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<v Speaker 1>There is a peculiar tension that arises when someone who

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<v Speaker 1>has awakened to a certain depth of understanding encounters some

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<v Speaker 1>one who is still, as we might say, asleep, and

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<v Speaker 1>by a sleep, I do not mean literally unconscious, but

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<v Speaker 1>rather living in the conventional dream, the collective trance, the

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<v Speaker 1>agreed upon fiction that most of society accepts without question.

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<v Speaker 1>The person who is awake has seen through something fundamental,

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<v Speaker 1>has recognized something essential, has had the veil lifted in

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<v Speaker 1>some significant way, and the person who is asleep is

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<v Speaker 1>still operating within the old assumptions, the old beliefs, the

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<v Speaker 1>old way of seeing. When these two meet, something interesting happens,

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<v Speaker 1>and it is rarely comfortable for either party. Let me

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<v Speaker 1>describe first what occurs in the awakened person. There is

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<v Speaker 1>initially often an impulse to share what has been seen,

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<v Speaker 1>to communicate the realization, to help the other person see

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<v Speaker 1>what is now so obvious. This comes from a genuine

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<v Speaker 1>place of compassion, of wanting to relieve suffering, of recognizing

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<v Speaker 1>that the other person is trapped in a prison they

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<v Speaker 1>do not even know exists. It is like watching some

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<v Speaker 1>unstruggle with a locked door while you can clearly see

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<v Speaker 1>that the door is not locked at all. They simply

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<v Speaker 1>need to turn the handle differently. But very quickly, the

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<v Speaker 1>awakened person discovers something frustrating. The realization cannot be simply

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<v Speaker 1>handed over. It cannot be explained in a way that

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<v Speaker 1>will make the sleeping person suddenly wake up. Because the

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<v Speaker 1>sleeping person is not just lacking information, They are operating

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<v Speaker 1>within an entire framework of understanding, an entire structure of

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<v Speaker 1>perception that makes the awakened perspective literally incomprehensible to them.

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<v Speaker 1>It is not that they are stupid, or stubborn or

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<v Speaker 1>wilfully blind. It is that they cannot see what they

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<v Speaker 1>cannot see. Their very way of looking prevents them from seeing.

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<v Speaker 1>It is like trying to explain color to someone who

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<v Speaker 1>has been blind from birth. You can use all the

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<v Speaker 1>words you want, but the words cannot convey the actual experience.

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<v Speaker 1>The framework for understanding is simply not there, And so

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<v Speaker 1>the awakened person finds themselves in a strange position. They

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<v Speaker 1>can see clearly what the sleeping person cannot see. They

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<v Speaker 1>can see the suffering that is being created by false beliefs,

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<v Speaker 1>by identification with the ego, by resistance to what is.

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<v Speaker 1>They can see the freedom that would come from simply

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<v Speaker 1>letting go, from simply seeing through the illusion, And yet

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<v Speaker 1>they cannot make the other person see it. This can

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<v Speaker 1>lead to a kind of loneliness, a sense of isolation,

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<v Speaker 1>because the awakened person now lives in a different reality

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<v Speaker 1>than the sleeping person. They are using the same words,

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<v Speaker 1>occupying the same physical space, but they are experiencing fundamentally

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<v Speaker 1>different worlds. The sleeping person is experiencing the world through

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<v Speaker 1>the filter of ego, of separation, of constant doing and

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<v Speaker 1>becoming and achieving. The awakened person is experiencing the world

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<v Speaker 1>more directly, more simply, with less of that filtering, less

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<v Speaker 1>of that separation, And so when they talk, they are

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<v Speaker 1>often talking past each other. The sleeping person is concerned

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<v Speaker 1>with things that seem utterly trivial to the awakened person, status, reputation, achievements, possessions.

