Wide Awake in Deep Sleep

Summary

The transcript discusses the nature of awareness, likening it to an ever-present, unchanging light that remains constant across different states of consciousness—waking, dreaming, and deep sleep. The speaker compares these states to ice, water, and steam, highlighting that while they may appear different, they are all forms of the same substance. Awareness, like water, is always the same and never 'sleeps.' The mind's thoughts may come and go, but true awareness remains undisturbed, offering a sense of peace and safety in engaging with the world without resistance.

Takeaways

• 💤 Awareness remains constant during all states—waking, dreaming, and deep sleep.
• 💡 Realizing one's true nature is akin to being 'wide awake' in deep sleep, always aware.
• 🌊 Different states like waking, dreaming, and sleep are like ice, water, and steam—different forms of the same substance.
• 🧠 The mind creates the illusion of transitions between states, but awareness stays unchanged.
• 🌟 Awareness doesn't know sleep or waking; it just knows itself as ever-present and eternal.
• 💭 Thought superimposes categories like waking, dreaming, and sleeping onto pure awareness.
• ☀️ Awareness never 'turns off,' unlike the mind which fluctuates between states.
• 🤔 Thoughts and mind activities are part of the natural flow, and awareness remains unaffected.
• 🌍 Knowing oneself as pure awareness allows for engaging with the world without fear or resistance.
• 😊 Life becomes safe and friendly when we realize awareness is never disrupted by external events or relationships.

Q & A

What does 'deep sleep' signify according to the script?

Deep sleep represents a state where we are not conscious of external things, but our true nature, or awareness, remains ever-present and unchanged.

How does the mind relate to waking, dreaming, and deep sleep states?

The mind modulates through waking, dreaming, and sleep, perceiving them as different states, but they are all expressions of the same ever-present awareness.

Why does the script mention Ramana Maharshi’s idea about deep sleep?

Ramana Maharshi’s idea is mentioned to emphasize that the awareness present in deep sleep never comes or goes. It remains constant throughout all states of consciousness.

How is the analogy of water used in the script?

The analogy compares ice, liquid, and steam to the different states of awareness. Just like water is present in different forms, awareness remains the same, regardless of the mind's state.

What is meant by 'awareness doesn’t know different states'?

It means that awareness itself is not affected by waking, dreaming, or sleeping. These states are only classifications made by the mind, while awareness remains unchanged.

Why is awareness described as 'always on'?

Awareness is described as 'always on' because it is eternal and ever-present, unlike the mind, which goes through phases of wakefulness and sleep.

How does the script describe the relationship between awareness and the mind?

The script describes the mind as a temporary, fluctuating phenomenon, whereas awareness is the underlying constant reality that remains unaffected by the mind’s states.

What role does thought play according to the script?

Thought is seen as a conditioned response that interprets experiences, but it cannot alter the true nature of awareness, which remains constant regardless of what the mind thinks.

How does the script suggest we approach the world and relationships once we understand our true nature?

The script encourages embracing the world and relationships without resistance or desire, knowing that nothing can disturb or take away our essential awareness.

Why is life described as 'safe and friendly' in the script?

Life is described as 'safe and friendly' because, once we recognize that nothing can separate us from our awareness, we can engage with the world without fear or attachment.

Outlines

00:00

🌙 Deep Sleep and the Ever-Present Awareness

The speaker explores the idea that in deep sleep, we are still connected to the same underlying awareness that exists during waking and dreaming. Awareness is compared to an ever-present light that remains constant, regardless of the mind's fluctuations. Using Ramana Maharshi’s teachings, the speaker explains that deep sleep doesn't imply the absence of awareness, but rather the mind's quietness. The analogy of ice, water, and steam is used to illustrate how awareness, like H2O, remains the same despite taking on different forms. Awareness transcends the states of waking, dreaming, and sleeping, remaining ever-present and unaffected by these mental states. Thought merely imposes these categories onto experience, but awareness itself remains pure and unchanged, always 'awake.'

