Written by Wes Annac, The Culture of Awareness
When we reach a certain, higher state of consciousness, bliss will become an assured aspect of our existence. Most of us haven’t yet felt anywhere near the level of bliss we’ll feel when we’re back in the higher realms, and it goes without saying that we’ll be very surprised when we re-reach these realms.
We’ll be surprised at the constant nature of the bliss we’ll perceive, and the level of elation we’ll feel will go beyond anything we would’ve ever thought or expected. We have the potential to access a level of bliss so strong that it’ll completely transmute the pain and fear we’re ready to leave behind, and all that’s required to feel it is opening up to our divine nature.
I’d like to look at what some of our spiritual teachers have said about bliss, and I don’t know about any of you, but I’m excited to feel it in all of its purity. Intuition tells me that our level of bliss will grow with each new dimension we reach, and our fifth-dimensional evolution will introduce us to the bliss that we’ll feel in purer and purer measures each time we evolve.
We have a lot to learn about it before we can feel it, however, and plenty has been said about it and the greater state of consciousness and awareness it exists in.
According to the Upanishads, “Brahman (Source/the Self) … is pure bliss”. (1)
Knowing and feeling Source in a deeper way will introduce us to the bliss that’s been missing from our lower-dimensional experience, and as long as we make an effort, we’ll find the bliss we seek. We’ll be very glad we did, because we’ll see that nothing but pure love and joy exist all around us.
The Upanishads also ask the question, “Who could live, who could breathe, if that blissful Self dwelt not within the lotus of the heart?” (2)
According to the Buddha, the highest state of consciousness we can reach, which is that of undistorted communion with Source, will deliver the purest bliss we’ve ever felt.
“[The] Highest Reality is an exalted state of bliss.” (3)
Again, the fifth dimension will introduce us to a level of bliss we haven’t yet known, but it’s just the first step on a journey into increasingly ecstatic dimensions, which’ll introduce us to Source (and subsequently ourselves) in greater and deeper ways.
Ramana Maharishi tells us where bliss fits into the nature of awareness.
“The nature of Awareness is existence-consciousness-bliss.” (4)
When we realize that we’re perfectly capable of seeking Source the way we are, we cease striving to find a higher state of consciousness because we recognize that it exists within. In realizing that existence equals consciousness, we allow ourselves to exist in a relaxed state, therefore unlocking the bliss we would’ve otherwise strived to find.
Ramana Maharishi also tells us about the awareness that comes with understanding our true nature.
“When one’s true nature is known, then there is Being without beginning and end; It is unbroken Awareness-Bliss.” (5)
Da Free John tells us that our inherent awareness of our blissful nature can never be lost or tampered with.
“The primary awareness of reality, my own actual consciousness [can] not be modified or lost. It is … bliss, joy, freedom, consciousness and sublime knowledge!” (6)
We have to be willing to realize our blissful nature before we can reach a higher vibration, and if we strive too hard to find something that’s already naturally there, we’ll distort our efforts and make it harder to reach an elated state of mind and heart.
Enlightenment requires surrendering to what’s already there and letting everything else fall by the wayside instead of convincing ourselves there’s something we have to ‘do’ before we can find it, and simply embodying the awareness of our divine, eternal nature is enough to put ourselves on a cloud.
Shankara tells us that the true self is revealed when we transcend the constructed self.
“When all the five coverings are removed, the pure Atman (true or ‘divine’ self) is revealed. It is revealed as God dwelling within; as unending, unalloyed bliss; as the supreme and self-luminous Being.” (7)
The true self is beyond all labels, conceptions, or attributes, Shankara tells us.
“The Atman is the witness — beyond all attributes, beyond action. It can be directly realized as pure consciousness and infinite bliss.” (8)
Anything less than ‘pure consciousness and infinite bliss’ is a distortion masquerading as reality, and I don’t know about any of you, but it comforts me to know that our ultimate heaven will be so joyful and elated.
Spiritual awareness will have risen to seemingly impossible heights, and everyone will have merged with the understanding that we are and have always been one consciousness. It’ll be great to say the least, but we have a while to go before we can clearly and purely convene with Source.
We’ll enjoy our journey back up, of course, but it’s far from complete.
Footnotes:
- Swami Prabhavananda and Frederick Manchester, trans., The Upanishads. Breath of the Eternal. New York and Scarborough: New American Library, 1957; c1948, 52.
- Ibid., 56.
- Dwight Goddard, A Buddhist Bible. Boston: Beacon Press, 1966; c1938, 287.
- Anon., Who Am I? The Teachings of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi. Sarasota, FL: Ramana Publications, 1990, 12.
- Ibid., 24-5.
- Da Free John,The Knee of Listening. Original Edition. Clearlake, CA; Dawn Horse Press, 1984; c1973, 136.
- Swami Prabhavananda and Christopher lsherwood, Shankara’s Crest-Jewel of Discrimination. Hollywood: Vedanta Press, 1975; c1947, 56.
- Ibid., 64.
Concluded in Part 2 tomorrow.
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