In the Diamond Approach, “aliveness” is a profound concept that goes beyond mere physical existence. It’s not just about being alive; it’s about the quality and depth of that existence.
Aliveness is the experience of being a certain medium or substance in which each point or atom is exquisitely and clearly aware of itself as pure sensation or consciousness. It’s a state of pure sensation, exquisite aliveness, where you feel “I exist” with immediate, definite certainty.
Aliveness can also be distorted and become emotional energy. When we clarify that emotion and feel its energy, it becomes a driving force that takes us deeper into reality. This process involves neither expressing nor suppressing the emotion, but simply being with it and seeking to understand it. As we understand, the energy is released, allowing the process to unfold and take new forms.
Essence is also seen as aliveness in the Diamond Approach. Essence is not just alive; it is aliveness itself. It is not just aware; it is awareness. It does not just exist; it is existence. It is not just loving; it is love. It is not just joyful; it is joy. It is not just true; it is truth. The aliveness of essence is of a different order from that of the body. The body is alive, but essence is life itself.
For the range of erotic interaction to expand, for the love to be passionate, and for the desire to be powerful, we need a quality of our true nature that is related to energy, to fire, to heat. We have already discussed qualities of our true nature such as personalness, kindness, sweetness, and empathy, and to complete the picture we now need to invite the presence of a fiery energy, a compact kind of excitement. It is a quality that gives a thrill to both love and desire, an excitement that courses through your blood such that you feel an intense bubbling from inside, both excited and full of pleasure at the same time. It is a state of excitation in which the presence of consciousness itself becomes a pure, thrilling excitement. It is like your blood beginning to feel hot in a thrilling, pleasurable way. You feel your body as if it were expanding into a luscious, delicious, fluid excitement. – The Power of Divine Eros: The Illuminating Force of Love in Everyday Life , ch. 7
We are exploring the living dynamic of realization. When I say “living,” it is because reality is dynamic and it is more than dynamic—it is alive. Alive means there is intelligence and growth and evolution. We are talking about force. We are talking about dialectic. Realization won’t happen without you practicing. I don’t necessarily mean sitting and meditating; I mean being open and interested in reality. When you are learning and evolving and maturing, that is practice. At the same time, realization won’t happen simply through practice. Practice and grace, the two sides of realization, both have to be there. And yet, they are not exactly two, nor are they simply one. What do you call the view that as you practice as an individual, the reality that pervades all time and all space is manifesting its truth? What do you call the view that your taking responsibility for your practice is reality intensifying its dynamism to reveal itself? Is it dual? Is it nondual? Which is more important, the individual or grace? – Runaway Realization: Living a Life of Ceaseless Discovery , Ch. 10
The soul is not only conscious, it is also alive; it is pulsing with life and vigor. When we experience the quality of aliveness we feel a pulsation, a teeming vitality, robustness, and vigor. The robust feeling of life characterizes the conscious presence of the soul, and appears now as a distinct quality or property. We discover that life, or aliveness, is a particular dimension of the soul, a basic property of its presence. It is actually a Platonic form, independent from bodies and from matter in general. It is always inherent and present in the soul, but we can experience it explicitly. In other words, just as we can experience our soul as pure knowledge, we can also experience it as pure life. We are then not only alive; we are life. We are fundamental life, present as life, life that can imbue the body with its vigor and dynamism and empower it to function. – A. H. Almaas, The Inner Journey Home: Soul’s Realization of the Unity of Reality , Ch. 8