Here are six stages or realizations in the journey toward the experience of enlightenment as explained by the great wisdom traditions of the world that emphasize meditation as a daily practice. Of course each of them would explain it with different words and emphasizing slightly different aspects of the path, but broadly speaking these six points would be common.
1. I am not my ego (the mental idea of who I think I am), I am a unified harmonious body-mind, living in the present moment.
2. I have a physical body but I am not my body.
3. I have a mind (a continuum of feelings thoughts and images) but I am not my mind.
4. I have an individual soul/divine spark/Buddha nature, but I am not that individual soul.
5. I am the Universal Witness-Self, the timeless, formless witnessing awareness that lies at the heart of all living beings and all of creation.
6. I am the integrated sum total of all the above “selves” allowing the divine to express itself creatively through me in my daily life from moment to moment.
© Toby Ouvry 2011, you are welcome to use or share this article, but please cite Toby as the source and include reference to his website www.tobyouvry.com
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