Waking up Asleep

Buddhism, Taoism, Nondualism, Gurdjenskyism, and most of the other name-brand "-isms" - mysterious-to-most, mystical-to-some, and RIGHT-ON-to-a-few - (excluding the fraudulent attempts at revealing something significant, like L.Ron.Hubbardism and loads of others, including probably all the New-Age sillinesses out there) are all about Waking up from sleep, and staying Awake, or at least "still asleep, BUT on a Higher Level - that is, more Awake".

Most people fail at this because they can't come to grips with the concept "WAKING UP" - not in the slightest degree necessary to realize when they are awake, versus when they are asleep. In fact, most people who say or think they are "pretty much" (if not permanently) AWAKE, are quite asleep after all, and don't even know it. They, in effect, may have woken up - once upon a time, for a moment or ten or twelve - but, soon enough, or sooner, they fell right back into a deeper slumber than before, proved by their continuing misunderstanding, and miscommunicating, whenever they attempt to discuss what Being Awake means.

Some of most tragic losers think being awake is moving objects around the stage and claiming "powers" - ESP, telekenesis, clairvoyance, talking with dead people, magic tricks, spells and readings, channeling benevolent reptiles, et cetera, et cetera! If this sounds like a bit of a "dig" against such claimants - that number in the tens of thousands or more - it is, particularly since they all should know better but don't, and so they gleefully pull their cons and scams and parlor tricks on the unsuspecting public, usually for cash.

Some of the other tragic losers believe that being awake is all about states - tingles and shivers up the spine, hair raising goose bumps, and all sorts of other "mystical sensations" they don't even have words for, including seeing moving wisps of smoke hovering across the living room floor, or hearing strange and odd voices coming from out of nowhere, being taken aback by floating and moving orbs of light,  hearing non-ordinary sounds all around one, or feeling wisps of air blowing across their skin when the windows are closed - hey, the list goes on forever. Yes, all these things are interesting, but they have nothing to do with the notion of Waking up, Staying Awake, and being able to increase it with experience.

Such people are those who never engaged their higher thinking center, but only allowed their instinctive/moving center to run wild like so many untamed horses - as it certainly does in everyone - which dragged their emotional and thinking centers BEHIND, like a couple rather rattled ranch hands who left the corral gate open - "Oooops! Wha' happened?!?" - rather than the other way around, TAMING and RIDING those winged steeds like they were meant to be. It's a classic case of "putting the cart before the horse". They have allowed the most automatic reactions to perceptual experiences be described, and then believed (and then remembered, and repeatedly reported, even sometimes codified and made into YouTubes) by still-childish emotional and intellectual centers that never acquired the discipline to Intelligently Investigate themselves, without their prior beliefs polluting all their efforts and apparent results.

Now, don't get the wrong impression. All of this is happening this way for a reason. Life conceals what is Best and Useful and Worthwhile behind the fake, and false facades of phoniness, so that the Best and the Brightest in Humanity - who want more out of Life than comfort and money and entertainment and security - will have to make even MORE EFFORT to uncover the Real. That strengthens their power, and will, and resolve to continue at all costs and never give up, and never to settle for some success.