The 5 Steps to Enlightenment

Have you ever had a dream, Neo, that you were so sure was real? What if you were unable to wake up from that dream? How would you know the difference between the dream world and the real world?

• Morpheus, The Matrix (1999)

Dreams are ubiquitous – all of us experience them, even if we don’t always remember them. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that they are a popular subject of research in the fields of psychology and neuroscience, to help us understand the ‘why’ and the ‘how’. But spirituality chooses to focus on the ‘what’ – what exactly is a dream? In its essence, a dream is no different than what we perceive as the real world.

Beggar or Emperor?

Janak, King of Mithila in ancient India, once had a dream in which he was a hungry beggar. When he woke up, Janak was left perplexed by a seemingly strange question – what was the reality? Was he an emperor who simply had a nightmare, or was he a beggar, sleeping with an empty stomach and fantasising about living the luxurious life of an emperor?

You might be tempted to think – “What a silly question! He was an emperor in reality, of course.” But we can thank our stars that Janak did not come to any hasty conclusion, and instead posed his “silly” question to Rishi Ashtavakra, an enlightened Sage. What followed was a unique dialogue on the nature of Self, reality, and bondage. A dialogue that has been preserved in the Advaita Vedanta scripture of Ashtavakra Gita. 

To Janak’s question, Rishi Ashtavakra responded – “Neither the beggar nor the emperor is real. You alone are real. You, yourself, are the truth”. 

Three States of Consciousness

To dissect Rishi Ashtavakra’s response, it is necessary to understand the theory of our very existence in terms of consciousness. Our lifetime is a continuous stream of transitions between three states of consciousness, or the feeling of “I am”:

1. Waker: This is the state in which an average person spends 16-18 hours of the day. Here, the adjectives associated with your “I am” might look something like this:
◉ I am a man/woman
◉ I am a doctor
◉ I am an artist
◉ I am an Indian
◉ I am a Hindu etc. etc

Throughout the day, you keep switching from one role to another. These roles dominate your sense of “I am”, and your experiences of pain or pleasure. This is the state in which Janak was an emperor.

2. Dreamer: This is the state in which Janak found himself to be a beggar. In the dream, he also meets an old lady who gives him some rice and lentils to cook a meal. Janak painstakingly prepares a meal, but just as he is about to eat it, two bulls engaged in a fight come charging towards him. Janak saves himself but the chaos ends up shattering the food bowl and Janak’s hope for a meal.

Was there really an old lady who went inside Janak’s dream? Who were the two bulls? Where did the food vessel come from? Everything that exists inside a dream is nothing but a form that your own consciousness takes for the duration of the dream. In his dream, Janak himself was the beggar, the old lady, the food vessel, and the two bulls. And the same principle applies to our dreams, too. In a dream, your sense of “I am” expands to everything that makes up your dream world. 

3. Deep Sleep: In this state, the body and the mind are completely closed to any experience or feeling. There is no perception of the outer world, or your own world of dreams. Your sense of “I am” changes to “I am nothing”.

What is Real?

The idea of reality vs illusion has been explored in mainstream cinema as well. In the sci-fi classic The Matrix, Morpheus asks Neo – “What is real? How do you define ‘real’? If you’re talking about what you can feel, what you can smell, what you can taste and see, then ‘real’ is simply electrical signals interpreted by your brain”.

We find it very easy to grasp the idea that “dreams” are not real. But let’s view dreams from Janak’s lens, and question this idea. Everything that happens within a dream feels very real while you are in the dream. All the visuals that you see are basically electrical signals created by your brain. But isn’t that exactly what happens in the “real world”? Quantum Physics has proven that what our eyes see is very different from what actually exists. Moreover, different species perceive the world very differently. For example, birds can see many colours that human beings can only imagine.

Your version of reality changes in each of the three states of consciousness. The dream world is real while you are in the dreamer state, and the outer world is real while you are in the waker state. But ultimately, both these states are an illusion (Maya). Not because they don’t exist, which is a popular misinterpretation of the word “illusion”. But because they are both temporary.

Enlightenment – Awakening to the Fourth State

In spirituality, the definition of ‘real’ or ‘truth’ is very simple and straightforward – that which never changes is real. Everything that is temporary is an illusion. And thus, all three states of consciousness cannot be regarded as being real.

There is a fourth state of consciousness – the Turiya State. This is the purest state of consciousness, our true identity. While we associate ourselves with different identities in the dreamer state, we let go of those identities as soon as we wake up. But we remain trapped in the roles of the waker state.

Enlightenment is waking up from the dream of the “real world”, and realising your true identity.

That is easier said than done. But spirituality is no black magic. It is the science of self discovery, and thus, there is a precise process for everything. At SRM, Sri Guru has outlined a 5 step process for reaching enlightenment:

1. Theory: Before starting a scientific experiment, we need to be clear about the theory. In spirituality too, the first step is always to gain complete clarity about the theory of reality and our existence. We need to be clear about what exactly it is that we are trying to attain, before we set out to attain it. 
2. Ethics: A scientific experiment is conducted under certain external conditions. For instance, even to prove the simple theory that water converts into steam at 100 degrees celsius, you need some basic equipment and the right conditions. Spirituality is an internal experiment of self discovery, and all the preparations need to happen within. These preparations are done through right conduct, discipline, and introspection. 
3. Practices: This is the exact experiment technique that needs to be followed in order to prove the theory or hypothesis. In spirituality, it mainly consists of self-discipline and Yogic meditation techniques. This step is also known as Sadhana. 
4. Transformation: This is equivalent to early signs of the results from the experiment. For instance, in the boiling water experiment, the water doesn’t boil all at once. You are able to notice certain changes in the water much before it starts converting into steam. Similarly, as you undergo the process of Sadhana, you begin to notice changes in the experiment apparatus, that is, your own self. Peace, contentment, and happiness don’t come all at once, in some magical moment of enlightenment. You begin to
   experience them gradually. 
5. Transcendence: This is the final result of the experiment, the moment of experiencing the ultimate reality, where we finally wake up from the dream of the “waker state” and reach the fourth state of consciousness.

You have been dreaming for an unimaginable number of lifetimes. The arrival of a Sadguru in your life is the metaphorical dawn after a terribly long and dark night. And the alarm bell starts ringing as soon as they initiate you into this 5-step process. Will you hit snooze, as always? Or are you finally ready to wake up?