The Inner Culture Activity
What is Awakening?
What is this wakening, how does it manifest? It manifests in the form of wondering; one begins to wonder, why do I exist, did I exist before, shall I exist afterwards? One begins to wonder about things that one has depended on, such as position, possession, rank, environment, conditions, dear ones around one, whether they will last. If everybody wonders about it, it would be very difficult, the world would not go on as it is going on now. It is just as well that few wonder about it and many sleep. Where does this sleep come from? It comes from the intoxication, which is brought about by being absorbed in this life of the world, morning and evening, every moment. Only a few moments, perhaps they are caused by sadness, or perhaps by disappointment, a heart-break, a moment comes when a person wonders: what I depended upon was not worth depending on; now is there anything I can depend upon?
At the time when a person is wakening if one thing has disappointed him, if one thing has shown him the false side of life, he begins to see the same thing in all things. And it can even go so far that he cannot then even rely upon himself, seeing the nature of his body, which he called himself, subject to death and decay, the nature of the mind, which he called himself, subject to change with every mood of the day. He then wishes to seek for something reliable, something which is dependable to build his hope upon, something which will not deceive him in the end. He then begins to seek a spiritual path, he then wants to find out a secret of life, he wishes to look into the mystery of religion.
In whatever way he approaches he comes to the same channel, that one channel that leads to the knowledge of truth, and that channel is the knowledge of self.
Now, how does he acquire it? Does he acquire it by himself? Even if man acquired the spiritual knowledge by himself there is everything in life to contradict it, and he cannot be supported unless there was another one by his side to tell him that that is right. If not, a person with the highest truth in his mind, if not confirmed by someone in whom he has trust he will not be able to realize even for himself if it is right or wrong. For truth is something to which everyone is opposed. It is not that everyone is intentionally opposed, but everyone is looking at something quite different than what is Truth. And therefore it is quite natural that if a seeker of Truth found Truth, the first thing is that he will begin to doubt, am I right, or am I mad?
