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What is awakening?

Awakening is the ultimate result of a Buddhist spiritual path, namely, the liberation from all psychological suffering.

It simply involves transcending the two main characteristics of our human nature: social ambition and cognitive dissonance:

•	To liberate oneself from theegois to liberate oneself from social ambition.

•	To move beyond dualityis to stop opposing what ought to be to what is, and thus no longer fall into cognitive dissonance. This implies getting rid of all one's beliefs.

Limits of awakening

First of all, there is a marketing dimension to awakening aimed at Westerners who are struggling with their lives, who come in search of liberation from their dissatisfaction and bring the funding that keeps the spiritual development ecosystem running. The awakened sage is the mythical figure people want to resemble, just like a rock star or a sports champion.

Second, although awakening ensures that one will behave well from the perspective of the question 'What should one do to be a good person?', it does not guarantee the ability to feel outrage and act accordingly. See the question 'What is an adult?' for a critique of the de-responsibilization of emblematic Buddhist figures.

Finally, just as in coaching, the promise of full awakening carries the myth of an all-powerful individual who only needs to free himself from the constraints he imposes on himself, thereby minimizing social environmental constraints and personal predispositions. See the questions 'Why is coaching a dangerous illusion?' and 'If people want to succeed, they just have to work. We live in a democracy!'.

What is awakening?

Limits of awakening

Further Reading