Waking up refers to insight into deeper levels of consciousness, which can include ****nondual or mystical experiences. Direct insight into the nature of Reality. In Buddhism, this would include an experiential awareness of emptiness.

Contemplative practices like Zen, Dzogchen, Advaita, Christian mysticism, Kabbalah, Sufism offer techniques to facilitate the waking up process. What they all have in common is setting up conditions to shift identification away from one’s ego self (which isn’t ultimately real; identification with which is the cause of suffering. In a theistic context, this would be referred to as sin).

Waking up practices can generate sudden insights (ie. satori), and provoke temporary shifts in perception. These often need to be sustained and integrated through continued practice.

Insights can occur at any stage of psychological maturity. This speaks to a potential danger: someone can have a powerful awakening experience while still being deeply immature, narcissistic, and/ or ethically undeveloped.