The Journey After Spiritual Awakening: Navigating the Fall and the Power of Forgiveness

Understanding Spiritual Awakening and Enlightenment

To consider a question like 'What happens to someone who is spiritually awakened after they lose their enlightenment?' is inherently complex. One must first define these terms from a direct experiential perspective. Let's explore this deeply.

Spiritual Awakening: A Personal Realization

To be 'spiritually awakened' is to gain a profound, direct realization—not through conceptual understanding but through lived experience—that there is no permanent, separate self that 'possesses' enlightenment. 'Enlightenment,' on the other hand, is the state where all personal identity has dissolved, leaving a clear and detached awareness. In this state, no one can claim to be enlightened because 'the one who could make such a claim' is precisely the obstruction to true enlightenment. Many spiritual traditions agree that the illusion of a separate self is the primary obstacle to enlightenment. This illusion is perpetuated by the mind’s constant chatter, creating a false identity. Through careful and honest investigation, it becomes evident that this ‘me’ experience is simply a product of the mind's conceptualization and identification.

Direct Experience: The Key to Enlightenment

To experience this firsthand, consider the following: Can you find the ‘me’ you believe yourself to be? When the ‘me stories’ playing out in your mind cease, where does this sense of 'me-entity' reside? More importantly, what is it that realizes this? After such an investigation, the question about what happens after losing enlightenment starts to dissolve.

The Fall from Enlightenment: An Introspective Experiencing

Initially, the fall from enlightenment can feel saddening. There is a sense of reluctance to return to what was previously known as suffering, but there is also a deep, albeit transient, devotion to the pure attributes realized during that state of liberation. The experience of this pureness can be described as 'ecstasy.' Yet, from a place of absolute understanding, there is also immense forgiveness. This forgiveness arises from a place of self-protective, naive unknowingness and forgetfulness. Understanding this, it becomes evident that 'kicking oneself' for falling back to a less realized state is paradoxical and unnecessary.

Parallels to the Un-Realized State

Wouldn't it be similar to the pre-enlightenment state, when self-protective patterns in the mind's self-centric game of Perpetrator/Victim/Savior were unknown and merely thought associations with the mind-body complex? The realization of God or the light of absolution illuminates this.

The Realized Superego

Rather than seeing the fall as a negative, the transition can be viewed as a deeply realized superego. Behavior that appears similar to that before enlightenment now manifests as reactions and nominal desires, but there is a sense of safety and deep security within. Bidirectional reactions no longer carry the same impact. In essence, the state after falling from enlightenment is a more conscious, aware, and forgiving response to the self and others. It is a state of 'going through the motions' but with a different perspective and emotional depth. This state promotes a bidirectional peace and understanding, devoid of the reactive tensions often felt beforehand.

Conclusion

In summary, the journey after spiritual awakening is not about falling from a pinnacle but rather about garnering a deeper understanding and acceptance of the human condition. It’s a journey of emotional maturity and forgiveness, leading to a more balanced and peaceful existence.

God bless you all on this journey of realization.