How would you know if you awakened? I know what awakening is and have done research on it, but how would you know if you awakened?
If you’ve done your research then you know that awakening has a stack of definitions, depending on what circle you’re asking, but that possibly the most common use of the term refers merely to “becoming aware of… “
If you mean in that sense, then when you’ve become aware of something, you’ve awakened, at least in that sense.
If you mean in the “Knowing exactly who/what you are” as I’ve seen this occasionally used, you don’t ever truly and fully know with complete certainty and no room for doubt who and what you are… so that definition doesn’t really hold water.
Awakening is an event, how long it takes can differ, but it really just means “becoming aware”. Awareness isn’t expertise.
Think of it like waking from sleep.
You can wake up in the morning, as in stop being unconscious, but still muddle around the house for a while, on autopilot, as you go to the bathroom and get your breakfast, but you’re undeniably awake.
