking
anymore.
This
is
One
Life
that
background
conscious- ness
that
pervades
all
reality,
which
is
within
each
of
us
and
yet
beyond
all
that
is
created.
However,
no
matter
how
good
the
teacher
maybe,
no
one
can
keep
you
bound
forever,
and
one
day
you
walk
away
from
the
retreat
or
the
ashram,
or
if
it
happened
to
you
through
your
own
efforts
then
your
own
meditation
room.
And
after
a
period
of
blissful
inner
peace
and
unthinkable
freedom
you
Oind
that
even
if
the
Seeker
is
dead,
the
egoic
consciousness
is
very
much
still
there.
And
you
wonder
how
is
it
that
the
ego
still
survives
after
such
profound
experience
of
awakening?
(The
ego
is
that
that
state
of
con- sciousness
that
allows
you
to
perceive
time
and
duality,
it
is
the
voice
of
the
me.)
The
answer
of
course
is
that
the
ego
is
very
much
a
necessary
component
of
this
physical
world.
It
has
its
functions
like
clothes
and
cars
have
their
functions.
You
need
the
ego
to
have
social
relationships,
to
make
a
proOit
in
a
business,
to
play
a
sport
and
all
that
involves
you
perceiving
duality
in
any
shape
or
form.
The
ego
is
your
lens
through
which
you
perceive
duality.
The
problem
of
course
happens
when
you
get
IDEN- TIFIED
with
the
ego
TOTALLY
and
believe
that
the
egoic
view
of
the
world
is
the
ONLY
view
and
that
is
the
ABSOLUTE
truth
rather
than
a
point
of
view,
like
a
world
seen
through
a
colored
lens,
which
is
what
it
really
is.
When
you
get
IDENTIFIED
with
the
ego,
you
feel
everything
and
everyone
is
separate
from
you
and
life
is
basically
you
against
the
world.
If
you
think
through
it
you
will
Oind
out
that
the
moment
you
get
identiOied
with
the
ego,
is
the
moment
true
compassion
and
empathy
ends,
and
every
action
you
per- form
gives
birth
to
conOlict,
within
and
without.
The
next
problem
is
that
because
this
is
a
journey
of
evolution,
and
because
we
have
spent
millions
of
years
or
Oifty
thousand
years
or
Oifty
life
times
(whichever
you
Oind
easier
to
believe)
in
the
grasp
of
our
ego
(which
means
a
speciOic
way
of
using
our
brain),
its
very
easy
for
us
to
fall
back
into
the
egoic
mode
of
perception
from
our
awakened
state
which
is
a
very
recent
evolutionary
achievement.
4
And so the rest of the journey for the Awake One, as long as we are here on this earth in this body, is to play this game of cars and credit cards and marriages and children with as much fun as possible remain- ing as awake as possible. In an ideal situation, we play our game of duality intensely and passionately with integrity, impeccability and style, all the while remaining aware of our true self in the background, which is the One Consciousness that is the same within everyone and everything. We play this game of du- ality as long as it is fun and enjoyable and when its getting too serious, we simply snap back to our origi- nal state. We do what we need to do but we never forget the truth in our heart. The problem here of course, at least in the beginning of the awakened path when stabilization is still not complete, is that when the game gets intense and serious its so easy to get sucked into the full egoic mode again and begin the struggle and Oight, and before we know it, we Oind our self knee deep in conOlict in- wards and outwards. Yet by making this mistake again and again, we learn not to make this mistake again and again, and slowly we stabilize. Once full stabilization is complete a whole new journey of evolution begins. On the transpersonal level involves bringing awakening to the collective human consciousness, and on a personal level something far beyond what words can describe at this point in time. Life becomes a glorious adventure Oilled with real magic and miracles, unfathomable inner peace and freedom, true love and real loving relationships. One of the temptations that haunt the awakened one once in a while in the beginning is to stay away from the madness of human suffering and hide somewhere far from the maddening crowd. Unfortunately, run- ning away to seclusion and personal comfort is usually not an option for the truly awakened one. True awakening is the beginning of true compassion, true love, which means any selOish behavior is no longer something an awake being indulges in, or is allowed to indulge in. There is simply too much suffering caused by ignorance in this world and an awake being is the bearer of light in this nightmare we call hu- man life. Once in while we may remove ourselves from the game to recuperate and rejuvenate; but then we come back again to help all the others who are going through the same ordeal that we once went through.
