Awakening sense

what to do?

Q. What's to be done to awaken?

A. The what-to-do question keeps coming up. There's nothing to do but prepare mind's fields for awakening's seeds.

Q. But doesn't ego-mind do the doing and cause more problems along the way?

A. Ego-mind complicates everything, every field of action. Only the wholehearted are fit enough; an overweight mind is hopeless.

Q. Then who does the preparing?

A. An 'in-between' (transitional) self that an open heart and calm mind is drawn to carry on from.

Q. Sounds like a conditional kind of doing or conditional self.

A. Good way to put it. The condition is that useful efforts comes from the inspiration to awaken.

Q. If no effort, no awakening?

A. Maybe no effort is sometime better than forced effort, providing a useful rest stop.
Regardless awakening's urge operates non-stop. How anyone responds is built into their unique path.

(see 'effort in question')

effort in question

Why is effort needed in any spiritual path?

Without it there's no change, no waking.

What about grace?

Without it no change, no waking.

How can both be needed? Isn't this a contradiction?

Both are essential, like a door and doorway. It's a contradiction to ego-mind but accepted norm to awakening self.

What if one focuses on just one at a time?

Not a problem. Preparation invites grace which inspires effort.  Real focus on one leads to the other.   

(see a spiritual classic)

what's the key?

What's the key for awakening?

The key is preparing the ground.

For what?

For lightning to strike, for seeds to grow.

Preparing the ground how?

Through forgetfulness of ego-mind/drop-self and remembrance of Ocean Self.

How to forget self?

Remembrance of Self effaces self, chipping it away or wiping it out.

Then how to remember Self?

It's what's left, where awareness naturally goes when we're less entangled with conditioned mind. It's the fruit of wholehearted spiritual practice.

How do you know when that's happening?

The wondering me never knows, it's just bypassed.
It's left in the lurch before having a chance to know what's going on.

a collective treasure (pt.2)

When does awakening begin?

The underlying urge or push to awaken is always there. It's the underpinning, the driving force of whatever we're doing.

Even when we're not conscious of it?

We may not be conscious of this pushing but its work gets done. Through our dramas and darkness a preparation goes on. Our baggage and bindings are gradually shed; the dust clouds that dazzle us thin out (see 'impressions' ).

So when does the conscious part start?

Glimpses and glimmers of what's always there begin as the haze of dust particles settles. Then the pull begins, the attraction to the Real, and awakening blossoms forth.

Sounds like a kind of guarantee.

We share a common inheritance that's the rarest of treasures.
It's a matter of time, though no small matter to us.     (see pt.1)