FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions About One Million
Awake
Home BLOG FAQ Wakeful Assists One Million Dots Count Me In!
What is the idea behind One Million Awake?
What does it mean to be Awake?
What are the benefits of being Awake?
What will happen when one million awaken?
How will we know when the goal has been reached?
Do I need to be affiliated with your particular teachings?
What
is the idea behind One Million Awake?
First
of all, it's an idea whose time has come. What do you see when you look around?
News and stories on war, terrorism, global warming and pollution, pandemics,
rampant greed, gang violence, hate crimes, corrupt politicians and
businesspeople. Or on the other side, endless 'reality' shows, the
glorification of body image, 'self' image, extreme narcissism, and every other
aspect of promoting one's limited sense of self. There's even a commercial for
a health group stating, "Be your own cause," as if people need any
assistance in thinking entirely about themselves. As one teacher said,
"Why are you unhappy? Because 99% of everything you think and everything
you do is about the self, and there isn't one." And people are unhappy -
incredibly so. Tens of millions are taking a variety of anti-depressant
medications, sleeping pills, or over-indulging in non-prescription drugs and
alcohol. Every year, it is said, that one million people 'succeed' in
committing suicide worldwide, and for each one that succeeds there are an
estimated 2 to 20 that try and fail. Who knows how many millions upon millions
are simply thinking about it? It is the third leading cause of death among
teenagers. Is this any way to live (or not live)? But there is an alternative -
to wake up!
The
actual idea came to me recently after watching the story of Kyle MacDonald and
his story of trading one red paperclip up (ultimately) for a house. My teacher
used to say, "Be bold! If you want to hunt, try for rhinoceros, and if you
want to steal, go for the government reserve. If you fail, everyone will say it
couldn't be done, and if you succeed, everyone will say 'How great!'" Into
my mind came the words 'One Million Awake,' and that was essentially how it
came about. Every great change in human culture has come about by a single
person having an idea - preferably the right idea at the right time. Well, now,
in the midst of such incredible turmoil, the time has come. People are already
talking about spiritual subjects. Millions of people consider themselves
'spiritual, but not religious,' and Eckhart Tolle's book, "The Power of
Now," a book about waking up, has sold over 2,000,000 copies.
Traditionally,
this kind of spirituality has been limited to the unseen - monasteries and
hermitages in the deserts, forests or mountains. Small groups of dedicated
practitioners moving away from society, escaping the daily tedium and
influences to affect a change within themselves. That time needs to be over.
Not that it can't also continue, or that people don't need to retreat from time
to time, but more importantly, it's time to take awakening to the streets, to
the awareness of the entire world. There is a different way of being. As
Einstein said, "We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking
we used when we created them." Anti-movements and 'Wars on' are not the
way to do it. It is time for a massive change in awareness, an evolution in
consciousness!
What
does it mean to be Awake?
If I
had to define it in a single word, it would be "FREE." Imagine
yourself bound at the wrists and ankles, gagged, and locked in a dark trunk,
AND you believe this is the way life is meant to be. The vast majority of
humans worldwide are living in exactly this condition. They are tightly bound
by their self imposed limitations and beliefs, foremost of which is that they
are (or are limited to) being their individuated, localized mind and body. The
simple fact is, and every great religion, philosophy and tradition has taught
this, you are much more than that. When you refer to yourself, you say
"I," but when you refer to your body or thoughts you say, "my
body" or "my thoughts." Obviously, this "I" is
something apart from, different than or greater than simply the body, mind and
emotions. The "I" is awareness or consciousness, and it is NOT
limited. Being Awake is the concrete recognition of this truth. In fact, many
of the synonyms of being Awake denote this - free, liberated, self realized,
self actualized, and in Sanskrit, the language of yoga, moksha and mukti, both
of which literally mean released.
What
Wakefulness is not is some kind of strange, mystical state which needs to be
obtained. You are already this consciousness, you simply need to recognize it.
It has nothing to do with walking on water or reading minds or flying through
the air. It is very simply the concrete and direct recognition that
"I" am this consciousness, this presence, the witness of all that is
occurring, right here and right now. The mind, the body, the world are in fact
arising in this consciousness. You simply need to let go of this strong
identification and attachment of being your body and mind and recognize that
you are the aspect of consciousness witnessing these objects of awareness. At
this point, the ropes around your wrist and ankles and the tape on your mouth
begin to loosen and fall off and the trunk magically disappears. You awaken
from the dream that you were actually ever bound. In literature, one of the
greatest and most well known allegories for this is Plato's cave. (If you don't
remember it, try looking it up on the web or in the library.)