Question from a reader: I read the Awakening To The In:inite. There is no seeker". I am obviously not awakened, as I dont under- stand. Lots of ego indeed - because not only do I not understand, I feel embarrassed about not understand- ing. The seeker is non-existent? A :ixture of conditioning? We just are? Or worse, we are not? I am so confused. I do not have a teacher, let alone a good one. "This is the One Life... that background consciousness that pervades all reality, which is within each of us and yet beyond all that is created". The "seeker" in me is dying to understand... or maybe it is just my ego. How do stop being consumed by ego? What is the practical manifestation of oneness? You sent me this message - why? But it is here now, I have read it, you have an obligation to clarify my confu- sion. Answer: (For the purpose of simplicity and anonymity, I will be using the name John instead of the name of the per- son I am addressing. Simply use your own name whenever you see the name John.) Thank you for your wonderfully honest call for help. It is this honesty that is the critical ingredient neces- sary for awakening. All seekers are curious, most are serious, many say they are willing to do whatever it takes, but few are honest enough to admit that they dont understand at all what is going on. The question what do I really know for certain? is the least favorite question of the seeker. But it is this question that collapses the framework of belief system that supports the ego to exist. Here is the simple mechanics of the ego: mold reality according to what is acceptable to the conditioned network of beliefs. In simple words, try to make life Oit into what the ego believes is right, wrong, good, bad etc. In even more simple words: to make the present moment understandable by Oiltering it through its already existing database of belief systems (and desires about what the future should be according to those beliefs). But that cannot be, for the present moment is never an exact replica of the past, it may ap- pear that way but it never is, and so the ego is forever in turmoil, moment by moment, with life itself, for- ever Oighting, resisting, trying to Oit the ocean into a pretty little wine glass. And so life is tiring for the ego, rightfully so, because its forever having to struggle! So here is the simplest way to start stepping out of the ego prison of separation and struggle: know that it is not you! The voice in your head is not you. Your mind is not you. They are all your tools in your tool bag, but not you! In fact there is no one ego or one John either, its simply a dynamically changing move- ment of thoughts creating in an illusion of continuity supported by a name: John! There is no one unique permanent John in there, it changes day by day, as it adjusts to the environment, and takes on the shape of whatever Oits the environment. Think about it, the John at 5 years has no resemblance with John at 25 years. Only the name remains, everything else has changed, emotionally, psychologically, spiritually, and of course physically. The illusion is that it is one person who is changing and growing, its not. Its simply a movement of thought that is supported by a name, seated in a body. You are neither this name, nor this movement of thought. You are that which is observing this all. When you are awake you simply stop identifying yourself with the voice in your head, with your thoughts, with the strong emotional pull created by the conditionings of the past, with your conditioned beliefs about life, with your desires/projections of the future, with the shape of the ego moment by moment as it tries to assume mastery over life itself! But mind you this is not an exercise or an effort or some sort of self-discipline, it is a simple knowing like I am not a chair, it is what I sit on, and while I like to sit on it
when I want to, I am not going to hold on to it with dear life, and I do not need to convince myself every morning that I am not a chair! What is the practical manifestation of oneness? No struggle with life moment by moment, freedom from continuous background anxiety and fear, the experience of true empathy, love, freedom and beauty and the big enchilada of course you are awake! Hope this helps. I know this will only intensify your search even more, and that is the idea. It is the Oire of frustration of meaningless seeking that will burn down the ego one day and then you simply realize that awakening is the simplest thing in the world no special knowledge, prolonged spiritual training, sitting in cave for twenty years is necessary unfortunately when we are in a pleasant dream no one wants to wake up, it is only that the nightmare gets intense enough that we suddenly wake up and do not wish to go back to sleep for the rest of the night. Ask more questions as it comes to you, but ask only when you have meditated on what I already said, do not be lazy, think for yourself Oirst, then ask the right questions. Your life depends on it. Its not a joke. And have fun with all this. Remember, honesty is the key ingredient here. If you are truly honest, life will send you answers before you can even formulate the questions.
