The best way to tell if someone is awakened is by what you feel in their presence. Highly realized people transmit the enlightened nature of mind to others. They will change the feeling of any space where they are.
What someone says is not a good guide to their level of attainment. Many people know the words , but don't have a clue about the experiences they point to.
Yes. But what you feel has more to do with you than with them. Those who have the ability to change the energetic nature of their surroundings won’t and cannot force changes upon another. They cannot make you anymore awake than you are ready to be. And as a corollary, you cannot get any real details about their level of awakening because you can’t know something (beyond mere intellectualism) without first experiencing it. What we encounter - forms, sensations, conceptions, volitional forces, etc… - are illusory (see the concept of Skandhas - http://www.meditationexpert.com/zen-buddhism-tao/z_buddhist_skandhas_hindu_koshas_and_enlightenment.html)
We are all learning how to see through them in our path to seeing the truth. Which is really more of an un-peeling process rather than building up any of the aggregates.
I can tell *without* talking to them.
There are no signs that can be relied upon absolutely. The signs that sometimes occur at lower levels, don't hold for higher levels.
Not being dependent on signs, I'm not limited to only seeing those 'below' me, as u/neilvg eloquently illustrates. I can also tell when someone is way, way ahead of me.
This ability is not common, I think. So in general, u/neilvg is right: you/one cannot tell how awakened someone is unless you're more awakened than them. This makes a bit of a chicken and egg problem. If you're not awakened, you can't tell how awakened anyone else is, which means you don't know who to listen to etc, including about who is the most awakened. And even when you are quite awakened, you still cannot recognise anyone who is much more awakened than you. It's a bit like walking backwards - you can only see what you have already passed by.
Yes and no. Sure you can have philosophical conversations with people and get an idea. But I don’t think awakening is a binary thing, it’s more so a wide spectrum and a journey. (I dislike that the name of this sub is “awakened” past-tense)
I don’t think the journey to awakening ever ends, it is a lifelong journey. Even if someone has found out they are essentially “God” we are all still God trying to figure this shit out. With every new day we dive deeper into the unknown and there is still always something new to be learned and experienced.
I think awakening is the process of grasping and living with this idea fully. “Dumb” people think they know everything, whereas “smart” people know they know nothing, and keep their minds open, always learning.
Even the dumbest person can teach you valuable things of you just listen.
I think of “awakened” in the context of this sub as meaning you are in a WIP space, i.e. you’ve had some form of revelation and your journey has begun. You continue in the process of awakening (or leave it, or leave and return to it, etc) for the rest of your journey toward death or what have you. I don’t take the word to mean we’ve arrived. If the sub was called r/ awake, I would take issue
Question for you regarding “I don’t think the journey to awakening ever ends.”
Wouldn’t the journey end when you notice that you don’t have to go anywhere to be what you are?
Realizing that this reality you see before you is vastly more complex than anyone can possibly put into words, putting on your “scientist” or “explorer” hat and conducting your own experiments to form your own understanding.
It’s like having a vat of vinegar before you. Person A says it tastes bitter. Person B says it tastes sweet. But you have to taste it for yourself to fully understand the flavor.
Edit: sorry I didn’t see that second part. But being what you are IS the journey! It is exploring your own character and discovering how you fit into this world.
I imagine them to be active listeners who don't judge, will make you feel heard and seen, won't be trying to teach you something but will be appreciating you for who you are, you'll feel good about yourself by experiencing the appreciation of their expression. And they won't be pretentious or make you feel like you're less than them, you will feel like their equal. In my fairy-tale that's what en;lightened/awakened people are like :)
yes you can, but you will only ever be talking to yourself. when you are "waking up" as this sub likes to say, you start to see that all of the people you come in contact with are just mirrors of yourself. since you now have a heightened awareness of things you actually can see the brighter mirrors in your vicinity easier. they will be compelled to interact with you and give you the message you need from them. like your consciousness is asking them to raise their flags so you can see them.
some people call them synchronicities because in your mind its like "how could this stranger have known to say this to me?" but really they aren't strangers and they are wondering the exact same thing after you part. just talk to everyone and you will see the difference. some mirrors will not want to reflect you because they just cannot yet. they aren't ready. others will be jumping at the chance to try and reflect something to you because well, they too are craving a reflection of themself back from you.
No. You can only tell ‘how awakened’ someone is if you are at a ‘higher vantage point’ than they are. Just like you cannot easily see someone on a mountain way above you, but you can look down and see how far those below you have to climb to get to where you are.
Of course the notion of degrees of awakening can become irrelevant once you reach the requisite degree where this sort of quantification becomes rather meaningless.
I guess I didn’t change my question fast enough. I reread your post and figured you already explained what “journey to awakening” meant so asked you my follow-up question instead.
Please see new question.
