Experiencing Altered States of Awakening

The experience of an altered state of consciousness, whether meditative or drugs, is interpreted by the ego based on the paradigm or world model the ego entered the experience with. The altered state, or superconscious state as many refer to it, are merely outside the norm of typical conscious experiences and the ego then uses it to reinforce the paradigm it went into the experience with.

Meditation is primarily an eastern practice and it is true that long meditation states will stimulate neurochemical changes that lead to altered states of consciousness. Yet, most meditative practices are supported by an ideology, ie, Hindu/Buddhist/Zen/Advaita, which is used by the ego-self to interpret the state. Altered state experiences are useless to an ego that can't make constructive interpretations of that state. What are the constructive interpretations? Whatever they taught you they were. But is that the "truth"?

"Be here now" is an ego-self interpretation of a psychic experience. But, are you really "here now"?

Doesn't matter, because the ego has thus interpreted the altered state experience through that learned ideology and therefore... IT MUST BE TRUE.

But where did the interpretation come from in the first place?

You were taught it.

Frequently individuals have had these experiences years ago and had no basis for interpretation until much later when an eastern paradigm is applied. You can see this with Eckhart Tolle who reports that he had no specialized spiritual training prior to his "dark night of the soul." But read his books and you will note that they drip of eastern ideology. This is paradigm application... after the fact.

These types of altered state experiences are unstructured and therefore the ego needs to structure or frame the experience so that it has something to attach to as "real."

Essentially, it doesn't matter how you come to the experience, the requirement is that it be paradigmatic so that you can understand it and most meditative paradigms, chock full of all the lingo and jingles, are primarily eastern Hindu/Buddhist ideology. This doesn't make the experience unreal, it just brackets the experience within the ego-self knowledge base through which it can therefore, interpret itself as "awakened."

Through a constant drive-to-question the paradigms or models we interpret as "truth," will we eventually unveil the false models/paradigms in seeking if there is such a thing as an Absolute Truth (cap T).

This does not make me especially popular in spiritual circles.

HA! (oh well...my lot is a lonely one...LOL!)

Yet, for what it's worth, I do value spiritual ideologies, since I see nothing else that comes close to what this Truth could be anywhere in the world's value system. However, I believe if we intend to evolve to this Truth, then we will need to strip away the fat that merely delays that evolution (ode to Ken Wilber).

I strongly believe there is a possibility these eastern paradigms, applied to altered experiences, merely delay awareness of the Truth and require more accurate interpretations as opposed to centuries old eastern paradigms and models.

The question is, can you interpret your experience without any paradigm or model of reality whatsoever?

Can you take your altered state experience and use it to extend to others without any egoic interpretation, ie, "gee, look at me being so loving!" or "hey! I've just had an experience that they teach not too many will ever have!" etc, etc, etc.

In other words, can you be "awakened" and not even know you are "awakened."

Or, can you enter your altered conscious state without any paradigm for which to make sense of it?

Seems to me that can't be taught, but it may be the only way.

But I'm just saying...