05:02

🌍 The Safe World of Pure Awareness

This paragraph discusses how, once we realize our true nature as pure awareness, nothing in the world can threaten that realization. The speaker emphasizes that neither the mind, body, nor external world can take away our sense of self as pure awareness. Instead of resisting or desiring experiences, we can engage freely with life, allowing things to come and go without clinging or aversion. There is a sense of safety in knowing that awareness cannot be diminished or affected by external conditions, allowing us to fully embrace life's experiences—relationships, work, and enjoyment—without fear or resistance. Life becomes a 'big open yes' to whatever unfolds, as awareness is no longer vulnerable to the fluctuations of the mind or external events.

Keywords

💡Awareness

Awareness in the video refers to a continuous, ever-present state of consciousness that does not change, regardless of the states of waking, dreaming, or deep sleep. The speaker emphasizes that awareness is always 'on,' unlike the mind, which fluctuates through different states. This awareness is compared to the fundamental nature of reality that is constant, even when external experiences change.

💡Deep Sleep

Deep sleep is used as a metaphor for a state where the mind is inactive, but the underlying awareness remains ever-present. The speaker suggests that while the mind experiences sleep, awareness itself never 'sleeps'—it is always present, untouched by the mind's transitions between states like dreaming and waking.

💡Modulation

Modulation refers to the fluctuations or changes that occur in the mind, such as waking, dreaming, and deep sleep. The speaker describes these states as merely modulations of the same ever-present awareness, similar to how ice, water, and steam are different forms of the same substance—H2O. Modulation here conveys the idea that all changes are superficial and do not affect the core essence of awareness.

💡Mind

The mind is portrayed as a temporary, ever-changing aspect of human experience that goes through various states like waking, dreaming, and sleep. It is distinct from awareness, which is described as unchanging. The mind may believe it is experiencing different states, but it is ultimately just a tool that interprets reality, not the true self.

💡True Nature

True nature refers to one's essential self as pure awareness. The speaker contrasts the mind's changing states with the true nature, which remains unchanged and ever-present. Realizing one's true nature means understanding that this awareness is who we truly are, independent of external conditions or mental states.

💡Ramana Maharshi

Ramana Maharshi is a spiritual teacher mentioned in the video, known for his teachings on self-realization. The speaker refers to Maharshi’s insight that 'what is present in deep sleep never comes or goes,' meaning that the underlying awareness remains constant, even when the mind is inactive. This idea aligns with the main theme of the video about the unchanging nature of awareness.

💡Ice, Water, Steam Metaphor

The metaphor of ice, water, and steam is used to illustrate how different states of the mind (waking, dreaming, deep sleep) are like different forms of the same substance—awareness. Just as H2O remains the same regardless of whether it is ice, water, or steam, awareness remains the same regardless of the state the mind is in.

💡Waking State

The waking state is one of the three states of consciousness (along with dreaming and deep sleep) discussed in the video. It refers to the state in which the mind is active and perceives the external world. However, the speaker points out that even in the waking state, the underlying awareness remains unchanged and unaffected by what the mind experiences.

💡Dreaming

Dreaming is another state of consciousness mentioned in the video, alongside waking and deep sleep. It is described as a modulation of awareness, meaning that while the mind may experience dreams, the awareness itself remains constant. Like the other states, dreaming is seen as a surface-level experience that does not alter the true essence of awareness.

💡Form and Formlessness

Form refers to the physical and mental aspects of reality, such as the body, mind, and world, while formlessness refers to the underlying awareness that is beyond these temporary manifestations. The speaker encourages recognizing that while the mind deals with forms (thoughts, emotions, physical experiences), true nature is formless and unchanging.

Highlights

Realization of true nature is being wide awake, even in deep sleep.

In deep sleep, we know ourselves as transparent, ever-present awareness.

The mind's states like waking, dreaming, and sleeping are all modulations of ever-present awareness.

Ramana Maharshi's teaching: What is present in deep sleep never comes or goes.

Awareness is equally present in all states: waking, dreaming, and deep sleep.

Awareness is like water in different states—ice, water, and steam—yet fundamentally the same.

Awareness doesn't know different states; it only knows itself as ever-present awareness.

Thought superimposes categories like waking, dreaming, and sleeping, but awareness remains unchanged.

Awareness never goes to sleep; it is always on and shining eternally.

Waking, dreaming, and sleeping states belong to the mind, not to awareness itself.

There’s a tendency to express oneself in words, but these are just thoughts that come and go.