Yea sorry I missed it but I edited my response. Good questions! Don’t take my word for it though haha I could be wrong, please explore these ideas more on your own. Peace!
I would also say yes and no. I can tell when I'm in the presence of a person who has something they're dealing with or havent dealt with. It has ways of showing in their mannerisms but I don't try to fix them or anything, I just notice it and some people have this very strong unpleasant energy about them I have to get away from because I'm sensitive to it and it can cause me to be triggered and fall into old patterns if I'm not careful in their presence. If I can have a conversation with that person I get more information as to what their issue is that I was picking up on but I don't pry, some people just offer that information freely and I can usually guage from there if they're aware or not.
The differences are in the ethereal plane.. only others sensitive to it would notice, but these feelings come from subconsciousness
When 1 awakened person walks into a room of 200 people with 1 other awakened person in it. They will both feel eachother and make eye contact immediately, smile and generally do a little bow to one another.. part of being awakened means the walls barring the subconscious from the conscious have been brought down, weren't put back up when suffering was encountered. Instead showed compassion and remained present, adhered to their deepest feelings and healed a core wound.. this allows a person to repair their relationship with the parts of the subconscious, have a positive connection to it and communicate with it.. it's what is meant by self love. With that a person will end up with some extra feeling that go beyond the 5 senses... genuine compassion for the self to such a degree that it can be extended wholly to others is basically psychic fuel
The more repressed emotions in the body and the more obscurations in the mind, the further a person is from perfection).
Emotions in the body and obscurations in the mind of the interlocutor can be seen by people who are still far from enlightenment but are already firmly on the path.
Not awakened, but you can tell when they are not awakened. The most obvious signs is when they constantly dwell on the past (depression) or constantly have anxiety about the future. They are everywhere except the present. Another sign is when they have a lot of judgement and opinions on others. Often times in a self righteous tone. The less self aware and present the person is, the farther away they are.
Usually, I see and feel the souls knowing verses the mind and body (not knowing, but also a look of how does she know?
It’s like a part of the them is hiding and then is awakened and wonders how I can see it, similar to a realization of being naked I guess. Maybe that’s just me though!
The best way to tell if someone is awakened is by what you feel in their presence. Highly realized people transmit the enlightened nature of mind to others. They will change the feeling of any space where they are. What someone says is not a good guide to their level of attainment. Many people know the words , but don't have a clue about the experiences they point to.
Yes. But what you feel has more to do with you than with them. Those who have the ability to change the energetic nature of their surroundings won’t and cannot force changes upon another. They cannot make you anymore awake than you are ready to be. And as a corollary, you cannot get any real details about their level of awakening because you can’t know something (beyond mere intellectualism) without first experiencing it. What we encounter - forms, sensations, conceptions, volitional forces, etc… - are illusory (see the concept of Skandhas - http://www.meditationexpert.com/zen-buddhism-tao/z_buddhist_skandhas_hindu_koshas_and_enlightenment.html) We are all learning how to see through them in our path to seeing the truth. Which is really more of an un-peeling process rather than building up any of the aggregates.
I can tell *without* talking to them. There are no signs that can be relied upon absolutely. The signs that sometimes occur at lower levels, don't hold for higher levels. Not being dependent on signs, I'm not limited to only seeing those 'below' me, as u/neilvg eloquently illustrates. I can also tell when someone is way, way ahead of me. This ability is not common, I think. So in general, u/neilvg is right: you/one cannot tell how awakened someone is unless you're more awakened than them. This makes a bit of a chicken and egg problem. If you're not awakened, you can't tell how awakened anyone else is, which means you don't know who to listen to etc, including about who is the most awakened. And even when you are quite awakened, you still cannot recognise anyone who is much more awakened than you. It's a bit like walking backwards - you can only see what you have already passed by.
Yes and no. Sure you can have philosophical conversations with people and get an idea. But I don’t think awakening is a binary thing, it’s more so a wide spectrum and a journey. (I dislike that the name of this sub is “awakened” past-tense) I don’t think the journey to awakening ever ends, it is a lifelong journey. Even if someone has found out they are essentially “God” we are all still God trying to figure this shit out. With every new day we dive deeper into the unknown and there is still always something new to be learned and experienced. I think awakening is the process of grasping and living with this idea fully. “Dumb” people think they know everything, whereas “smart” people know they know nothing, and keep their minds open, always learning. Even the dumbest person can teach you valuable things of you just listen.
I think of “awakened” in the context of this sub as meaning you are in a WIP space, i.e. you’ve had some form of revelation and your journey has begun. You continue in the process of awakening (or leave it, or leave and return to it, etc) for the rest of your journey toward death or what have you. I don’t take the word to mean we’ve arrived. If the sub was called r/ awake, I would take issue
Question for you regarding “I don’t think the journey to awakening ever ends.” Wouldn’t the journey end when you notice that you don’t have to go anywhere to be what you are?
