"AWAKENING FROM AWAKENING
I used to believe people like the UK spiritual teacher Tony Parsons who said that after awakening (which is seen as some kind of mysterious and rare non-event or shift in perspective), the personality won't change, and there won't necessarily be any more joy, intimacy or compassion in life. In fact, after awakening, you could still be suicidally depressed, or violent, or even a serial killer, they said!
At first, it felt like such a relief to hear this radical and shocking message - it made awakening sound so simple, so down to earth, so accessible, so... ordinary. "Before awakening I'm a jerk, after awakening I'm a jerk. And I'm allowed to be a jerk now because I'm liberated and nobody can touch me. Oh and by the way, there is no me and no choice. Jerkness just happens. So what. Who cares. Get over it, sad seeker." The ego celebrated - it now had carte blanche. No responsibility! No punishment! Free reign! Nobody here! Yippee! The search was over!
I've come to see that this "neo-Advaita" message, as it's now known, is very one-sided. It's partially true, exquisitely simple, but it's not by any means the full picture (nothing is!) and can be so damaging if mis-spoken or mis-heard or mis-used.
....
Once again, I return to Nisargadatta Maharaj's stunningly balanced and integrated formulation:
“Wisdom is knowing that I am nothing.
Love is knowing that I am everything.
Between the two my life flows.""
Awakening from Awakening