Life is an Experiment - Mahatma Gandhi Posted 12 November 2018 (Revisited)

 

---

Life is an Experiment - Mahatma Gandhi
Posted 12 November 2018 (Revisited)

All there is to being an enlightened being is simply realizing that you are an enlightened being—and there’s no two ways about it. You are awakened consciousness manifesting itself through this physical form, through your mind and all its formations, on this shared planetary realm.

This is how I’ve come to see it, for myself at least.

I’m not claiming to be enlightened like the Buddha, or Jesus, or the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). No, sir. I am my own enlightened being. I say this not to sound wise or to lay claim to some spiritual superiority. Nor am I trying to start a new religion or validate any particular path. No sir, I’m at that stage in life where drawing conclusions from this long experiment called living feels both urgent and necessary—before the final curtain falls.

Before I kick the bucket, I want it known how far—or how near—I’ve come in this journey toward merging with the Whole, the Cosmos, the Infinite, the Ultimate Divine Mystery. Call it what you will: God, Brahman, the Great Spirit, Jehovah. Give it whatever name feels sacred to you.

To become enlightened is to dissolve into the complete Wholeness of Being.
I AM THAT, I AM. (Typo error being kept.)

The sum total of this entire journey—both inner and outer—has brought me to a point of no return. The mind no longer doubts. It has opened a floodgate of stored DNA, memories, and spiritual impressions. I am compelled to bring them out into the light—to make peace with them, to understand them, to express them.

I’ve unraveled threads from ancient teachings—sacred texts, mythologies, whispered truths from all corners of the human race—and at this point I can say to myself: I see the light.

But it is no big deal. It’s not glamorous.
It’s just this: being awakened, being alive, and knowing you are alive.
And not being afraid to be real.

When you drop the mask and reveal your true face to the world, it will either look upon you with awe—or fear. That’s why we wear masks. We find security in pretending. A coward at heart may wear the mask of a villain, a merciless soldier, a zookeeper. The brave wear the masks of teachers, priests, carpenters, or paupers. Sometimes, the brave are the most timid and compassionate among us.

I’ve shed many masks in my time. And I’ve done it quietly, without always realizing it. Looking back, I now see it clearly. I’ve become aware of the donning and doffing, of slipping in and out of roles like skins. I am the one who wears it. I am the watcher behind the masks.

Each mask—each role—was a way of coping with life’s stimuli. Today I was an uncle giving advice to a nephew and niece. A father to my son and daughter. A blogger tracing thoughts and emotions across a screen, trying to find some coherence in this absurd, beautiful mess of life.

Mahatma Gandhi once said, “My life is my message.”
And he also said, “Life is an experiment.”

I believe so too.
And this—what you’re reading now—is one of my lab notes.

---

#IAmThatIAm #SpiritualJourney #Enlightenment #SelfRealization #MasksWeWear #LifeIsAnExperiment #NonDuality #AdvaitaVedanta #Awakening #TatTvamAsi #TheWatcher #InnerTruth #ShamsulBahariWritings #LettingGo #TheAleutianBlues #Mindfulness #Authenticity #BeStillAndKnow