Question
from
a
reader:
Hi
Sha:in...
I
have
read
your
teachings
and
i
think
you
can
help
me
with
these
problems. Let
me
give
you
my
life
style
and
problem
I'm
facing.
I'm
a
student,
just
a
teenager,
17
years
old
boy,
study- ing
in
a
good
college,
living
a
good
life.
The
problem
Im
facing
is
that
I
have
lots
of
work
like
serving
my
family.
Sometimes
have
to
cook
food
have
to
clean
the
house.
I'm
happy
with
all
those
things
because
I
do
this
from
my
heart.
I
love
my
mom
really
and
she
is
too
old
to
do
all
these
things
alone.
My
problem
is
I
can't
manage
the
time...
I
don't
have
time
to
study.
Actually
I
have
but
I
don't
know
why
I
can't
study
for
more
than
30
to
50
minutes.
I
have
friends
and
I
give
time
to
them
too.
I
daily
make
my
mind
that
tomorrow
I'll
do
everything
and
do
this,
that
and
bla!!
bla!!
I
have
been
facing
this
problem
for
about
1
year
and
that
tomorrow
hasn't
came
yet.
Hope
you
understand
the
problem.
And
one
more
thing
is
I
lack
con:idence
When
sometimes
have
to
do
presentation
in
front
of
people
my
words
shake
and
I
can't
express
what
I
have
in
me.
Same
goes
when
I
sit
in
exams.
Please
suggest
some
ways
for
me. Answer:
Here
is
the
problem
with
human
nature:
when
we
are
in
a
pleasant
dream,
no
one
wants
to
wake
up.
It
is
only
when
the
nightmare
gets
intense,
we
suddenly
wake
up
and
do
not
wish
to
go
back
to
sleep
any
more.
The
problems
you
are
facing
in
life
are
primarily
because
you
are
totally
IDENTIFIED
with
your
mind.
You
believe
that
the
thoughts
in
your
head
is
WHO
YOU
ARE,
you
believe
the
voice
in
your
head
is
YOUR
voice,
you
believe
one
day
you
will
be
rich
and
famous
with
5
supermodel
girlfriends
by
using
your
mind,
and
as
long
as
you
believe
in
all
this,
you
are
going
to
suffer
because
of
your
mind
because
your
mind
is
sick,
not
sane,
not
awake.
Try
to
understand
this:
YOU
ARE
NOT
YOUR
MIND,
YOU
ARE
NOT
THE
VOICE
IN
YOUR
HEAD!
It
will
probably
be
very
hard
for
you
to
accept
at
this
age
because
you
are
still
going
to
believe
that
one
day
your
mind
will
bring
you
all
those
wonderful
things
in
life.
It
wont!
And
even
if
you
become
rich,
famous
etc
through
stupendous
effort,
you
will
still
suffer
because
the
human
mind
is
sick,
it
is
neurotic,
it
is
stuck
in
a
glitch
of
evolution.
You
will
suffer
because
you
will
never
be
able
to
be
present,
in
this
moment,
and
en- joy
what
you
earned,
you
will
be
stuck
in
your
mind
drifting
back
and
forth
between
the
past
and
the
fu- ture,
in
anxiety,
in
turmoil,
in
fear.
