A friend recently pointed out how very complicated we make ‘waking up.’ He said that if the ego doesn’t have to ‘struggle’ for something, the ego doesn’t think it’s worth anything.
I have found this to be true in interacting with my students regarding ‘waking up.’ If I offer free classes or meditations, people take them for granted, don’t commit, and don’t bother to attend. It must be part of the ‘dreamstate’ to have to work ‘hard’ for what’s ‘valuable.’
However, ‘waking up’ doesn’t have to be complicated, and doesn’t have to take forever. People don’t have to dress up in costumes, buy crystals and malas, attend expensive retreats, or ask thousands of questions.
I’ve found that a few simple practices, repeated diligently, were all that I really needed: meditation (with proper guidance), mindfulness/practicing Presence, and challenging the so-called ‘truthfulness’ of my own thoughts. The rest was unnecessary.
Are you making it more complicated than it is? I call my own dharma ‘Simply Awake’ for a reason.