“We must learn to reawaken and keep ourselves awake, not by mechanical aid, but by an infinite expectation of the dawn.” – Henry David Thoreau

 Even While Awake Everybody Sleeping

Living here in Asia, I walk a lot. I don’t have a car, so I mainly use my cute little bike to get me around. One of my favorite things to do while I am out and about is to people-watch.

As I make my way through a sea of people, the looks on people’s faces and the quality of the look in their eyes let me know that although they are awake and moving around, inwardly/psychologically most people are fast asleep.

They are hypnotized by the contents of their mind. And just like someone who has been hypnotized by a hypnotist, they are largely unaware of their surroundings and what state they are really in. It feels perfectly natural.

Only when something comes along, such as a scooter, or me,  and almost run over their foot do they temporarily jolt themselves out of their daydream, but will quickly fall back asleep.

It’s Time We Wake Up and Live Our Lives

The biggest obstacle is that you won’t try to “wake up” when you already think you are awake. Our bodies may be awake, but inside we are still asleep and dreaming. Real-life Zombies.

This is the source of all strife on our planet. We aren’t awake. If we were all really awake and conscious, we wouldn’t participate in behavior that would harm ourselves and our neighbors.

As we are we live mainly in a conceptual world and thus become identified with a false self created through our imaginations. We need to wake up and realize our higher nature that dwells within us. Our True Self is capable of perceiving reality and seeing things as they are.

Below I will present a simple exercise that will help you get a taste of awakening to a higher reality. It attempts to break the spell that we are under. Don’t let its simplicity fool you. If done with earnestness there is the possibility that you will grasp something that will change you forever. Once you get a glimpse it is enough to set you down a path to uncover the very fabric of reality.

Walking Meditation: How To Quit Being a Zombie

• Be alone in a room, one where you will have no distractions.
• Walk from one starting point to the opposite side, turn around, pause for a bit, and walk back to where you started.
• On the first half of the trip, let your mind think whatever it wants, you can be aware of your thoughts, just don’t try to direct them, don’t fight them, or judge them in any way. Just watch them.
• On the second leg of the trip, don’t think at all, you not going to let your mind wander at all, if a thought creeps in, push it aside, and try to remain aware and alert of your inner state. Focus on the sensation of your body’s movements. When intruding thoughts come in gently go back to sensing your body and intuitively knowing that you are walking back. Just get a sense (not thinking) that there is a physical body moving back in forth in that room. Be careful it is very subtle and easy to just think that you are being aware. The purpose of this second trip is to work hard at understanding what it is to be a truly conscious human being.
• When you pause do it long enough to remind yourself what you are supposed to be doing, because quite easily you will forget. Do everything in a relaxed manner, don’t be stiff with your movements.

You need to “know” that you are walking back and forth without mentally saying to yourself you are walking back and forth. Try to intuit it, and realize your state of just going back and forth. Just know what is happening to you in that room. Don’t let your false self back into the picture by adding additional commentary.

The purpose of this exercise by doing it over and over is to detect the difference between these two distinct states of being.

It may not come to you the first time you try it. Keep at it, because this will open up a whole new world for you.

On your first mental trip, you may start wondering what it’s all about. You will encounter thoughts such as, “I wonder if I am doing this right”. That’s all right, but just “know” that your thinking doesn’t become identified to your thought process.

Realizing who you really are is the awareness that is aware of thinking the thoughts. Stand aside with a passive alertness. Notice the sudden shifts of your attention.

For a long time, your normal compulsive thinking will be in charge of you.

One day, while you are on your second lap, something will come to you. You’ve been trying to not think but to allow a pure consciousness to be with you while you cross.

You will realize that there really is a different kind of “me” than the usual “mental” me, which we all usually derive our sense of self from. This will be a taste of grace descending. An awareness beyond any verbal description I can give.

It was the mental you who took the first trip, and now you are aware of that first trip because you are on that second trip trying to become aware of everything, your attention on the second trip is not centered around the mental “me”. You will begin to have contrast and understand that there is a completely different way of living. A much more graceful way to move through life. One which is much more free and joyful.

This will give you a glimpse of living an awakened life. See you on the other side. Peace and love.

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