Enlightened Emptiness

Someone recently said to me, “I have experienced emptiness from time to time and it doesn’t feel good.” This is because the way the human body feels has nothing to do with the emptiness experienced when there has been an Awakening. Enlightened emptiness means “nothing to hold on to,” including thoughts, feelings, beliefs, attitudes, emotions or anything to do with a personal story.

Ego is a constructed identity of a person, soul, energy, etc. that perceives itself to be separate from all other persons, souls, energies, etc. Its view is dualistic: “me and you;” and “me and the world.” The words “I” and “me” claim a unique role in the universe that this “identity” recognizes as “reality.” Yet, that reality is merely an imaginary story based on all the input a particular body receives from its physical senses from the moment it is conceived. Assumptions are made, beliefs are formed, conclusions are drawn, rules are established, and attitudes with their congruent behaviors become part of ego’s operating guidelines. The ego then combines all of these components to manage your life through the mental body with its thoughts. (Both visual and word thoughts are included; thoughts are thoughts, no matter what form they appear in.) For those who have heard that the world is an illusion, this is how YOUR ILLUSION came to be. The way your ego sees the world and your part in it is your illusion, no one else’s. And since ALL of ego’s thoughts are merely a creation of each individual’s imagination – they have nothing to do with reality.

The ego is powerful, and all of its power was given to it by YOU. Every time you accept the ego as your guide and Master you are ignoring the power, wisdom and loving presence of your True Nature. The ego controls you with doubt and fear. It keeps reminding you of the past to keep you open and vulnerable to its input. It pretends to be looking out for your best interest, but in Truth, the ego is not your friend. Its only interest is maintaining its control, because without its ability to control your life, the ego will cease to exist.

Self Realization (Awakening) is the discovery and understanding of the fact that ego’s story of who you are (past lives, present life or future) has no validity whatsoever. A true spiritual awakening is “waking up” from the dream that you are the “person” that ego keeps reminding you to be. It is the shift of identification from the limited individual that ego tells you that you are to the fully present, enlightened Master that is your TRUE IDENTITY.

Enlightened emptiness is not a bland mind, and likewise it is not a void in your emotional body. It is simply the dissolution of ego with all its false premises and delusions! In enlightened emptiness the heart is free of ego’s grip so it can be full of love, caring and compassion, without restrictions. The physical body may be healthy, or not – this does not matter. The peace and joy of an open heart will always shine through the eyes of an egoless presence.