Spiritual Transformation and beyond 12 steps

The road to spiritual transformation is a 12 step path and there are 12 states that are progressively experienced. We will learn 12 steps in this article and 12 states in the next one.

The 12 steps

Illustration: "Stairway to Heaven" by Jim Warren

The mind of the seeker can aid or can abort his spiritual progress. There are 12 steps that a seeker progresses through. The mind can get stuck at any 1 step. The mind ought to be given the understanding that it has to keep progressing up the steps.

Step 1 : What?

As a child grows, the child starts asking the question, What?. What is this? What is that? It wants to explore everything. So, the first step is the question that the child poses to the world what?

Step 2 : How?

As the child starts to learn new words and starts to make meaning, then the word what slowly starts losing significance. The second step enfolds. The child starts to ask the question, How?. How does this work? How does that work? He asks everyone the question how. Children nowadays know the answer to the question how fairly early. They can operate computers and mobile phones at a very early age.

Step 3 : Why?

The third question is a critical junction. The child starts asking, why? Parents are now in a fix. The child asks, why did someone die? Parents can at most explain that he died out of sickness. The child then asks, but why do human beings die at all? Parents may be dumbstruck. They tell the child not to ask a why for everything. The child asks why shouldn’t I?

Step 4 : I know

When the answer to why is suppressed, many children erroneously form conclusions and stop at Step 4. They have got a few readymade answers to the question why. They have received some basic kindergarten answers to the most profound questions of life. The child, now a youth, starts to imagine that he knows it all.

Step 5 : I dont know

At this step, the youth listens to a discourse. Maybe reads a book. And then it hits him (or her) that I don’t know. However, many do not even progress to this step. Now at least he knows that he doesn’t know. This is very fortunate that he has received the first gem of wisdom that he is not wise at all.

Step 6 : I am in KG

The youth then starts understanding various concepts of spirituality. He starts understanding about concepts such as karma, heaven and hell, liberation, etc. He assimilates all answers, but there is a vacuum somewhere. He wants to know more. He wants the final answer. He realizes that all that he knows is either GK or KG. General Knowledge or mere knowledge of KinderGarten spirituality. Now he is a bit wiser. The answers he has received are not wrong. They have their own place. But they are still correct to the extent of Kindergarten spirituality only. The thirst for the final answer begins to arise.

Step 7 : I want to know.

In this step, he has become a seeker. Now the thirst to know the final answer deepens. He yearns to know the truth. A thought occurs that I want to be liberated from all thoughts. This is a happy thought. He has now progressed through steps such as, I don’t know, I may not know and is now at I must know.

Step 8 : I have knowledge

At this step, he now understands the truth intellectually. He intellectually knows what is the meaning of duality, non duality, Self at Rest, Self in Action, etc. At this transformational step, he derives happiness by intellectually knowing and understanding the truth.

Step 9 : I am knowledge

At this step, the seeker understands that what he is, is nothing but knowledge itself. Now he has progressed from intellectually knowing and saying that I have knowledge to I am knowledge. He understands that there is no one else to know. There is no individual who will be left to know the knowledge. Knowledge is. Experience is. Experience is experiencing experience through experience in experience. At this step in the transformation of the seeker, the seeker and the sought are no longer separate. The knowledge seeker and the knowledge sought are no longer different.

Step 10 : I am is knowledge.

At step 10, he transcends even further. Now even I am knowledge is transcended. Only I am remains. This is the bright wisdom (Tejgyan) that is brought forth. However isness continues to exist. With the experience and existence of I am, the knowledge is complete.

Step 11: Am is.

At Step 11, the I also does not exist. There is no knowledge either. What remains is just amamness. isness. Beingness in truest sense begins. Just being. Just presence.

Step 12 : Bright silence

At this step, there are no words. Just bright silence (tranquillity). After the 12th step, the expression (demonstration) of the bright silence occurs. Only after all 12 steps have been ascended, does life in its truest sense begin.

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