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<v Speaker 1>The awakened person tries to point to something deeper, something

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<v Speaker 1>more fundamental, But to the sleeping person this just sounds abstract, impractical,

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<v Speaker 1>perhaps even irresponsible. The sleeping person might say, but what

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<v Speaker 1>about paying the bills, what about getting ahead? What about

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<v Speaker 1>making something of yourself? And these concerns are real within

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<v Speaker 1>their framework, within the dream of separation and achievement and

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<v Speaker 1>constant striving. These concerns make perfect sense, but the awakened

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<v Speaker 1>person is operating from a different understanding. Reckonize that bills

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<v Speaker 1>must be paid and practical matters must be handled, But

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<v Speaker 1>they also see that all of this can be done

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<v Speaker 1>without the anxiety, without the identification, without making it into

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<v Speaker 1>some ultimate concern. They see that you can engage with

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<v Speaker 1>the world without being enslaved by it, that you can

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<v Speaker 1>participate in the game without forgetting it is a game.

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<v Speaker 1>But how do you explain this to someone who believes

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<v Speaker 1>the game is reality, who has staked their entire identity

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<v Speaker 1>on succeeding within the game. You cannot, or rather, you

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<v Speaker 1>can speak the words, but the words will not penetrate.

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<v Speaker 1>They will bounce off the shell of the sleeping person's

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<v Speaker 1>belief system. Now, what happens in the sleeping person when

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<v Speaker 1>they encounter someone who is awake. This varies greatly depending

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<v Speaker 1>on the individual. Some sleeping people's sense that the awakened

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<v Speaker 1>person has something they do not have, some quality of

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<v Speaker 1>peace or freedom or presence, and they are drawn to it.

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<v Speaker 1>They may not understand it, they may not be able

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<v Speaker 1>to articulate what it is, but they feel and they

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<v Speaker 1>want it. This can be the beginning of their own awakening.

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<v Speaker 1>But more commonly, the sleeping person experiences the awakened person

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<v Speaker 1>as threatening, not consciously, not explicitly, but on some deep level,

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<v Speaker 1>because the awakened person's very presence calls into question everything

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<v Speaker 1>the sleeping person has built their life upon. The awakened

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<v Speaker 1>person is not striving, not anxious, not caught up in

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<v Speaker 1>the same concerns, not playing the same game, and this

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<v Speaker 1>is unsettling. The sleeping person's ego interprets this as a judgment,

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<v Speaker 1>as a challenge, as an affront. Who does this person

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<v Speaker 1>think they are acting so calm, so unbothered, so above

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<v Speaker 1>it all. The ego feels threatened by the presence of

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<v Speaker 1>someone who is not enslaved to the ego. It feels exposed, diminished, invalidated,

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<v Speaker 1>and so the sleeping person may respond with hostility, with mockery,

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<v Speaker 1>with attempts to pull the awakened person back into the drum.

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<v Speaker 1>You think you're so enlightened, don't you. You think you're

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<v Speaker 1>better than everyone else. Let's see how you handle a

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<v Speaker 1>real problem. This is the ego attempting to defend itself,

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<v Speaker 1>attempting to drag the awakened person back into identification, back

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<v Speaker 1>into the game, back into the dream, or the sleeping

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<v Speaker 1>person may simply dismiss the awakened one as strange, odd,

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<v Speaker 1>not quite right. There's something off about them. They're not normal.

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<v Speaker 1>They don't care about the right things, and in the

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<v Speaker 1>context of the collective trance, they are absolutely right. The

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<v Speaker 1>awakened person is not normal. They do not care about

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<v Speaker 1>the same things that normal people care about. They have

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<v Speaker 1>woken up from the shared dream, and from within the dream,

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<v Speaker 1>this looks like madness. There is a saying in Zen

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<v Speaker 1>before enlightenment, chop wood carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood

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<v Speaker 1>carry water. The awakened person does the same things as

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<v Speaker 1>everyone else, but from an entirely different place, with an

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<v Speaker 1>entirely different quality, and this difference is invisible to the

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<v Speaker 1>sleeping person. They see the same actions and assume the

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<v Speaker 1>same motivations, the same concerns, the same inner experience. They

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<v Speaker 1>cannot see the inner freedom, the inner spaciousness, the inner

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<v Speaker 1>peace that accompanies the actions. So what is the awakened

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<v Speaker 1>person to do in this situation? How do they relate

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<v Speaker 1>to sleeping people? Who are, after all, the vast majority

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<v Speaker 1>of humanity. How do they navigate a world that is

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<v Speaker 1>largely operating from a level of consciousness they have moved beyond.

