Ep. 217 (Part 1 of 2) | In the 17th dialogue of the A. H. Almaas Wisdom Series, Hameed Ali explores the classic spiritual theme: the journey of descent. What happens after we awaken, having had a realization of the deepest kind? The path of descent, where we retain the awareness of what came with our experience of the absolute, and bring it into our life, expressing it with every aspect of our being. Many teachings talk about the ascent (the journey of awakening) and the descent, Hameed explains, but when they talk about the descent, they interpret it as an individual coming down the mountain with their great realization. Hameed thought this was how it happened too, he laughs. But then it became clear to him following his own descent that it is not an enlightened individual who descends back into the world—it’s the absolute. In Christian terms, it’s the father who comes, appearing as the son.

What was it like for Hameed as he descended, living in the absolute dimension at the same time as living in the everyday world? co-host John Dupuy asks. Something transcendent lives through the body with the individual as the organ of perception, Hameed responds. “The entire universe becomes subtle shimmerings…like the waves in quantum theory; the blackness so extreme that it shines—and that sheen is the world.” Different from the classic Eastern spiritual path, where what is significant is living the transcendent rather than living regular life, in the Diamond Approach (Hameed’s path), actualization is the goal, coming back to the everyday world and living life as an expression of the Absolute. Recorded November 13, 2025.

“It is inherent to true nature for it to be lived in the world.”

Topics & Time Stamps – Part 1

Introducing the 17th dialogue in the A. H. Almaas Wisdom Series, focusing on the journey of descent: actualizing the realization of the absolute (00:39)
The path begins with the journey of ascent, then comes realization, then the path of descent: actualization, living your realization (04:46)
Being in the world and not of it is an important principle of the Diamond Approach (06:44)
What was it like for Hameed as he descended, living in the absolute dimension and the everyday world simultaneously? (08:17)
It’s not the individual who descends but the Absolute (14:45)
Differentiating from the Eastern spiritual path, where what’s important is living the transcendent rather than living life (19:33)
Are there obstacles to the descent? (20:44)
In descent, the entire universe becomes subtle shimmerings… like the waves in quantum theory (25:04)
Something transcendent lives through the body; the individual is the organ of perception (27:06)
Hameed was already a spiritual teacher, sharing about the journey of ascent, before he experienced the journey of descent (29:49)
Can a person...

Awakening is Not the End of the Story: Living as the Radiance of the Absolute

Deep Transformation

Awakening is Not the End of the Story: Living as the Radiance of the Absolute