After years of strident seeking, hours and hours of meditation and a hyper-focused drive to break through, Adyashanti sat down one day feeling completely defeated. He remembers saying to himself, just as he settled in: I can't do this anymore. I just can't. That was the moment everything changed. What followed he describes as violent, an energy that felt as though it were ripping him apart, his heart racing far beyond anything he had known as an athlete. He genuinely believed that letting go would kill him. And in the middle of it a thought arrived from nowhere: if this is what it takes, I have to find out. Something let go, and he is careful about how he describes it. It was not courageous. It was the simplest letting go. In an instant he was somewhere without body, without mind, without anything at all, and without fear, only absolute freedom. Insights poured in faster than he could register them, like liquid being poured in and poured in. When he came back to his body, it was sitting perfectly calm, and everything felt strangely and completely ordinary. Then he did what he always did and bowed to the small Buddha statue in his meditation hut, and immediately started laughing hysterically. That figure had represented everything he had been chasing, and he knew without doubt that the thing he had been chasing was the thing he already was. The most absurd joke he had ever heard, and the joke was on him, and he did not mind in the least. The extraordinary turn comes next. As he opened the door to leave, the still small voice that had always told him the truth said: this isn't all of it. Keep going. He was crushed. Moments earlier he had been laughing at the absurdity of chasing eternity while being eternity. Within seconds he understood the voice was not discounting anything, only saying do not fixate here, do not stop. Six or seven years later he sat down to meditate, heard a bird outside, and a question rose from his gut: who hears this sound? The bird, the sound, and the hearing of it were one single event. Where the first opening had been transcendence, a blast into emptiness, this was utterly immanent, as though that same energy had entered human form and displayed itself as the world. Practical by nature, he got up and tested it, looking at the little refrigerator, at the toilet, at his wife Mukti sleeping, hunting anywhere for separation and finding none. Every step across the floor felt like something had opened its eyes for the very first time. And yet it was wonderfully ordinary. No fireworks. He went to see his teacher that morning and did not mention it for two or three months, because it was so complete that it never occurred to him that he needed to. Want to go deeper with Adyashanti? Join Sounds True One for more teachings like this. Get your first month FREE at https://bit.ly/4ctecMn Subscribe to Sounds True's YouTube Channel ► https://bit.ly/SubscribeSTYT Sounds True is a mission-driven learning and media company, and a recognized leader in wellbeing, personal growth, and spiritual transformation. Partnering with the world’s foremost wisdom teachers and best-selling authors, the company reaches millions worldwide with its unique programs, digital learning experiences, and worldwide events. The company also features a variety of original series, weekly shows, and live online experiences on Sounds True One, its global platform and community with members across more than 125 countries. Sounds True is a Public Benefit Corporation and also the home of the Sounds True Foundation. Connect with us: ▪️Facebook: http://bit.ly/2XFIIeE ▪️Instagram: http://bit.ly/2UlEoiH ▪️Website: http://bit.ly/2tOl02d