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<v Speaker 1>The first thing is to recognize that you cannot wake

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<v Speaker 1>someone up through argument or explanation. You cannot convince someone

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<v Speaker 1>to be enlightened. You cannot give them a realization through

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<v Speaker 1>clever words or compelling logic. Awakening happens in its own time,

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<v Speaker 1>through its own mysterious process. You can perhaps plant seeds,

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<v Speaker 1>you can perhaps create conditions that might be conducive, but

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<v Speaker 1>you cannot force it. The second thing is to let

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<v Speaker 1>go of the impulse to fix, or save or enlighten

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<v Speaker 1>every one you meet. This impulse, though it may feel

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<v Speaker 1>like compassion, often has its own ego component. There is

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<v Speaker 1>a subtle superiority in the idea that you have something

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<v Speaker 1>they desperately need, that you can see what they cannot see,

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<v Speaker 1>that you must help them. True compassion recognizes that everyone

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<v Speaker 1>is on their own journey. Everyone is exactly where they

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<v Speaker 1>need to be, and your role is not to drag

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<v Speaker 1>them to where you are. The third thing is to

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<v Speaker 1>simply be what you are, without apology or explanation. Live

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<v Speaker 1>from your awakened perspective, not as a performance, not to

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<v Speaker 1>prove anything, not to convert any one, but simply because

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<v Speaker 1>that is what is natural for you now. And in

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<v Speaker 1>that authentic being, in that genuine living from presence rather

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<v Speaker 1>than ego, you become what we might call a transmission.

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<v Speaker 1>You see, awakening is not primarily transmitted through words or

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<v Speaker 1>concert It is transmitted through presence, through being, through the

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<v Speaker 1>quality of consciousness that emanates from someone who is awake.

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<v Speaker 1>When you are genuinely present, genuinely at peace, genuinely free

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<v Speaker 1>from the constant agitation of ego, this creates a kind

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<v Speaker 1>of field, and people who are ready, people who are

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<v Speaker 1>ripe for awakening will feel this field. They will be

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<v Speaker 1>drawn to it. They will not necessarily know what it

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<v Speaker 1>is or why they are drawn, but they will feel

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<v Speaker 1>that something different is possible. This is how a true

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<v Speaker 1>teacher works, not by preaching or explaining or trying to convince,

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<v Speaker 1>but by being so completely established in awakened consciousness that

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<v Speaker 1>their very presence invites others into that same consciousness. The

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<v Speaker 1>teaching is not in the words. The words are just pointers,

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<v Speaker 1>just fingers pointing at the moon. The teaching is in

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<v Speaker 1>the being in the silence, in the quality of presence.

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<v Speaker 1>But this requires that you are not attached to outcomes,

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<v Speaker 1>not invested in whether people wake up or stay asleep.

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<v Speaker 1>You offer what you are, and you let go of

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<v Speaker 1>what happens with that offering. Some people will be touched

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<v Speaker 1>by it, some will be threatened by it, some will

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<v Speaker 1>not notice it at all. And all of this is fine.

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<v Speaker 1>You are not responsible for waking people up. You are

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<v Speaker 1>only responsible for being awake yourself. Now, there is a

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<v Speaker 1>particular challenge that arises when the sleeping person is some

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<v Speaker 1>one close to you, a family member, a spouse, an

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<v Speaker 1>old friend. These are people with whom you have long

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<v Speaker 1>established relationships, relationships that were formed when you were both asleep,

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<v Speaker 1>both operating from ego, both caught in the same dream,

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<v Speaker 1>and now you have woken up, but they have not.

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<v Speaker 1>This can create tremendous tension. They expect you to be

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<v Speaker 1>the person you were. They want you to engage with

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<v Speaker 1>life in the way you used to engage with it.

