From Awareness to Enlightenment: Six Stages to Infinite Energy

oday's inner journey issue is dedicated to the last step on the spiritual path.

We have strengthened the conscious mind.

We have purified the subconscious mind.

We have opened our hearts.

We have journeyed toward becoming whole.

The last step is about becoming a conduit of universal life energy.

I remember one yoga retreat I made.

Totally aware.

Letting go of my body being shaken and twisted by the energy of Shakti.

Life was flowing through me.

Moving my body without my own will.

This demands letting go of your identity and your body totally.

Allowing the life energy, or prāṇa, to flow freely through you removes any negative energy and enhances your vitality.

It makes you shine.  

Imagine you have boundless energy.

Imagine you have capacities such as intuition, clairvoyance, and clairaudience.

Imagine being connected to the life force that sustains all living beings.

Imagine navigating life's challenges with ease and grace.

Meditation is the royal path to reach this step.

In this letter, I share the 6 stages of Vipassana or Insight Meditation.

It is a practice rooted in the Buddhist tradition, particularly in the teachings of the Buddha. It is designed to help you be aware and understand the true nature of reality.

You will first focus on external senses, like sight and sound. Then, shift to your internal experience, like body sensations, thoughts, and feelings.

The ultimate goal is to understand the impermanent, unsatisfactory, and non-self nature of all phenomena. This will lead to greater equanimity and spiritual insight.

This is a progressive journey toward deeper levels of awareness and integration.

Stage One: Whole Field Vision

First, pick a point of visual focus (anything stationary).

Widen your awareness to include your whole field of vision.

Your focal point is the center of that field, but you are trying to be equally aware of everything in your field of vision—all 180 degrees.

If something in your field of vision grabs your attention, your focus narrows to it. Once you notice that, gently widen your awareness to the whole field again.

Practice being equally aware of everything in the field.

Remember to include your body in your field of visual awareness; regard it as simply part of it.

Stage Two: Whole Field Hearing

After you've gotten comfortable with that, you can bring in hearing.

Become equally aware of everything in your whole field of hearing—all 360 degrees.

As far as possible, don't let your attention be grabbed by any single sound.

Let each sound be a thread in a tapestry of sound.

When you've gotten comfortable with 'whole field hearing,' couple it with 'whole field vision,' and practice both at once.

Stage Three: The Field of the Body

When you're comfortable with that, add in all the sensations of your own body.

Become acutely aware of your body's contact points with the environment. Notice the wind on your face and the bench under your thighs.

Also, notice your body's internal sensations. These include a twinge in your knee, the fullness or emptiness of your belly, the expansion and contraction of your lungs, and so on.

After you have tuned into your body, add it to your total field of awareness (vision and sound).

In other words, let all your body's feelings be part of your field of total awareness.

Stage Four: The Field of the Mind

When you're comfortable with that, start becoming mindful of your thoughts and emotions, which come up naturally while you are sitting.

Let them be objects of your awareness, equal in value to any other object of your awareness.

Without suppressing or manipulating them in any way, simply observe the mind stream, that is, the various permutations of the mind stuff.

Notice how each thought or feeling is triggered by something that came before.

Look at those relationships of cause and effect in the mental field.

Notice how different thoughts can affect your mood and level of inspiration.

Stage Five: The Whole Field

So now, at this phase, you are practicing being equally aware of all objects of consciousness, whether external or internal.

You will soon find out if you're an 'outie' or an 'innie.' This shows if you focus more on the outside world or your inner self.

For a while, practice gently resisting this tendency.

Balance your awareness of the external and internal equally. Do this until you have erased the difference between the two.

At this point in the process, there is only a field of awareness.

You do not bother differentiating, categorizing, judging, or evaluating its content.

Stage Six: Self-Guided Mindfulness Practice

It's up to you now. I recommend you spend years doing vipaśyana on the internal field (i.e., thoughts, feelings, and inner sensations).

Though you know the duality of internal and external is false, we must counter years of focusing on the senses. We must attend to everything else, the phenomena we can observe, even in sensory deprivation.

This inner focus brings out the power of vipaśyana to produce insight and heal us psychologically more fully.

Final words

Becoming a conduit of universal life energy is the final step on our spiritual journey.

It’s about letting go completely—of your identity, your body, and even your will. This is how life energy can move through you unhindered.

This transformation isn't just about feeling good or having more energy.

It’s about shining from within and moving through life with grace.

Vipassana culminates in a profound state of equanimity and insight.

Each step in this practice brings you closer to your true, radiant self.

If you have any questions or thoughts, just reply to this letter. I’m here for you.

With deep gratitude for your commitment to this path,

Pierre-Boris