There
is
no
point
in
having
a
million
dollars
in
a
dream.
You
will
not
be
able
to
taste,
touch
or
feel
anything
while
you
are
sleeping. This
is
not
your
personal
problem;
it
is
a
global
problem.
OPEN
YOUR
EYES
and
look
at
the
world
today...
look
at
the
wars
and
brutality,
the
strange
economic
system
that
keeps
80%
of
the
world
slaves
to
the
other
20%,
look
at
the
environmental
pollution
due
to
unbridled
greed
of
the
human
race,
look
at
the
blind
suffering
humans
cause
to
all
other
animals,
and
then
ask
yourself:
is
this
a
sane
race?
Its
not.
And
you
are
part
of
this
insane
race;
you
have
the
same
madness
within
you
that
the
rest
of
humanity
has.
What
is
the
solution?
First
become
fully
clear
that
this
is
true,
that
you
are
in
trouble,
that
you
are
stuck
in
a
prison,
that
all
your
friends
and
family
are
stuck
along
with
you.
Unfortunately,
by
serious
struggle
and
effort
they
have
all
Oigured
a
way
to
be
comfortable
within
this
prison
and
if
you
tell
them
that
they
are
in
a
prison,
they
will
try
to
kill
you!
Like
you
will
try
to
forget
what
you
are
reading
now
very
soon,
because
it
will
make
8
you uncomfortable too. Its much easier to remain stuck within this prison, there is TV, there is daily run- ning after this or that, there is the bittersweet insane drama of personal relationships, there is the prom- ise of an unseen future that everything will become good some day by doing the same things over and over today. Here is the deOinition of insanity: doing the same things over and over expecting different re- sults! Second, remember this: YOU ARE NOT THE MIND, YOU ARE NOT THE VOICE IN YOUR HEAD. Meditate on this as much as possible. This is your KEY to freedom. Third, remember there is great magic right here, right now, where you are. Search for it. Its real. There is great bliss, great freedom, great joy, great fun, exactly where you are. You don't have to go to the moun- tains to seek for it, its in your kitchen, in your backyard, in the morning sun, in the inOinite space that is visible right above your head on a clear night. Never stop looking until you Oind it. And when you Oind it, don't be ashamed to enjoy it, there is nothing more important in life than being awake to the present mo- ment and enjoying the magical reality that is our inheritance. Only a happy man can make anyone else happy. Be happy Oirst. Don't be lost in the nightmare of unfulOilled desires that is the mark of the insane ego mind. Third, read as much as you can, read like a mad man, read everything you can Oind on spirituality and hu- man psychology. One day you will realize there is no point in reading much, but hopefully until that day arrives, you will have learned some interesting things that will help you on the way. And Oinally, never never never never give up! Never let anyone convince you that life is supposed to be struggle and Oight, money and power, dog eat dog. There is great magic here. Remember that. If your search is true, you will Oind the answer that is a guarantee.
Question
from
a
reader:
Thank
you
Sha:in
for
sharing
this
report.
I
will
have
to
reread
several
times
because
I
understand
glimpses
of
what
you
are
exposing
but
other
parts
are
still
unclear.
Particularly
the
part
about
getting
to
realize
that
awakening
is
an
idea.
I'm
not
sure
I
really
understood
that
part.
The
major
struggle
I
face
in
every
day
situa- tions
is
I
think
how
to
let
go
of
the
ego
and
still
have
boundaries
and
some
type
of
fear?
Its
dif:icult
for
me
to
formulate
the
question. Answer:
Awakening
is
not
an
idea,
the
idea
of
what
awakening
will
be
for
"me"
is
an
idea;
especially
if
that
idea
re- volves
around
the
spiritual
marketing
of
bright
lights,
cosmic
consciousness,
one
sudden
rapturous
expe- rience
etc.
The
ego
loves
all
those
ideas
because
it
implies
that
the
ego
will
one
day
attain
"spiritual
en- lightenment"
and
become
some
sort
of
a
super
ego.
