Q. I have experienced the state of pure joy and oneness, but I still have a lot of feelings and emotions. I feel confused and sad sometimes and just want to cry but I can’t. What is happening to me?

A. Having a lot of feelings and emotions is very normal. I wonder what you mean by the state of pure joy and oneness you have experienced. If you happen to think that the enlightened should feel happy and joyful all the time, perfectly free from all other feelings such as sadness, anger, sorrow, compassion and so forth, you have a misunderstanding of oneness.

When you want to cry, cry to your fill. If you want to laugh, laugh to your fill. If you cling to joy and avoid sadness, you are still unaware of what oneness is and are deluded by the illusions of joy and sadness. Feeling oneness means seeing that all emotions are one as Emptiness in essence. Feeling oneness symbolises that you can enjoy all emotions without being deluded by the illusions of them.

©Boo Ahm

All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway

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