What
are the benefits of being Awake?
Well,
what are the benefits of being bound up in a trunk? How can you accomplish,
enjoy or be anything worthwhile in such a condition? You can't! This is why
millions are committing suicide and making the anti-depressant pharmaceutical
companies wealthy. Plus, this unhappiness obviously has a huge toll on physical
well-being as well. (Why do you suppose it is called 'dis-ease'?) Our natural
condition, when not bound, is freedom and happiness. Our condition, when bound
by our illusions and limitations, and identifying with these, is a need to
defend these limitations. I need to fight to validate and defend my individual
me-ness, my beliefs, my ideas of what is 'right' and 'wrong' (or if belonging
to a particular group, our group us-ness). Every hostility or act of
aggression, greed, anger, hate, fear - all the things we normally think of as
being bad, and that are currently putting civilization on the brink of the
abyss, is deeply rooted in holding onto the illusion of separateness (or group
separateness). "I need to get more for me". "I (we) are right
and they are wrong. " Now imagine that you could simply drop those limited
perspectives and see from a universal standpoint - a recognition that you don't
need to defend anything. You are already free. You are love. You are happiness.
You are at peace. You are at home. Right now, where you are is a beautiful
timeless moment filled with infinite potentiality. This moment itself is
sacred. Those 'others' out there aren't the enemy. They are a part of this
perfect moment. They are a part of You. You can let go of the past and be the
infinite potential of this present moment. So, in short, being Awake is recognizing
that you, the real you, that which you refer to as "I" is Awareness
itself; it IS this Moment, and it is infinitely FREE!
How does one
'Wake Up'?
Most
simply, by reading and understanding what we have stated above. In addition, we
will be adding thoughts to the "Wakeful Assists" link above, and at
our blog - http:onemillionawake.blogspot.com
After that, it just constitutes letting go of the old beliefs and persistently
and consistently remembering who you are as This Awareness, not just the
objects in the awareness.
No
particularly cosmic reason. It is simply the number that came into our head - a
very nice, BIG, round number. Besides, when most people think they'd like to
make a 'huge' amount of money, what number comes to mind? Right!!!
$1,000,000. So why not 1,000,000 people awake.
What
will happen when one million awaken?
We
honestly couldn't tell you. But our hope is that as this idea catches on, it
will create something like a tipping point or 100th monkey, where the very
collective consciousness or mentality of humanity itself will begin to
shift, and it will become much more difficult for people to maintain their old
ways. In other words, humanity itself could evolve to a new level never before
seen!
How
will we know when the goal has been reached?
In
reality, there actually isn't a goal, perse...simply the ever changing, ever
expanding recognition of consciousness. So, whether you're speaking of your
'individual goal' or the 'goal of the changing of humanity,' simply see what is
occurring and if there is a deep appreciation of the Ever-New-Moment. As far as
the 'goal' of 1,000,000 Awake...we'll let you know!
What
can I do?
First
and foremost - WAKE UP! Secondly, whether you consider yourself 'Awake'
or not, help others to Awaken. Recognize them (as well as yourself) as
Consciousness. "Be the change you want to see in the world," said
Gandhi, and it certainly applies here.
In
the old days (i.e. the 'Sixties') we used to hold Be-ins, and Sit-ins. I
recommend people now have an "Awake-In" (Get it...Awaken?) Come
together with others, privately or, better, publicly. Sit together, share
together the nature of being present without any expectation. Sit silently and
also share openly. Communicate your own recognitions of the nature of Self and
assist others to do the same. Together, or on your own, investigate the
various beliefs that you hold as true. Inquire into whether they really are
true, or if they aren't one of the cords that bind you. Let go of the limiting
beliefs and concepts that you hold.
We
can definitely use your help as well. If this seems like a good cause, donate
time or money or love. If you are in our area (Portland, Oregon), we can
probably use volunteers. If you are elsewhere, consider starting an Awake-In
group to hold rallies, benefits, meditations, whatever.
Be
open to whatever ideas come up for you. That's how this whole thing started.
Do
I need to be affiliated with your particular teachings?
Absolutely not! In one way, you will be, as virtually all of the great wisdom traditions have pointed in the same direction. But as far as following this exact path...it may not be the one for you. But investigate your own Truths and the teachings of those that you trust. You will see that the true wisdom always says the same thing, no matter in what context, country, age, language, etc. Mostly, it is the search and recognition of Who You Truly Are!