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<v Speaker 1>They want you to care about the things you used

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<v Speaker 1>to care about, to get upset about the things you

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<v Speaker 1>used to get upset about, to participate in the drama

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<v Speaker 1>the way you used to participate, but you cannot. You

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<v Speaker 1>cannot go back to sleep. Once you have woken up,

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<v Speaker 1>you cannot unsee what you have seen, and so you

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<v Speaker 1>find yourself in a relationship where you are fundamentally out

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<v Speaker 1>of sync with the other person. They are speaking a

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<v Speaker 1>language you used to speak, but no longer speak. They

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<v Speaker 1>are playing a game you used to play but no

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<v Speaker 1>longer play, and this can be painful for both parties.

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<v Speaker 1>The sleeping person feels abandoned, feels like you have changed

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<v Speaker 1>in some fundamental way, like you are no longer the

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<v Speaker 1>person they knew, and they are right you are not.

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<v Speaker 1>The awakened person feels lonely, feels misunderstood, feels the impossibility

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<v Speaker 1>of truly connecting with someone who is operating from such

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<v Speaker 1>a different level of consciousness. What is to be done

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<v Speaker 1>in such a situation. There is no easy answer. Some

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<v Speaker 1>relationships can evolve, can accommodate the change. If there is life,

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<v Speaker 1>an openness and willingness to let the relationship be different

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<v Speaker 1>than it was, then something new can emerge. The sleeping

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<v Speaker 1>person may not understand your awakening, but they can perhaps

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<v Speaker 1>accept it, can perhaps allow you to be different, can

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<v Speaker 1>perhaps even be curious about what you are experiencing. But

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<v Speaker 1>some relationships cannot survive such a fundamental shift. If the

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<v Speaker 1>relationship was based entirely on shared ego concerns, on mutual

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<v Speaker 1>reinforcement of the dream, on playing specific roles for each other,

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<v Speaker 1>then when one person wakes up, there is no longer

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<v Speaker 1>a basis for the relationship, And as painful as this is,

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<v Speaker 1>sometimes the most compassionate thing is to let the relationship go,

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<v Speaker 1>to release each other, to find connections that are more

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<v Speaker 1>aligned with where each of you actually is. There is

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<v Speaker 1>also the phenomenon of the sleeping person who claims to

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<v Speaker 1>be awake. You will encounter many of these people who

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<v Speaker 1>have learned the language of spirituality, who can talk fluently

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<v Speaker 1>about presence and awareness and non duality, but who are

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<v Speaker 1>still fundamentally operating from ego. They have replaced one set

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<v Speaker 1>of concepts with another set of concepts, but they have

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<v Speaker 1>not actually seen through the conceptual framework itself. These people

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<v Speaker 1>can be particularly confusing to deal with because they sound awake,

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<v Speaker 1>they use the right words, they say the things that

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<v Speaker 1>awaken people say, But if you are genuinely awake, you

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<v Speaker 1>can sense that something is off. There is a quality

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<v Speaker 1>of efforting, of performing of subtle self aggrandizement. They are

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<v Speaker 1>using awakened language to reinforce the ego rather than to

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<v Speaker 1>point beyond it. The truly awakened person is not invested

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<v Speaker 1>in appearing awakened. They do not need to prove their enlightenment.

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<v Speaker 1>They do not need to be recognized as special or

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<v Speaker 1>advanced or spiritual. They are simply being what they are,

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<v Speaker 1>and this has a quality of ordinariness, of simplicity, of

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<v Speaker 1>lack of pretense. The person who is performing awakeness, by contrast,

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<v Speaker 1>has a quality of trying, of needing to be seen

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<v Speaker 1>a certain way, of subtle superiority. And when a genuinely

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<v Speaker 1>awakened person meets someone who is performing awakeness, there is

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<v Speaker 1>often a mutual recognition, though not the kind either party

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<v Speaker 1>would prefer. The genuine one sees through the performance. The

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<v Speaker 1>performer senses they are being seen through, and may respond

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<v Speaker 1>with defensiveness or competitive spiritual one upmanship. It is all

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<v Speaker 1>rather tedious. Let me also speak about what does not

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<v Speaker 1>constitute awakening. Awakening is not about having special experiences or

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<v Speaker 1>achieving altered states. It is not about feeling blissful or

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<v Speaker 1>peaceful all the time. It is not about becoming perfect

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<v Speaker 1>or never experiencing difficulty. The awakened person still has a

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<v Speaker 1>human life with all its challenges and sorrows and complications.