Awakening,
unfortunately
for
the
ego,
is
waking
up
from
the
dream
of
the
"me",
which
is
the
end
of
ego
dominated
worldview.
True
awakening
is
not
a
personal
thing,
it
is
the
awakening
of
life
itself,
which
is
your
innermost
essence.
Once
that
true
awakening
happens
(as
a
glimpse
or
as
a
permanent
transformation,
both
of
which
are
common,
with
the
former
being
far
more
common
than
the
latter),
you
no
longer
see
life
in
component
parts,
isolated
series
of
events,
through
the
Oilter
of
the
"me",
but
simply
have
a
feeling
realization
that
the
whole
thing
is
a
dance,
and
it
is
who
you
are.
Now
here
is
the
hardest
part
for
most
people,
the
"major
struggle"
as
you
wrote
below,
even
after
they
have
had
glimpses
of
the
One
Life...
to
not
Oight
when
conOlict
arises,
to
SEE
unity
instead
of
illusory
frag- ments
when
the
game
gets
serious,
to
not
fall
apart
when
things
dont
go
how
"me"
wants
it
to
go.
True
awakening
is
one
simple
root
realization
Oirmly
planted
in
the
heart:
the
whole
thing
is
One,
nothing
is
separate,
nothing
is
other
than
you,
and
nothing
is
happening
by
accident.
Spiritual
enlightenment,
AKA
awakening
is
an
evolutionary
achievement
of
the
human
race,
in
simple
terms
its
nothing
but
effective
brain
management.
Look
around,
at
least
5000
years
of
civilization
and
things
are
getting
bad
to
worse,
the
whole
world
is
getting
crazier
and
crazier,
40,000
children
die
each
day
due
to
lack
of
food,
while
countries
are
destroyed
systematically
for
oil,
gas,
and
military
advantage.
Spiritual
awakening
is
awakening
from
that
madness
of
the
ego
dominated
worldview:
I
and
you
are
sepa- rate
and
as
long
as
I
can
maintain
my
illusion
of
certainty
and
success,
what
happens
to
you
is
none
of
my
business.
Awakening
is
not
an
idea,
its
not
what
you
"should"
do,
its
not
spiritual
tripping,
its
not
doing
the
right
things
so
you
can
manipulate
the
Universe
in
someway
in
your
favor.
Awakening
is
doing
what
you
need
to
do
but
never
forgetting
the
truth
in
your
heart:
we
are
all
One,
we
are
all
in
this
game
together,
none
of
us
are
going
anywhere
until
each
one
of
us
are
Oinally
free
from
the
madness
of
the
ego-mind
and
body.
True
awakening
is
true
love.
Love
being
the
recognition
of
yourself
in
the
other.
And
yes,
that
includes
ani- mals
too! This
is
all
nice
talk
for
the
ego
and
it
wants
to
believe,
it
even
pretends
it
believes,
until
conOlict
arises,
and
then
it
forgets
everything
and
becomes
the
neurotic
entity
that
it
really
is
and
does
whatever
it
thinks
will
bring
the
most
psychological
certainty.
If
that
means
rob,
kill,
destroy,
hate,
dominate,
connive
and
gener- ally
oppose
life
itself,
it
will
do
that.
Anything
at
all,
psychological
certainty
Oirst,
everything
else
follows.
The
mark
of
true
awakening
then
of
course
is
not
what
you
say
or
do
in
an
ashram
or
in
your
cozy
living
room
or
in
a
monastery,
but
what
you
do
when
conOlict
arises.
Do
you
see
the
One,
or
do
you
see
only
your
ego
interest?
The
funny
thing
is
the
only
thing
that
comes
out
of
this
ego
dominated
conOlicted
worldview
is
more
con- Olict,
within
and
without.
And
that
is
where
the
game
is
supremely
intelligent!
