Simply becoming "mumen muso" (free from thought) literally means that you are not thinking anything at all. However, when you are in that state, the awareness of your higher self gradually becomes dominant.

However, initially, it is literally a state where thoughts disappear and you become "nothingness." Therefore, the stage varies depending on whether it is "nothingness" or "emptiness," and although the meaning varies depending on the person because it is a word, let's put that difference aside for now. For example, if I say "mumen muso" here, and that means the literal "nothingness," then that is a relatively early stage.

There may be times when you want to escape a life plagued by distractions and desires, or perhaps you are simply focusing on your work and doing your best. In either case, a certain degree of concentration is required, and the first thing achieved is the state of "nothingness." This "nothingness" is also a kind of peace and joy. The so-called "zone of joy" occurs at this stage, and by becoming "mumen muso," the awareness of your higher self flows in to some extent, and that can be felt as intuition, even if it is only for a moment or a short time.

There is first this state of "nothingness," or the "zone of joy."

After that, as your aura gradually becomes purified and your sensitivity increases, and conflicts subside, you move from the state of "nothingness" to the state of "emptiness." In the case of "mumen muso," what was literally "nothing" becomes a state of "not just nothing, but something exists." This is what is called "emptiness," and it may also be called "hollow," but the wording may vary slightly depending on the school of thought, but it is a state that involves a certain degree of observation and concentration. Some schools may also call this "nothingness," but it is an intermediate state.

In the state of "emptiness," you experience peace. You become calmer, and you can live a relatively happy and fulfilling life. This may be quite sufficient for living a normal life richly, but that depends on what the person is seeking.

"Emptiness" is a relatively intermediate state, and some schools may consider it to be enlightenment, but in reality, "emptiness" is still a literally intermediate state. Some schools believe that being in the middle is a good thing, and they consider that to be enlightenment, but in reality, being in the middle is literally a midpoint, a transit point, not a final destination. If you believe that you have reached the final destination, your growth will stop, and that is a pitfall. Even if you reach the transit point of "emptiness," that is still a certain achievement, but it is still a midpoint.

■The Higher Self appears as a separate consciousness.

At that point, some awareness of the Higher Self begins to emerge, and you can gradually and subtly sense it. Most spiritual teachings point to this level, and it is often enough to live a normal life in a rich and happy way. So, there is nothing inherently bad about this, but it depends on the person's life purpose and the goals they have set for themselves. If you want to escape a difficult life, the endpoint will be there, and if you want to reach a higher level of consciousness, the point of attachment will be set accordingly.

The "empty" state is a state where the Higher Self is not yet very prominent, and it occasionally intrudes when the conscious mind is distracted or focused on something else. This is often described as "unconscious," which means that it cannot be controlled by one's own will. You cannot consciously control the higher consciousness, and the awareness of the Higher Self suddenly appears, and you may feel or hear something for a moment. However, you cannot control it, so it may be heard or missed when you are distracted by something else.

Even in the "empty" state, the awareness of the Higher Self is easier to perceive than before, but it is still more of an unconscious aspect than a conscious one.

When the awareness of the Higher Self emerges, the awareness of the Higher Self gradually becomes dominant in daily life. The Higher Self's awareness is constantly working in everyday life, and it mainly functions as an observer, but it also has an active aspect, a will. It is expressed as words that cannot be put into words, or as a subtle awareness that is not quite a word, and it is a fairly subtle sensation. Initially, it is recognized as "observation," but the Higher Self also has an active will, and it works on a separate level from the conscious mind, although it can be said to be connected.

■Surrendering to the Higher Self

The awareness of the Higher Self sees things through the eyes of the physical body, and similarly, it experiences things through the ears, sense of touch, and other senses of the physical body. This is similar to the normal thinking mind of the conscious mind, but the levels are different. The thinking mind as a mind is firmly connected to the physical body, and it has a tendency to cling to the feeling that the physical body is itself and that one's thoughts and concepts are oneself. However, from the perspective of the Higher Self, the physical body is a tool, so it perceives the world through this "I" tool. There is a higher consciousness, but to perceive this three-dimensional world, it uses the physical body, which is called "I."

The mind thinking that it is "me" and the Higher Self perceiving the world through the "I" of the body are quite different things.

At least, unless one reaches a certain level of understanding, this becomes clear. Psychology, Buddhism, or even Vedanta and Yoga mention this, but in reality, one cannot truly grasp it unless they reach at least the level of "emptiness."

It is in emptiness that one begins to realize that the knowledge was true. After that, it becomes easier to achieve a state of "free from thoughts" (without any mental activity), and one can quietly and peacefully achieve the "cessation of the fluctuations of the mind (vritti)" as mentioned in the Yoga Sutras, even in daily life. From that point on, the "I" within oneself, which was previously the "mind (ego, self, jiva)," begins to pass the baton to the "Higher Self."

Even in emptiness, the mind (ego, self, jiva) is still essentially dominant. It is then that the Higher Self's consciousness takes over the position, and the Higher Self begins to live one's life.

In reality, even before this "handover" occurs, the Higher Self is actually the one driving life. However, becoming aware of and understanding this is what "emptiness" is. The next stage is when the Higher Self actually comes to the forefront. This happens after transcending emptiness and reaching the completion of the Yoga Sutras. From the perspective of the ego (self, jiva), it is like "entrusting" it to the Higher Self, but in reality, it was always like that, so it is simply a matter of realizing and acknowledging that fact.