Dissolving our conditioning and returning to our "natural state" is a universal human potential that does not require any beliefs. Although the state of consciousness of pure awareness is universal the process can be highly personal. It's "achievable" for anyone.
Awakening is more like learning to ride a bicycle, type on a keyboard, or drive a care than studying for an exam. Once you >directly experience these states of consciousness, they will become second nature to you, and you will be able to shift >easily."
-- Loch Kelly
The process can sometimes feel like a journey and like there is somewhere to get to. There is not but this is the only way the conditioned mind can perceive it because the conditioned mind exists in time. Waiting for something to happen, as we often do can feel cold and alone. But sometimes, when we are right on that edge and feel like there is no end in sight we can have an experience like this:
The Razor's Edge (1984)
Along the way we may seek answers in books, teachers and so on but ultimately it is an inside job. Meditation is the most taught way to achieve dis-identification from the conditioned mind but it is not the only way. Sometimes we can intuitively feel when something is resonating with our particular learning style and if it is right for us, such it was with me with meditation and also attending "satsangs."
sat·sang
satsaNG/
noun INDIAN
a spiritual discourse or sacred gathering.
I began to realize that sitting in satsang with people and teachers seemed to be getting me nowhere. I also did not resonate with the prevailing beliefs of Higher Power, divinity, mysticism or metaphysics that pervaded most of these teachings and communities. So, I left altogether and stopped going. I began studying ontological philosophy, Socratic inquiry and other philosophies. While I got some interesting results at times the good feelings never lasted and I was left feeling empty as ever.
I turned again to psychedelics for relief and as they also had a profound healing effect on me at times, it did not last. Although, there were many lasting effects on a psychological level there seemed to be something deeper I could not seemed to get a handle on.
I began searching once again and this time made sure that whatever I was going to choose to investigate was secular in nature. This is where I hit the jackpot. Within a couple of weeks I stumbled upon "Radiant Mind" by Petter Fenner. In his method to realize unconditioned awareness he teaches a simple sitting practice that requires no concentration. It's so simple it's almost laughable but my desire for complete wholeness was strong so I sat.
Now here is the part where paying attention to your own inner wisdom comes into play. While I was sitting THE FIRST TIME my mind began giving me a real problem and chattering away about something it deemed unsolvable and was just going to suffer and go on about. I seemed to split from the thoughts and seemed like not only was I pure awareness but I could focus my awareness like a laser onto the thoughts and obliterate them into nothingness! I did this all on my own, was never taught to do this, it just came to me spontaneously.
When you are getting to the levels of the mind that are not part of your conditioned mind your innate wisdom and creative problem solving can arise as I wrote about here: The Ultimate Problem Solving Technique – There Is No Spoon. These are not "spiritual experiences." What most people are talking about when they talk about having spiritual experiences have nothing to do with unconditional awareness because they are being experienced by the illusory self. Primary awareness does not depending on spiritual growth, doing good deeds or being a "good person" because awareness is who we really are.
There are many levels there, which I am learning about and experiencing. I'm looking forward to writing more about them as I discover them.
Our liberation only comes from within ourselves.