Expert: John Willemsens aka Advayavadananda - 7/20/2011

Question
Hi John, thank you very much for answering our questions (in general).  Here's mine- According to an Enlightened monk at who's temple I spent a couple weeks about 1 1/2 years ago, I was probably Awake in a former life.  Here's what I told him: I was meditating as a medical student who read some articles on how good it was for the brain, and had done like 15 or so hours of sitting total at the time. I didn't really know much about Buddhist beliefs or practices, but just focused on breathing. One of the things did I know was that all things are believed to be illusory, so during a meditation I tried to hold that thought in the back of my mind while focusing on my breath. I then suddenly I had this burst of realization that if all things are illusory, then their perception is too, and the memory is just as much false.  So then, if all memories, which we use to define ourselves, are false, and all beings must therefor be equal because they all rely on false memories to create their ego. It lasted a couple minutes, obviously I couldn't hold on to it. That was about 5-6 months met him, the monk, Achariya Doug-Sensei. Also, when younger (like mid-late teens) I would have sort of "episodes" where suddenly, out of nowhere, I had absolute confidence that all that where fine and perfect.  I always tried to  describe it as "perfection in the rust on a stop sign."  I didn't have them regularly, but more like maybe I'd 2 or 3 in a month, then only 1 in the next 3 months.  I later became an alcoholic in college, which Doug-Sensei was common in people who were Awake in the past.  They're looking for a "way out" but can't find one.  I even called it "chasing the dragon" because I knew I was trying to get somewhere, buy just couldn't do it. I no longer drink, and I try to meditate regularly but seldom keep it up for more than a week.  

All that said, what do you call someone like me?  Awake in a former life but not this one.  Also, I asked Doug-Sensei if should do anything particular to speed up my awakening, and he just said, "Do the work."  Am I wrong to assume you agree?

Answer
Hello Matt,
I cannot help you because I don't believe at all in any of this former life/rebirth hocus-pocus. Have a look at what we have to say on the subject on the Advayavada website. There is a Picosearch device at the bottom of each page. You can contact me again if you have any specific questions about our approach to these matters.
Kind regards,
Advayavadananda.
http://www.euronet.nl/~advaya/index.htm