A memory of noticing what we are can be a helpful reminder and pointer.
We notice what we are. We find ourselves as capacity for the world and what our experiences happen within and as.
Later, we may not notice it directly but we have this memory. And that memory reminds us that it’s possible and it can serve as a pointer for again noticing here and now.
Memories of awakening sometimes get bad press. If a memory is all there is, and we take the memory as valuable in itself, then we can get stuck there and it’s not so helpful in the long run. But if we take the memory as a reminder and pointer, and notice what we are here and now, the memory is of immense value.
I have mentioned this briefly in other articles and thought I would make it into a brief article on its own since it’s an important topic.
A wrinkle: fascination with the side effects of awakening
One wrinkle in this is the possible side effects of awakening.
An initial awakening may come with bells and whistles (bliss and so on), and our mind may naturally get fascinated by this and overlook the real value in the awakening which is noticing what we are.
This means that our memory may be of the side effects more than the apparent dullness of noticing what we are, which, in turn, means that the memory – and how we take it – can lead us to try to recreate the bells and whistles.
This is a natural, ordinary, and ultimately innocent mistake. If it happens it becomes part of our process and hopefully something we learn from. And we may – eventually – realize what it’s really about and the value in it. We realize that all states and experiences come and go, and what this is really about – our true nature – is always here. It’s the no-thing that’s here through and independent of all these shifting states and experiences.