--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: On the path of awakening, it's natural to…" description: "\"“On the path of awakening, it's natural to experience some upheaval, dark nights of the soul, or unnerving groundlessness when the foundation of old be..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfe/rick-hanson-10793_awakening_on-the-path-of-awakening-it-s-natural-to_2781358.jpg" --- # On the path of awakening, it's natural to experience some… ![“On the path of awakening, it's natural to experience some upheaval, dark nights of the soul, or unnerving groundlessness when the foundation of old beliefs falls away.” quote by Rick Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfe/rick-hanson-10793_awakening_on-the-path-of-awakening-it-s-natural-to_2781358.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfe/rick-hanson-10793_awakening_on-the-path-of-awakening-it-s-natural-to_2781358.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfe/rick-hanson-10793_awakening_on-the-path-of-awakening-it-s-natural-to_2781358.jpg) > ““On the path of awakening, it's natural to experience some upheaval, dark nights of the soul, or unnerving groundlessness when the foundation of old beliefs falls away.”” [Rick Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-hanson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Awakening involves confronting inner turmoil as old beliefs dissolve, leading to deeper insight. **In simple terms:** Spiritual growth brings upheaval. Key Takeaway Embrace discomfort for deeper awakening. Themes spirituality growth challenge Mood reflective hopeful Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - meditation - therapy - personal development - null Key Concepts psychology mindfulness Questions to Reflect On - What inner upheavals have you faced? - How did they reshape your beliefs? A Different Perspective Distress may deter seekers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Awakening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awakening/) [Beliefs Falls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beliefs-falls-3311944/) [Dark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dark/) [Dark night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dark-night/) [Experience Upheaval](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experience-upheaval-3311943/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light/) [Neuroscience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/neuroscience/) [Old Beliefs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-beliefs-702562/) [Path Awakening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/path-awakening-276217/) [Spirituality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirituality/) ## Related quotes > [Built on the foundation of concentration is the third aspect of the Buddha’s path of awakening: clarity of vision and the development of wisdom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kornfield/built-on-the-foundation-of-concentration-is-the-third-aspect-of-the/) [Jack Kornfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kornfield/) > [“The path of awakening the kundalini is to turn inwards and pay attention to our world of emotions, thoughts and talents hidden inside us.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/om-swami/the-path-of-awakening-the-kundalini-is-to-turn-inwards-and-pay/) [Om Swami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/om-swami/) > [Your life, all of your life, is your path to awakening. 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See the impermanence of whatever is at issue, and the many causes and conditions that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-hanson/k-eep-in-mind-the-big-picture-the-1-000-foot-view-see-the/) [Rick Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-hanson/) > [“Taking in the good is not about putting a happy shiny face on everything, nor is it about turning away from the hard things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-hanson/taking-in-the-good-is-not-about-putting-a-happy-shiny-face-on/) [Rick Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-hanson/) > [ “\[I\]f you can be with the pleasant without chasing after it, with the unpleasant without resisting it, and with the neutral without ignoring it… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-hanson/i-f-you-can-be-with-the-pleasant-without-chasing-after-it-with-the/) [Rick Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-hanson/) ## More by Rick Hanson > [ “\[I\]f you can be with the pleasant without chasing after it, with the unpleasant without resisting it, and with the neutral without ignoring it… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-hanson/i-f-you-can-be-with-the-pleasant-without-chasing-after-it-with-the/) [Rick Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-hanson/) > [“inescapable physical or mental discomfort is the “first dart” of existence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-hanson/inescapable-physical-or-mental-discomfort-is-the-first-dart-of/) [Rick Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-hanson/) > [“The autobiographical self (D’Amasio 2000) incorporates the reflective self and some of the emotional self, and it provides the sense of “I” having a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-hanson/the-autobiographical-self-d-amasio-2000-incorporates-the-reflective/) [Rick Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-hanson/) > [“I once heard a Native American teaching story in which an elder, a grandmother, was asked what she had done to become so happy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-hanson/i-once-heard-a-native-american-teaching-story-in-which-an-elder-a/) [Rick Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-hanson/) > [“Therefore, you can use your mind to change your brain to benefit your mind—and everyone else”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-hanson/therefore-you-can-use-your-mind-to-change-your-brain-to-benefit-your/) [Rick Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-hanson/) > [“Whatever positive facts you find, bring a mindful awareness to them—open up to them and let them affect you. 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But then we add our reactions to them. These reactions are “second darts”—the ones we throw ourselves.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-hanson/first-darts-are-unpleasant-to-be-sure-but-then-we-add-our-reactions/) [Rick Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-hanson/) > [ “Letting go of ill will does not mean passivity, silence, or allowing yourself or others to be harmed. \[...\] There is plenty of room… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-hanson/letting-go-of-ill-will-does-not-mean-passivity-silence-or-allowing/) [Rick Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-hanson/) > [“Stress reduces serotonin, probably the most important neurotransmitter for maintaining a good mood.