Life After Awakening: 13 Things You Finally Understand

May 27th, 2025

By Frank M. Wanderer PhD

Guest writer for Wake Up World

Awakening is not about acquiring knowledge—it is the dissolution of illusion. A truly awakened being isn’t “more” or “better” than others; they are simply someone who no longer believes in many of the assumptions most people still take for reality.

This article explores 13 core realizations that can only be fully grasped by those who no longer identify with the personal self. It also offers insights into how these truths show up in everyday life and what practices support their deeper integration.

1. You Were Never Born – And You Will Never Die

The awakened one sees that the body is born and dies, but what we are—timeless awareness—was never born and can never die. This is not belief, but direct realization.

In everyday life, this brings deep peace around death and the transience of things. The moment becomes more precious, not out of fear, but because of deep presence.

Practice: Sit quietly and repeat within: “Who am I if I am not this body, not this name?” Watch what remains when all self-definitions are released.

2. Thoughts Are Not Reality – Only Passing Clouds

Thoughts come and go. Most of them are not truth but echoes of past conditioning. The awakened being is aware: they are not their thoughts—they are the awareness that sees them.

In everyday life, this means you’re no longer consumed by inner stories or mental noise. You begin to take your thoughts less seriously.

Practice: When a strong thought arises, ask: “Is this really true? Or just a familiar mental pattern?”

3. There Is No Separate “Me” – The “I” Is Just a Thought

The ego is not a real entity but a mental construction. There is no true center. The awakened one sees that “I” is just another thought—there is only awareness and the movement of life.

In everyday life, this shows up as less defensiveness and less need to protect or justify the self. A deep inner stillness takes its place.

Practice: When the sense of “I” arises, ask: “Who is the one observing this?” Let the question dissolve into silent awareness.

4. Everything Happens Now – The Past and Future Are Mental Images

The only true reality is the present moment. The past is memory, the future is imagination. The awakened live fully here and now.

In everyday life, this means you worry less and regret less. You feel the beauty of a glance, the flavor of your coffee, and the stillness between words.

Practice: Several times a day, pause and ask: “What is happening right now?” Not with thought—just direct sensing.

5. Suffering Always Comes from Identification

Pain is part of life. Suffering is optional—and arises when we cling to a story, identity, or belief. The awakened recognize this and let go, allowing suffering to dissolve.

In everyday life, you notice suffering more as a signal than a trap. You ask not “Why me?” but “What am I holding on to?”

Practice: When suffering arises, ask: “What am I identifying with right now that creates this pain?” Bring it into awareness—then let it go.

6. The World Is Not “Out There” – It’s Reflected “In Here”

The world we perceive is a mirror of our inner state. The awakened don’t project blame outward—they turn inward with curiosity.

In everyday life, this shows as radical self-honesty. Every conflict becomes an opportunity for deeper insight, not attack.

Practice: When triggered, ask: “What is this person or situation showing me about myself?” Let the outer be your mirror.

7. Freedom Doesn’t Depend on Circumstances

True freedom is not about changing your life situation—it’s a shift in consciousness. The awakened one is free within, no matter what happens outside.

In everyday life, this shows up as deep contentment even when things are uncertain. You stop chasing and start being.

Practice: Choose something you’re deeply attached to and ask: “Could I let this go, if needed?” Let the possibility soften the grip of control.

8. Life Is Not Happening to You – You Are Life

There is no separation between “you” and life. The awakened one no longer says “things happen to me”—they know that all arises within consciousness, and that is what they are.

In everyday life, you stop feeling like a victim. You meet life directly, with openness and power.

Practice: Say inwardly, “I am Life. Everything is unfolding within me.” Let this be your anchor.

9. Love Is Not an Emotion – It’s Your True Nature

Love is not a feeling that comes and goes. It is what you are when the ego dissolves. It asks for nothing. It holds everything.

In everyday life, this shows as unconditional presence. You don’t give love to get it—you simply are love.

Practice: Pick a day to relate to everyone—friend or stranger—with openhearted kindness, expecting nothing. Observe what arises.

10. Death Is Just a Transition – Life Continues Infinitely

The awakened don’t fear death. The personal “me” dissolves, but consciousness remains. There is no end—only a change of form.

This enables a gentle relationship with loss in everyday life. You learn to say goodbye not with despair but with reverence.

Practice: Contemplate: “What if I were never truly born, and I can never truly die?” Feel what stirs beneath the mind.

11. The World Is a Dream – But the Dreamer Is Real

To the awakened, the world is dreamlike—impermanent, changing. But the one who witnesses it—the pure awareness—is always here.

In everyday life, this realization brings lightness and humor. You stop clinging to life’s “seriousness” and play more freely.

Practice: Spend one day observing life as if in a lucid dream. See how your reactions change.

12. Silence Is Not the Absence of Sound – It’s What’s Always Here

True silence is not external. It’s the ever-present background behind all movement. The awakened one rests in this stillness.

In everyday life, even in busy moments, you notice the silent awareness holding it all. You are no longer lost in the noise.

Practice: Several times a day, ask: “What remains if I don’t think?” Feel the still presence that never leaves.

13. There Is No “One” Who Awakens – Only Awakening Itself

The final paradox: no individual awakens. When awakening happens, the separate self disappears. What remains is the silent, boundless Now.

In everyday life, this means you no longer feel the need to claim spiritual identity. There is humility, simplicity, and peace.

Practice: When you feel like “you” have awakened or reached something, ask: “Who says this?” Return to the quiet before the thought.

Closing Words

These truths are not reserved for the few. The awakened state is already within you, quietly waiting beneath layers of thought, story, and seeking. This writing is not meant to teach but to remind you of what you already are—not a person trying to awaken, but awareness already awake.

And if something in these words stirred something deep in you, perhaps the silence is already working, and awakening is quietly unfolding.

Excerpt from Frank M. Wanderer’s new book SPIRITUAL CLICHÉS  And What Lies Beneath Them

About the author:

Frank M. Wanderer, Ph.D, is a professor of psychology, a consciousness researcher and writer, and the publisher of several books on consciousness. With a lifelong interest in the mystery of human existence and the work of the human mind, Frank’s work is to help others wake up from identification with our personal history and the illusory world of the forms and shapes, and to find our identity in what he calls “the Miracle”, the mystery of the Consciousness.

You can follow Frank online at:

• Website – fmwanderer.wordpress.com
• powerofconsciousness.blogspot.com
• Facebook.com/AwakeningOfTheConsciousness
• https://x.com/FrankMWanderer
• Facebook.com/Frank-M-Wanderer

Frank is also the author of the following books:

• The Revolution of Consciousness: Deconditioning the Programmed Mind
• The Flames of Alertness: Discover the Power of Consciousness!
• The Biggest Obstacle to Enlightenment: How to Escape from the Prison of Mind Games?
• The Path Of New Age To Unity
• The Signs Of Spiritual Awakening: The Challenges and Gifts of Awakening
• The Spiritual Path: Dialogues Between Master and a spiritual Seeker on the spiritual Path
• The Enlightenment: Dialogues Between Master and a Spiritual Seeker on the Nature of Enlightenment
• The Revolution of Consciousness: Deconditioning the Programmed Mind
• … and several other books on consciousness and the process of enlightenment.