Self-Realization and Other Awakenings

overlaid deeper layers of consciousness. I really do
not know what Robert did in those three years,
whether he explored those layers or not. But I do
know he was a troubled boy. He was hard to handle.
The conflicts he saw tore him apart, and then he
awakened at age 14. You can read his transcripts to
find his expression of his awakening.
Most of us are also this way. We feel something
wrong. Nothing seems right. We start looking and
searching for the truth of reality. Mostly we read,
then we learn about meditation, yoga, pranayama,
karma yoga, chanting and gurus, and a few start a
spiritual practice, and a very few become obsessed
with finding truth. They are both the lucky ones and
the cursed.
What is awakening?
You have to see that the definition varies from
teacher to teacher based on their own experiences.
There are endless awakenings. Some find union with
God by becoming empty; some find union by giving
themselves away in love. Some become empty, some
become full. Some become humble and accepting,
others become filled with driving energy to make the
world better. The Zen master, Joshu, said he had
thousands of small awakenings and 17 mind-busting
ones.