What Does It Mean to Be Awake?

Q: Iwant to be more awake in my daily life. 1find as I go through the day that I'm being inattentive and too lax about really being awake.

A: Some people, when suddenly they find themselves in the bathroom brushing their teeth not being able to remember how they got there, feel this means that they are not awake. To truly be awake has nothing to do with that. To truly be awake means always being true t o t h e d e s i r e t o b e F r e e . M o m e n t - t o - m o m e n t a t t e n t i o n means not losing touch with that. Being awake means being absolutely true to that desire alone. Lapses of attention when the mind wanders here or there do not necessarily indicate anything about being asleep or awake. To wake up means to find one's own heart. Staying awake means never doing anything that would jeopardize or compromise that purity in any way. 1 7 1