Levels of Mind - #257

"Our quality of life is not dependent on the experiences arising in the world or our minds, but on the level of mind they are rising to." We can "feel good even when we do not feel good."

This quote is from the book Shift into Freedom by Loch Kelly. It reminds me of the overused Stoic concept that it is not the events themselves that affect us, but our reaction/inner processing of those events. A short video glimpse to accompany this realization is here.

Loch Kelly points out how there are multiple levels of development in awakening. It is not psychological development or maturity as we traditionally define it, but spiritual development. These are uncorrelated. Psychological development doesn't imply spiritual development and vice versa.

So there are multiple levels of mind, according to Kelly:

• Everyday mind and subtle mind: This is the normal, everyday level where ego-identification is the primary identity, meaning that I am identified with the thoughts, believing every thought that comes up and weaving in a story that is made by the mind and it is not reality because reality is this.
• Awake-aware mind: This corresponds to the "waking-up"* stage of awakening and involves a shift from ego-identification to Self. It is the discovery that I am OK and that I can trust things, that at a fundamental level everything is okay. And I recognize myself as part of the world and see through all the stories in the mind.
• Simultaneous mind: This relates to the "waking-in"** stage and shifts identity to Being.
• Open-hearted Awareness: This is the "waking-out"*** stage, also with Being as the identity. Open-hearted awareness is a state of complete openness and connection with everything — the discovery that everything is connected and you are part of it.

We can practice glimpses (short sessions) to experience this moment from the next level of mind available to us. This taste of experience makes the next level of mind real and achievable, until it becomes naturally accessible. Each level of mind can shift into the previous one effortlessly.

*Waking up: This leads to "freedom from the fear of death." It's the initial stage of awakening where we recognize awake awareness and begin to unhook (detach) from ego-identification.

**Waking in: This leads to "freedom from the fear of life." As we wake in, "we feel grounded, centered, and more in our bodies." This corresponds to the "Simultaneous mind" level where identity shifts to Being.

***Waking out: This leads to "freedom from the fear of love." As we wake out, "we feel more creative and connected to others than ever before." This corresponds to the "Open-hearted Awareness" level of mind.

—

So why am I sharing this? I believe it is interesting. It is one of those things you can realize, experiment with when your basic life needs are met and you find there is a lot of empty space, unrealized potential, contraction in your mind, body, way of being. To wake up you don't continue doing business as usual unless you wish to keep things as usual. Or maybe you do, but from a different level of mind.

It seems there is a fundamental truth to these experiential concepts that cuts through everything. They are not tactics to relieve stress, reduce suffering, decrease pain, although it's also all of those. They are the strategy to live life, the container of all containers.

—

Here is an interesting tool I have discovered this week: https://www.tryspill.com/ (open-source and run locally on your computer). From their website: “One distraction-free space to spill your thoughts for a set time — brainstorm ideas, draft scripts, process life, whatever. Plus dictation when your fingers can't keep up, and voice chat with your notes when you need to think out loud.”