The Six Stages of Awakening

Stage 1: The “Programmed Machine” Phase

In the very first stage, a human being lives like a machine that has been pre-programmed by culture, inherited knowledge from previous generations, and genetic factors embedded in DNA.
 

• External influences: Every thought and action is shaped and governed by the programming of family, society, nation, and even films and media.
• Mode of operation: We live according to a preset track - going to school, taking exams, working toward certain goals without truly choosing them ourselves. Our reactions, joys and sorrows, or even our tendency to criticize others are habits installed by society.
• The state of “ignorance”: Spiritual traditions refer to this as a state of ignorance. However, the author suggests that this is still a wonderful experience - much like a character in a video game who is fully immersed in playing, unaware that they are inside a game.

Stage 2: The Search for Truth and the Meaning of Life

The shift occurs when old programs collapse because they no longer bring genuine happiness or true fulfillment.

Three conditions that lead to change:
 

• Constant effort without attaining happiness.

• Success accompanied by constant fear of losing that success.

• Achieving every dream yet still asking, “What’s next?”

The awakening of intention: A person begins to search for truth, true happiness, and to ask the question, “Who am I?” This marks a turning point - from chasing material wealth and fame to seeking happiness through spirituality and meditation.

This stage marks the moment when a person begins to search for truth and meaning, often arising from dissatisfaction with external success.

I described this inner turning point in more detail in What is Spiritual Awakening? My Personal Journey Beyond the Mind, where the question “Who am I?” first became unavoidable.
 

Stage 3: Awakening and the State of Radiant Clarity

After several small moments of insight, a person enters a stage of profound awakening, where everything becomes clear and transparent.

The experience of happiness: The author describes this as the most wonderful phase, feeling as if one is in a Pure Land. It is a deep, complete bliss - not the ordinary satisfaction derived from material things.

Duration: This state usually lasts about two weeks before old karmic forces return, asking to be resolved.
 

Stage 4: Uninstalling and Resolving Karmic Patterns

In this stage, a person uses newly gained clarity to look deeply into and remove memories and habits that were deeply installed in the past.
 

• How it unfolds: One re-engages with aspects of life to awaken old subconscious patterns and begins the process of “resolving karma.”

• Time frame: This phase can last anywhere from two years to ten years, or even longer, depending on the individual.

Stage 5: The Final Collapse and the State of Peace

When most knots have been untied, a final collapse occurs - related to the “spiritual ego.”
 

• The dark night of the soul: This is a difficult phase, requiring one to pass through the deepest attachments of the self.

• Peaceful yet solitary: After crossing this threshold, a person enters a state of peace but is not yet fully reintegrated into society. Society may feel unfamiliar and uncomfortable, creating a tendency toward withdrawal - like wanting to retreat into the mountains, away from a society that itself feels uneasy.

Stage 6: Integration and Seeing Oneself in All Things

This is the final stage, where one realizes that everything is oneself.

The non-dual vision: No matter who someone is, what their personality is like, or how society appears, everything is seen as oneself. The distinction between light and darkness no longer exists.

Living wholeheartedly: There arises a natural impulse to share true happiness with those who need it. One can live fully and vibrantly at any time, in any place, because everything is recognized as a manifestation of the True Self.