The Dual Paths to Enlightenment: Shattered Glass vs. Gradual Awareness

“Enlightenment” refers to a profound understanding or realization that transcends the mundane consciousness. It is a concept that has intrigued and inspired countless individuals throughout history and has been articulated in innumerable books and media. There exists a prevailing notion that there are two main avenues to this spiritual and psychological summit. One is the sudden, transformative moment—like glass shattering, leaving an individual forever changed. The other is a slow, deliberate journey of self-reflection, meditation, and untangling of personal traumas. This essay gently explores these two paths, highlighting the potential pitfalls of neglecting deep introspection on one’s path.

Certain individuals have experienced a profound awakening, a sudden transformation that reshaped their entire worldview. For these individuals, whether they were already “seekers” or “typical” people going about their seemingly normal life’s journey, the experience is described as if a veil were lifted spontaneously and the truth of reality revealed itself. However, these awakenings, profound as they may be, come with a caveat. Just as someone who wins a lottery might not be best equipped to advise on steadily accumulating wealth, those who've experienced sudden enlightenment are very good at describing the territory but not so great at getting you there– after all, that is not how they themselves got there as their experience was serendipitous, unplanned, and transcendent. For them, the process wasn't linear, so their guidance tended to focus on the destination, not the journey.

Other spiritual teachers advocate a more methodical approach. They suggest a deliberate path of meditation or other expanded state modalities, self-awareness, and- critically- the methodical unpacking of one's ego and its associated burdens. This path emphasizes the necessary work of understanding oneself deeply and reconciling past traumas, core beliefs, and habitual reaction cycles.

I personally really connect with the intrinsic wisdom in this methodical approach. As the saying goes, "Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water." The slow path is about understanding the journey itself as a transformative process- at the heart of this process is the challenging task of honest introspection and self-exploration, which leads to awareness.

For most of us, merely sitting in meditation or attending spiritual gatherings isn't enough. Without addressing the underlying issues that obscure our awareness and ability to fully experience the present moment—childhood traumas, deeply ingrained beliefs, and reactionary patterns—we're merely scratching the surface. The knots in the intricate tapestry of our being first need untangling before the profound experience of really being here now can be realized.

Those who expect to simply meditate their way to personal transformation without addressing their underlying traumas often find themselves on a precarious path leading to what's termed "spiritual bypassing"—using spiritual practices and beliefs to sidestep personal, emotional, and psychological wounds. This bypass can give the illusion of enlightenment, a fleeting taste of transcendence, but it's often short-lived while the rest of life remains in a state of disorder.

It's not uncommon to see individuals who believe they've attained enlightenment through spiritual gatherings or “pointing instructions” whose lives are still awash with overly complex and codependent relationships, mental health challenges, or addictions. These struggles manifest because, beneath the surface, unaddressed traumas and ego-driven patterns pull them back into old ways of being.

The lure of temporary spiritual highs—whether through non-guided psychedelic experiences, obsessive meditation, or repeated spiritual sessions at the expense of doing the hard work of unpacking and understanding ourselves —is tempting and can even become their own addiction. Without deep introspection and personal growth, these experiences are inevitably temporary and do not offer profound, lasting peace.

Each person’s quest for personal transformation, regardless of the path chosen, is deeply personal. While a select few might experience sudden, transformative, fully awakened moments, most will reap more rewards from a methodical, introspective journey. This second path demands courage to face one's traumas, beliefs, and patterns. Only by addressing these foundational aspects of our being can we truly pave the way to liberating ourselves. Whether one has had a shattered glass moment or walks the slow path, I believe the journey to liberation is as much about understanding oneself as it is about understanding one's place in the universe.