There is some overlap here with the "mystical god" described earlier. Various religious experiences entail an "awakening" through revelation or mystical experience. After this awakening, the "scales are lifted" from the eyes as famously happened to Saul of Tarsus, or the Grinch Who Stole Christmas. Nothing seems the same after this - everything is filtered through the new spiritual perspective. The recollection of life before this experience is one of a dullness or lack of awareness, as if one were previously sleepwalking. It sounds similar to the way someone feels when they are freshly in love. How long this honeymoon period lasts probably varies. For some it is a short-term infatuation, and for others, it can and does mature into a lifelong relationship.Advaita proponents talk in terms of awakening - of realizing everything is connected and that there are no distinctions or divisions or "self". This is a very subjective and personal psychological experience, and this new set of realizations come from the same mind that had the previous "erroneous" understandings. It is a transition from one perspective to another, and the latter seems to be preferable to the former to the person undergoing the transformation.Spiritual awakening and enlightenment is the primary goal of almost all spiritual practices, traditions and religions and for any spiritual "seeker". It frequently involves long hours of sustained prayer, meditation, physical deprivation and exertions, fasting, and various forms of mental focus and/or defocusing. We see this in Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, animistic "primitive" religions, and many other traditions. There are many names for this awakened state of consciousness depending on what culture and tradition we belong to - nirvana, cosmic consciousness, enlightenment, etc. Whether it represents a new ability to see hitherto hidden realities, or is a personal psychological experience brought on by the practices leading up to it is open to debate.
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