You’ve probably heard many spiritual teachers say, “You are just an awareness.” They often explain this idea by stating that the body, thoughts, and emotions are constantly changing, but awareness always remains the same. It is the “stage” where everything appears, and you are that stage. While there is nothing wrong with this explanation, something is missing.
If we look carefully, we can see that our awareness is also constantly changing because we have different levels of awareness—from the very dim level we have in our regular dreams to the full awareness of The Self (Self-Awareness) that we are able to reach. Furthermore, we also know that a person can completely lose awareness but still be alive.
There is something much deeper than awareness—it is Beingness. And Beingness is something that we never lose, even if we are not aware of it. Even though without awareness we probably would never know that we exist, Beingness is something completely different from awareness.
We are not only aware but also immersed in a complex world of experiences and inner reflections upon these experiences. We are not just aware of the world around us; we are also able to understand what is going on, at least to a certain degree.
The realization that Understanding is a “thing” in itself is one of the major breakthroughs I experienced on my spiritual journey of Self-discovery. Because Understanding is one of the most crucial parts of who we are and what we are capable of doing, experiencing, and creating.
Without Understanding, we wouldn’t even know that we are aware because we wouldn’t be able to understand what we experience. And without Understanding, we wouldn’t be able to have any meaningful experiences. Additionally, Understanding is also a very powerful “tool” that can help us navigate all our experiences.
However, there is something else that is usually hidden from us. This something is known as “bliss” or “supreme happiness.” When I realized The Self (Real Self), I also discovered that happiness is the natural state of the Real Self. That’s why, in my opinion, many of us have this constant desire to be happy.
I believe that the best way to describe ourselves is “Beingness-Awareness-Understanding-Bliss.” This is very similar to “Sat-Chit-Ananda”; however, it is often translated differently, making this description incomplete.
When we understand that we are “Beingness-Awareness-Understanding-Bliss,” we can better understand who we really are. Thinking that we are “just an awareness” can create an empty state, disconnected from the Real Self.
That’s probably why many people who meditate for years complain that they don’t make any progress. The idea that they are just an awareness most likely keeps them in the region of their “head,” instead of concentrating on the region of the “heart,” which is the center of our “Beingness.”
The center of our Beingness is where we feel the connection with our Real Self much stronger and where we can connect with our natural state, which is permanent bliss or happiness. Some also call it “the center of I AM.” And the “I AM” is another way to describe the Real Self.
Thinking that “I am just an awareness” is a good way to start our spiritual journey. It makes us step away from the visible things around us, as well as our thoughts and emotions. But when we already have an understanding that we are not our thoughts, emotions, or the body, it is time to move to the deeper levels of Self-exploration.