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<v Speaker 1>What has shifted is the relationship to all of this.

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<v Speaker 1>The awakened a person is not identified with the content

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<v Speaker 1>of experience. They are not taking the ego's story as

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<v Speaker 1>the ultimate truth about who they are. They are resting

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<v Speaker 1>more in awareness itself, in presence, in the witnessing consciousness

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<v Speaker 1>that holds all experience. So when you meet someone and

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<v Speaker 1>you are trying to discern whether they are awake or asleep,

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<v Speaker 1>do not look at the content of their experience, look

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<v Speaker 1>at their relationship to it. Are they caught in it,

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<v Speaker 1>identified with it, defending it? Or is there a quality

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<v Speaker 1>of spaciousness of allowing of being with what is without

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<v Speaker 1>needing it to be different? The awakened soul meeting the

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<v Speaker 1>sleeping soul is in many ways the fundamental encounter of

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<v Speaker 1>the spiritual path. It is the encounter between levels of consciousness,

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<v Speaker 1>between ways of being in the world, between the dream

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<v Speaker 1>and the awakened state. And it happens not just between

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<v Speaker 1>different people, but within each person who is in the

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<v Speaker 1>process of awakening, because you are both the awake soul

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<v Speaker 1>and the sleeping soul. There is the part of you

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<v Speaker 1>that has seen, that knows, that is free, and there

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<v Speaker 1>is the part of you that keeps forgetting, that gets

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<v Speaker 1>pulled back into identification, that falls asleep again. And these

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<v Speaker 1>parts encounter each other constantly. The awakened part witnesses the

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<v Speaker 1>sleeping part with compassion and patience. The sleeping part sometimes resists,

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<v Speaker 1>the awakened part sometimes surrenders to it. This is the

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<v Speaker 1>inner work, not achieving some permanent state of enlightenment where

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<v Speaker 1>you never forget again, but becoming increasingly established in the

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<v Speaker 1>awakened perspective, so that even when you forget, you recognize

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<v Speaker 1>you have forgotten and can come back. Even when you

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<v Speaker 1>get caught in the dream, you wake up again more quickly.

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<v Speaker 1>And as you become more established in this, your encounters

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<v Speaker 1>with sleeping souls become less fraught, less frustrating, less lonely.

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<v Speaker 1>You recognize that they are you, not the current you,

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<v Speaker 1>but the you that you were, the you that in

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<v Speaker 1>some ways you still are, and you meet them with

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<v Speaker 1>compassion rather than judgment, with patience rather than frustration, with understanding,

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<v Speaker 1>rather than the need to change them. You recognize that

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<v Speaker 1>the sleeping soul is not your enemy. It is not

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<v Speaker 1>a problem to be solved. It is simply consciousness in

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<v Speaker 1>a different stage of its own unfolding. And your role

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<v Speaker 1>is not to wake them up, but to be awake yourself, fully, authentically,

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<v Speaker 1>without apology or explanation, and in that being you offer

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<v Speaker 1>an invitation, a possibility, a reminder that another way of

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<v Speaker 1>living is available. Some will accept that invitation, most will not,

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<v Speaker 1>and both are perfectly fine, because in the deepest sense,

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<v Speaker 1>there is no separation between the awakened and the sleeping.

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<v Speaker 1>There is only consciousness experiencing itself in infinite variety, in

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<v Speaker 1>infinite stages, in infinite expressions, and it is all necessary,

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<v Speaker 1>It is all part of the whole, It is all

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<v Speaker 1>in its own way, perfect