Four ways to trigger a spiritual awakening

Meditation is not everything. You can also access the deeper aspects of reality through mathematics, service, powerlessness, and even talking to people.

I’m not done. I have no idea if I have a lot or a little left of karma to purify. I don't care if I finish in this lifetime or not. What I do care about is helping people realize that we have lived under the spell of our minds.

When that happens, an awakening happens. Of course, there are different levels of awakening. Sometimes, you realize tiny mistakes that have minor consequences in your life. Sometimes, you recognize huge errors that have dire consequences. But other times, you notice mental subtleties that completely change your perception, the way you see people, the way you react, and thus your whole destiny.

That kind of realization is of the spiritual type. That's what I want people to experience. Maybe later, they realize they still have tons of karma to purify, but that is unimportant. What does matter is that not going through an awakening of this type keeps you in an ignorance that is not bliss. 

Anyway, I have already written extensively about why you should seek to have such an awakening.

The question is how to have one.

Lately, I’m not so sure I know. I mean, I do know some methods, but they don't work for everyone. And it's not that the methods are ineffective. The thing is that everyone has different levels of obfuscation. For now, I will share with you what I think helped me.

By the way, awakening is not about having a single spiritual experience. You have to have many. Each one further deepens the correct perspective.

Ok, here are the methods:

Reflect on what infinitesimal calculus entails.

I don't recall what I learned about differential and integral calculus. But what I do remember is that we talked about calculating the infinitesimal changes that can occur. I remember that thanks to these calculations, we could know the area under a curve and even its volume. In one of the explanations of these calculations, we look at the infinite partitions you can make below a curve drawn on a cartesian plane. That idea stuck with me.

When I realized that we can divide everything infinitely, I couldn't stop seeing infinity everywhere. In the distance, height, and width of things; in the area of ​​objects; in people's faces. I thought: “Infinity surrounds me, and without a doubt, I am infinite.” This idea had several implications for my perception and cognition. To begin with, if infinity was everywhere, how could there be defined things? Instead, everything is indefinite because it has no beginning and end.

That led me to perceive indefiniteness everywhere, and that began to free my mind from the limits it establishes when perceiving phenomena. Having no mental limits contributes to a spiritual awakening.

Reflect on service to others.

The first time I went to an alcoholism recovery group, some people welcomed me with great affection and genuine kindness. You could see it in their eyes. They saw the pain in my eyes and just felt genuine compassion for me. I felt that closeness in every meeting I attended. I realized that people were willing to be there for me. That was crucial for my recovery, and I remember thinking, “I also want to be there for those who need me.”

Over time, I realized that being there for others, being of service, and being willing to help no matter what contribute to a transcendence of the ego precisely because it takes you out of the narcissism in which you live. If you do it correctly, it is like opening your heart to any being, including all animals, all insects, and all illnesses.

This extreme openness is necessary because otherwise, you could not be empathetic enough to want to help others truly. For this reason, the cultivation of absolute service for the benefit of all beings becomes a condition that contributes to realizing that you are more and can do more than you think.

Such realization is spiritually liberating.

Reflect on everything that is not in your control.

Fifteen years ago, when I realized that I don't control the opinions of others, something inside me changed. I suddenly realized I didn't have as much power as I thought. Ironically, when that control I believed to have faded, it freed my consciousness from a self-imposed limit.

Instead of being a defined force, I could be a realistic, humble, and indefinite openness. By letting go of my supposed omnipotence, I gained an omnipresence. In surrendering, there is an explosion. There is so much that is not in our control, and accepting it is liberating. This does not mean you become a passive agent who cannot interact and influence anything. That would be another falsehood. It just means that there are “powers” ​​that you don't have and that by letting them go, your being expands.

What can't you control about your body? Discovering such powerlessness brings physical and spiritual relief.

Talk about spiritual philosophy with someone who is an expert on the subject.

You should read books of spiritual philosophy, such as those of the Buddhist Nagarjuna or Adi Shankara of the Advaita Vedanta tradition. If you manage to understand them, your cognition will likely change, and you will experience a profound spiritual awakening. But talking to someone who is an expert on the subject may also be an excellent way to understand the true nature of reality.

A few years ago, I read some of the comments left on Buddhist discussion groups, and there were a couple that revealed aspects of the mind to me that I had not seen before. I understood that the self is an entity that cannot be firmly established in reality.

I sent some direct messages to the person who wrote those comments and began to communicate frequently with him. Over time, he became my teacher of Buddhist philosophy, and thanks to his guidance, I was able to hone and deepen more and more the correct perspective that the Buddha teaches.

I thought I had awakened enough to advance on the spiritual path. But I was wrong. There was more to learn. Much more. Thanks to these dialogues, I could see that consciousness is present in everything and includes everything. My notion of consciousness was just another event that was part of an even purer awareness.

The advice here is to talk to those who have already realized these truths and allow them to guide you. Intellectual arrogance can be a significant obstacle and lead to several years of blindness unless you allow yourself to be guided by others.

In summary

Reflect on the infinite in reality; allow it to permeate you, devour you, dissolve you. There is something immense beyond your belief that you are a finite event.

Additionally, open yourself to feeling, understanding, and helping someone else. Selfless service is an excellent way to undefine yourself and, hence, expand yourself. If kindness becomes part of your nature, in the long run, it will prevent you from fragmenting, isolating, and locking yourself in your narcissistic kingdom.

You can also contemplate all the events within your being that have never been under your control. Events like your heartbeat, the headaches you get, or the way your body ages. Little by little, you will see how absurd it is to assume that you can control these processes, and letting go of that false omnipotence will give you a deep rest.

Finally, allow yourself to talk to advanced people. Let yourself be guided—the hell with your fear of feeling ignorant. Just allow yourself to learn what you don't know from those who know about spiritual perspectives.

Over time, these habits will change your perception enough to give you those life-changing insights.

Oh, and learn to meditate correctly and practice every day. 

Every day.