back to the first step
DU says that consciousness comes from the first separation; it is the first mistake to follow. (In punjabi, it’s the hau). Normally, we would take this statement to mean that we need to erase this consciousness. But that’s hard.
But we can take it in another way: consciousness is just one step away from the final destination. We can bring ourselves to consciousness and then go from there. I suspect that we have to do that anyways. I also suspect that the story of the Buddha’s enlightenment towards the start of the book (find page number) is referencing this exact process.
With that in mind, I think that we awaken faster when we are conscious. When we learn normally, we are unconscious. So, it takes more reps and more time to get things into our skull. But if you’re already conscious, you’re aware. You’re learning with each second, each action. So, you need less time overall.
See related: The Purpose Of Learning, I am the pivot