The
more
egoic
you
are,
the
more
conOlict
you
will
create
in
your
life,
and
the
more
conOlict
there
is
the
more
suffering,
the
more
suffer- ing
you
go
through
the
harder
it
becomes
to
maintain
your
egoic
illusions
of
certainty
and
security.
And
Oinally
it
is
that
suffering
that
burns
you
enough
one
day
to
become
free
of
the
ego
and
awaken.
10
Smart people realize this quickly and takes the only sane decision: no matter what, no matter how in- tense the game gets, do not lose your clarity and do not create further conOlict, no matter how tempting it is to do otherwise, no matter how much the ego mind screams for Hollywood style intervention! Fools rush in and make a mess out of everything, believing it has not, and then goes back to reading its spiritual books and talks about enlightenment and bright lights and sitting in the right hand of God. Awakening is simple sanity, nothing extraordinary about it, but terribly rare phenomenon in this mad world of proOit and Oight. Finally, remember awakening is not a degree you earn, its an evolutionary step, the next step of evolution, and it normally it takes time to stabilize even after you have had a full glimpse of the Unity of life.
11
Question from a reader: Thank You Sha:in! I also share your ideas, but mine are more Western in terminology. It was a remarkable experience when I realized that "I" didn't exist. Even more so when I realized that I can remake myself into anything I want to be. Most people get scared when I say that and they run from it. I can understand that. People are stuck in their roles, and if they are able to control their minds, they can see through those roles easily and make new decisions about what they want to do and be. But it requires they start thinking about what that means. But they dont do that. Why is this? Answer: To see through the role that one is playing with everyone and everyone is playing with oneself is one of the hardest challenges for the ego, because the game is so addictive. Each role that we play has one goal: to immortalize its own existence; and it will do whatever it takes, even bring pain and suffering, to ensure that goal. Awakening of course implies that you are no longer trying to see through one role or the other, or take control or tone down one role or the other, but in one fell swipe see through the whole game of assuming roles and in that SEEING drop the whole charade. This is not easy because each role (each temporary structure of the ego) promises us the solution to eve- rything in life (money, fame, sex, power, love whatever is your preference) and we fall for it over and over, until one day we SEE that this game is too costly for a warrior, it comes with too much conOlict and suffer- ing, inside and outside. And that is the secret... how long do you have to suffer before you realize that the game is just not worth the candle? How long do you have to give birth to conOlict within and without be- fore you realize that no matter what the temptation, no matter what the promise, nothing is worth per- petuating the madness that is inevitably within each of us. This madness is our IDENTIFICATION with the amorphous psychological structure called the ego mind, which is forever changing into different roles, and each role claiming total authority of the pure consciousness. Until suffering is total and complete, we are usually too busy with our all important game of roles, trying to accumulate more money, power, fame, success, love etc etc etc. Unfortunate, but that is how us humans are, and that is how we will awaken one day. Suffering is our style, our preferred mode of transportation, until Oinally we look around for the Oirst time and SEE how dysfunctional life has become individually and collectively, and Oinally stop playing this crazy game once and for all. (Note to all egos out there: this does not imply becoming pure vegetable, it implies pure life, which is free from the whole charade of "I will be exactly what you want me to be, to get exactly what I want to get out of you". Being free is not being inac- tive, its simply the freedom to choose ones action through pure intelligence, instead of pure madness.) ******************************************************************************************************** I hope this has helped! If it has, dont forget to share it with your friends, family and even teenage chil- dren. You will probably save them many years of needless seeking and suffering. If you have more questions or comments, send it to me at shaOindezane@gmail.com Although I cannot re- ply to every question or comment but I do read. And if you are interested in learning from me directly, visit my website at www.redeOineyourreality.com to Oind out about my upcoming courses and workshops. Or if you are totally new to this journey, start at www.thesevendayjourney.com which will give you a wholesome start on this glorious adventure. Wishing you clarity, strength and passion!
Shan de Zane
12