The less and less I become identified with the physical body the soul borrows and the life stories it experiences, the bigger the challenge I face has become in coping with those who are so identified with their respective body and life stories. Paradoxically, it's thanks to those who try to force this illusion of their ego upon me that I'm getting even more liberated from this illusion. "Who am I?" "I am." I know this even more clearly now.
This week I watched again (and again) The Enlightened Self and How to Do Self-Inquiry by Leo Gura, from whom I've learned than from any other living person, except for a few Chabad rabbis, and have experienced even more strongly that I'm pure presence or awareness.
I used to think I wished I could be a hermit as a way to escape from all these people who are spiritually asleep. But asceticism isn't part of Jewish tradition, so I have nowhere to seclude myself. Of course, I already know that this isn't a healthy solution, either. Our soul is borrowing a physical body in this physical world for a reason. Asceticism fundamentally contradicts this life mission.
I already know how to rise up to this daily challenge - by fusing self-consciousness, which most people are stuck with, and divine consciousness into rectified self-consciousness, or combining physicality and spirituality.
Before I started to wake up, I myself was also identified with the body and life stories, so I was at least unipolar. But awakening has resulted in a riduculous situation - polarity between physicality and spirituality, which is nothing but the very opposite of nonduality!
There are a number of teachings and practices for shifting from self-consciousness, or identification with the illusion of the ego, to divine consciousness of experiencing oneself as pure presence or awareness with no egoic identities, and I've read and practiced many of them. But when it comes to a shift from divine consciousness to rectified self-consciousness, which is, again, a fusion of self-consciousness and divine consciousness, I've found few teachings and practices so far.
One thing I've started practicing right now is not to put myself back into the prison of my egoic mind every time someone forces his illusion upon me and I become irritated by giving a mental interpretation to his speech and/or action. On the other hand, there is one thing I should stop doing - to try to explain to such people how they are stuck in the illusions of their ego. This can't help them become aware of their dream state they are unware of now. I can't change others; I can only change my response to them, especially mentally.
Another, proactive, measure is to increase my inner light. I suddently received this insight while I was deeply immersed in my daily study of Chabad Hasidism this week. But I don't know yet exactly how to except for continuing my study of Chabad Hasidism and other teachings of nonduality as well as some spiritual practices.
PS: I've decided to take a temporary measure of escaping from Jerusalem for two weeks. So I may not be able to update this blog in the next two weeks until I return to Jerusalem in the beginning of January, hopefully with new insights.