We are always and only the presence of awareness, regardless of the mind’s thoughts.

Thoughts and interpretations of experience are merely dances of the mind conditioned to create abstraction.

Once awareness is known as itself, no world or relationship can take awareness away.

In life, nothing needs to be resisted or desired; everything is just a big open 'yes' to what comes and goes.

Transcripts

that could say that we were always in

deep sleep yeah and then you another way

we could say it was that the one who has

realized their true nature is wide awake

in deep sleep I am hmm

yes it deep sleep mean means this we

know ourselves as this transparent

ever-present light of awareness yeah and

nothing changes whatever the mind

whatever the modulations the mind is

going through waking dreaming sleep

whatever kind is doing now it's all a

modulation of this same ever-present

substance now the mind may come and go

and say I've woken up I fallen asleep

I'm having a dream that's all the mind

but the stuff that is present during the

waking state during the deep the dreams

during the deep sleep state yeah is all

a modulation of this same ever-present

stuff yeah and that's why Ramana

Maharshi said something like um whatever

is present in deep sleep never comes or

goes now what he was referring to then

is not the deep sleep State butBut but

the did the underlying tutoria their

underlying hair he was a factor

awareness yeah that which is truly

present yeah in so-called sleep dream

and waking state the dream deep sleep

dreams and the waking state are all

modulations three different forms of the

same stuff it's like ice liquid and and

steam yeah three different states of the

same stuff that this stuff

water is equally present in the ice then

the h2o is equally present in ice the

water and the steam yeah yeah but it's

just three different forms of the same

stuff look how different they look ice

water and steam you could be given

when looking from the outside for not

seeing the connection between them yeah

for thinking they were three completely

different states but looking from the

inside if you were a water molecule

you wouldn't know whether you were ice

water or steam the water that the water

molecule the h2o just knows itself as

h2o it doesn't know that it's rain or

tears or tea or water or those are names

and forms that are superimposed by

thought but for water for the h2o it's

always aids too it doesn't know

different states and the same is true of

awareness awareness doesn't really know

different states it just knows itself

yeah it's always war always only water

yeah it's thought that superimposes all

these different categories in this case

the categories of waking dreaming and

sleeping awareness knows nothing of

waking dreaming or sleeping it is pure

ever-present wide awake nurse there's no

such thing as sleep for awareness what

would sleep be for awareness how could

awareness go to sleep what would the

awareness be when it was asleep

it wouldn't be aware in other words it

wouldn't be a Wednesday awareness is

always on the mind is not always on

that's interesting but awareness is

always on always shining not always but

eternally ever-present now never comes

and goes never goes off and on so the

these three states of waking dreaming

and sleeping a front for the mind not

for yourself

there's this tendency just just to stay

as that yes enter that also I have the

tendency to to have words to express in

words but that's fine yeah don't make

words wrong or bad yeah

this is when you say there's a tendency

to stay as that actually we have never

ever been or there could never be

anything other than the odd thought

seems to appears to make us something

other than that but even then whatever

thought is doing however thought is

interpreting our experience we are

always always only ever this presence of

awareness that never comes or goes so

let thought do its dance that's what

it's being conditioned to do to use

these abstract words that are not

accurate let all that go on there's no

need to try and make form perfect you

but you just as you say have this

tendency to to remain yourself perfect

but don't make the body in the mind and

the world somehow somehow wrong or

against ya being yourself no because

once you know yourself as yourself as

this pure formless experiencing nothing

can rob you from that there's no danger

any longer in the world in relationships

in activities in in watching movies and

having fun with your friends it's awful

you go back out into the world you no

longer have to to take to be the the

aloof witness keeping the dangerous mind

and body and world at bay because they

can no longer rob you of yourself they

can no longer take awareness away from

itself in fact they never did really

take awareness so then you could be go

back into the world it's safe there

there's nothing to be resisted there's

nothing to be desired

so we just enjoy just responding in the

moment we let whatever comes come engage

with it and then when it goes we let it

go because there's nothing there there's

no entity there trying to get some

things and trying to push other things

away there's just a big open yes

to whatever comes and goes whenever it

comes or goes friendships intimate

relationships children work I mean

whatever different for each of us and we

never know what it's going to be life is

safe and friendly thank you