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-hanson/stress-reduces-serotonin-probably-the-most-important-neurotransmitter/) [Rick Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-hanson/) > [“Experiences are thus incapable of being completely satisfying. They are an unreliable basis for true happiness. To”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-hanson/experiences-are-thus-incapable-of-being-completely-satisfying-they/) [Rick Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-hanson/) > [“Nurturing your own development isn’t selfish. It’s actually a great gift to other people. The”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-hanson/nurturing-your-own-development-isn-t-selfish-it-s-actually-a-great/) [Rick Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-hanson/) [Explore all 63 Rick Hanson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-hanson/) ## More Awakening quotes > [It is natural that our minds replay old stories, because that is our own mechanism for trying to work out unresolved problems. Yet rerunning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-brach/it-is-natural-that-our-minds-replay-old-stories-because-that-is-our/) [Tara Brach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tara-brach/) > [Imitation is the first instinct of the awakening mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/imitation-is-the-first-instinct-of-the-awakening-mind/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [“It is not so much about fighting against the ego; it is more about harmonizing with it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-sara/it-is-not-so-much-about-fighting-against-the-ego-it-is-more-about/) [Grace Sara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-sara/) > [Dawn's faint breath breathes with your mouth at the ends of empty streets. Gray light your eyes, sweet drops of dawn on dark hills.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesare-pavese/dawn-s-faint-breath-breathes-with-your-mouth-at-the-ends-of-empty/) [Cesare Pavese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesare-pavese/) > [“Low states are a like a poison to the psyche. Millions of people throughout the world take tranquillizers each day to combat depression, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/belsebuub/low-states-are-a-like-a-poison-to-the-psyche-millions-of-people/) [Belsebuub](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/belsebuub/) > [The awakening of the soul to its bondage and its effort to stand up and assert itself - this is called life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/the-awakening-of-the-soul-to-its-bondage-and-its-effort-to-stand-up/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [My political awakening, if I can be as grand as to call it that, was all about what was happening around me. It wasn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicola-sturgeon/my-political-awakening-if-i-can-be-as-grand-as-to-call-it-that-was/) [Nicola Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicola-sturgeon/) > [How often have you sailed in my dreams. And now you come in my awakening.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/how-often-have-you-sailed-in-my-dreams-and-now-you-come-in-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“CWC (Church Women Concerned) enabled us as women in that part of South Africa, to see ourselves as ordinary citizens who found themselves in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sindiwe-magona/cwc-church-women-concerned-enabled-us-as-women-in-that-part-of-south/) [Sindiwe Magona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sindiwe-magona/) > [I feel there is a great spiritual awakening on the planet right now. More than any previous time, people are drawn to meditation, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agapi-stassinopoulos/i-feel-there-is-a-great-spiritual-awakening-on-the-planet-right-now/) [Agapi Stassinopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agapi-stassinopoulos/) > [When I was 20 years old, I got cast in 'Spring Awakening' and got swept up in this experience where it was kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-groff/when-i-was-20-years-old-i-got-cast-in-spring-awakening-and-got-swept/) [Jonathan Groff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-groff/) > [Motivation is awakening own mind and Inspiration is arising spirit in others to find their own with their heart and soul in all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anuj/motivation-is-awakening-own-mind-and-inspiration-is-arising-spirit-in/) [Anuj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anuj/) > [“Everything we perceive to be solid and static is made up of almost entirely empty space.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-p-kauffman/everything-we-perceive-to-be-solid-and-static-is-made-up-of-almost/) [Joseph P. Kauffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-p-kauffman/) > [Life is perhaps best regarded as a bad dream between two awakenings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-o-neill/life-is-perhaps-best-regarded-as-a-bad-dream-between-two-awakenings/) [Eugene O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-o-neill/) > [“The Illusion - The source of suffering can be linked back to a condition of the mind that creates the illusion of separation--the state…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-m-blanchard/the-illusion-the-source-of-suffering-can-be-linked-back-to-a/) [L.M.Blanchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-m-blanchard/) [Browse all 1,440 Awakening quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awakening/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“On the path of awakening, it's natural to experience some upheaval, dark nights of the soul, or unnerving groundlessness when the foundation of old beliefs falls away.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Rick Hanson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-hanson/on-the-path-of-awakening-it-s-natural-to-experience-some-upheaval/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Awakening" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-hanson/on-the-path-of-awakening-it-s-natural-to-experience-some-upheaval/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfe/rick-hanson-10793_awakening_on-the-path-of-awakening-it-s-natural-to_2781358.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfe/rick-hanson-10793_awakening_on-the-path-of-awakening-it-s-natural-to_2781358.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfe/rick-hanson-10793_awakening_on-the-path-of-awakening-it-s-natural-to_2781358.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“On the path of awakening, it's natural to experience some upheaval, dark nights of the soul, or unnerving…” — Rick Hanson", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Rick Hanson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-hanson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“On the path of awakening, it's...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-hanson/on-the-path-of-awakening-it-s-natural-to-experience-some-upheaval/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-hanson/on-the-path-of-awakening-it-s-natural-to-experience-some-upheaval/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```