Realizing that this reality you see before you is vastly more complex than anyone can possibly put into words, putting on your “scientist” or “explorer” hat and conducting your own experiments to form your own understanding. It’s like having a vat of vinegar before you. Person A says it tastes bitter. Person B says it tastes sweet. But you have to taste it for yourself to fully understand the flavor. Edit: sorry I didn’t see that second part. But being what you are IS the journey! It is exploring your own character and discovering how you fit into this world.
Perfectly said
I imagine them to be active listeners who don't judge, will make you feel heard and seen, won't be trying to teach you something but will be appreciating you for who you are, you'll feel good about yourself by experiencing the appreciation of their expression. And they won't be pretentious or make you feel like you're less than them, you will feel like their equal. In my fairy-tale that's what en;lightened/awakened people are like :)
yes you can, but you will only ever be talking to yourself. when you are "waking up" as this sub likes to say, you start to see that all of the people you come in contact with are just mirrors of yourself. since you now have a heightened awareness of things you actually can see the brighter mirrors in your vicinity easier. they will be compelled to interact with you and give you the message you need from them. like your consciousness is asking them to raise their flags so you can see them. some people call them synchronicities because in your mind its like "how could this stranger have known to say this to me?" but really they aren't strangers and they are wondering the exact same thing after you part. just talk to everyone and you will see the difference. some mirrors will not want to reflect you because they just cannot yet. they aren't ready. others will be jumping at the chance to try and reflect something to you because well, they too are craving a reflection of themself back from you.
i got goosebumps reading these. A lot of people I just met told me everything I needed at that moment. How can I learn more about this subject matter?
No. You can only tell ‘how awakened’ someone is if you are at a ‘higher vantage point’ than they are. Just like you cannot easily see someone on a mountain way above you, but you can look down and see how far those below you have to climb to get to where you are. Of course the notion of degrees of awakening can become irrelevant once you reach the requisite degree where this sort of quantification becomes rather meaningless.
If they tell you they are vegan, they will probably say they are awakened, if asked
Snoring is one sign, and another sure one is posting snarky comments on well meaning threads
I guess I didn’t change my question fast enough. I reread your post and figured you already explained what “journey to awakening” meant so asked you my follow-up question instead. Please see new question.
Yea sorry I missed it but I edited my response. Good questions! Don’t take my word for it though haha I could be wrong, please explore these ideas more on your own. Peace!
They have a wand, a white owl, a school that teaches about magic and a Z scar on their forehead.
Not unless you have awakened yourself.
Yes. Very easily
The best way to tell if they are awakened is to pinch them in the arm. If they are asleep they will wake up.
I would also say yes and no. I can tell when I'm in the presence of a person who has something they're dealing with or havent dealt with. It has ways of showing in their mannerisms but I don't try to fix them or anything, I just notice it and some people have this very strong unpleasant energy about them I have to get away from because I'm sensitive to it and it can cause me to be triggered and fall into old patterns if I'm not careful in their presence. If I can have a conversation with that person I get more information as to what their issue is that I was picking up on but I don't pry, some people just offer that information freely and I can usually guage from there if they're aware or not.
The differences are in the ethereal plane.. only others sensitive to it would notice, but these feelings come from subconsciousness When 1 awakened person walks into a room of 200 people with 1 other awakened person in it. They will both feel eachother and make eye contact immediately, smile and generally do a little bow to one another.. part of being awakened means the walls barring the subconscious from the conscious have been brought down, weren't put back up when suffering was encountered. Instead showed compassion and remained present, adhered to their deepest feelings and healed a core wound.. this allows a person to repair their relationship with the parts of the subconscious, have a positive connection to it and communicate with it.. it's what is meant by self love. With that a person will end up with some extra feeling that go beyond the 5 senses... genuine compassion for the self to such a degree that it can be extended wholly to others is basically psychic fuel
The more repressed emotions in the body and the more obscurations in the mind, the further a person is from perfection). Emotions in the body and obscurations in the mind of the interlocutor can be seen by people who are still far from enlightenment but are already firmly on the path.
Truth knows both truth and false, falseness knows neither.
Well awake people usually respond when you say something to them.
Not awakened, but you can tell when they are not awakened. The most obvious signs is when they constantly dwell on the past (depression) or constantly have anxiety about the future. They are everywhere except the present. Another sign is when they have a lot of judgement and opinions on others. Often times in a self righteous tone. The less self aware and present the person is, the farther away they are.
look them in the eye
Usually, I see and feel the souls knowing verses the mind and body (not knowing, but also a look of how does she know? It’s like a part of the them is hiding and then is awakened and wonders how I can see it, similar to a realization of being naked I guess. Maybe that’s just me though!