So, I'm in a lively discussion with a non-dual friend who claims to have dipped in Nirvana (stream entry). From his description of Nirvana though, (non-dual white light, object and conciousness as one).. it sounds like A&P to me... though very strong, perhaps. Also, he spent the next two years playing video ggames and eating potato chips and not talking with anyone (Dark Night?). So, I've finally gotten talking with him about Maps and Models, and he showed me the model he's most familiar with. I quyite like it
The model isHowdies 4 part process, and it's sorta a coccoon to butterfly model.
The way I've mapped it is
1 - correlates with being totally asleep
2- mind and body through to early A&P
2A - A&P event
3 - Dark Night
4- Fruition and review
It maps across amazingly well. Except, no real mention of higher paths, except... "it takes time to integrate"
Any thoguths?
This is what my friend sent me:
"Here are some definitions that I like, from a spiritual teacher/friend of mine. They're not comprehensive, but I still find them to be helpful as a brief map of the spiritual path. They originally appeared on http://howdietalks.com but have since been deleted, so I'm pasting them here. I highly recommend Howdie's writings on spirituality at http://howdietalks.com (By the way, when I speak of "awakening," I'm usually referring to stage 2A: "Enlightenment-ceiling light" in Howdie's model. I think it's called "ceiling light" in his model because in my experience of awakening, it literally felt like I was looking at light on the ceiling, while I was also aware that I am that ceiling and I am that light.)
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The 4 Definitions
I feel there are 4 parts of the process- each very distinct. I can find this similar idea repeated in the ancient Egyptian texts, shamanic medicine wheel teachings, and in the stages of alchemy.
1 Asleep- Believing their bubble of reality and their beliefs as true. A lot of work has to happen here- the alchemic stage of nigredo, where the blackness must be dug through. This is the land or rules, concepts, beliefs and fear.
2 Awake- a word that means one has expanded the bubble- seen it is not as constricting as it was. Released the chains of Plato's cave and are beginning to explore it through mystical experiences, exploring alternate realities, healing, ect Much of this will involve some difficult experiences as we see the world and our life is not anything like we believed it to be. At its most profound place are realizations of unity, oneness, unconditional love. It's a nice place to be, but there is still a bubble and still a person in the bubble-. The caterpillar is still a caterpillar, just a more profound and powerful caterpillar.
2A Enlightenment-ceiling light. Enlightenment has within it the word light. Usually it means to reach a primal light- the original source of everything. The word means to reach pure white light. It will seem like this is the most profound of experiences…and that they have in fact done all that a human can do. And in one sense they are right. But in time they will drop back into awake and asleep modes. The alchemists were very cagey about saying to reach this stage -solutio- looks like you reached it all, but actually it is just the ending of the Lesser Work, the Great Work has not even begun. The caterpillar has fooled itself to thinking it is a butterfly-when actually the light was an invitation into the cocoon.
3 Enlightenment-Burning Fire. This also involves the light, but here is where the process really begins. For the first time caterpillar begins to dissolve. Here the light is not some nice thing we merge with, it is the fire from within- a raging alchemic furnace that will burn every last piece of "me," reality, world and belief. The caterpillar couldn't make this part happen, only follow along when the light confirmed, it is time to die and be transformed. You may say this is the period Jesus was in the cave after dying on the cross.
4 Absolute Reality- when every bit has been burnt, the Absolute can reveal itself, well…to the Absolute for there is no you there and no experience. Even the idea of oneness has dropped into what is. That being said, this is not some fun experience but glimpses are tough for most to deal with (no you, no world). Even with that the form thing- the you reading this- will have some 10 years of "integration" as form attempts to catch up with what is prior to form. Butterfly is born, but in human cases, the butterfly needs quite a while to "get its wings." This is the birth of Baby Horus in Egypt- where a new being is here, but it looks damn similar to the old thing. Jesus symbolically is reborn, leaves the cave, and his new teaching is found in the Gnostic gospels of NagHammadi- one where his previous teachings from the Awake realm are torn to pieces in the awakening of Absolute Reality.
