Seems to me the term Self realization (SR) gets used in these conversations to reference difference things, depending upon who's using the term.
Some speak of a sort of 'incompleteness' or 'falling short' of fully realizing "The Truth," following SR, hence the talk about CC experiences that fill in the gaps left in the wake of Self Realization.
For me, the term Self realization encompasses the entire gamut in terms of what can be realized to be "Truthy." Fact is, there is not anything beyond I exist and there is no separation, (all is Self) that can be known with unquestionable certainty. Existence is known via itself.....inherent in existence is awareness of existing. And, no separation just means that the idea of being a separate something that stands apart from a separate world, collapses....gets seen through. All that arises and all that is, is clearly seen to be one & the same...all that is known to be, absent question, is Self.
So really, there is no material knowledge gained in Truth realization....it's all about seeing through previously held to knowledge.
Thus, when folks talk about attachments remaining following SR, it seems to me they must be defining SR in quite a different way than what I lay out above. Attachment to anything material, be it an idea, circumstance, thing, requires a sense of 'separate me,' doesn't it?
Below is a recent post of ZD's from ST that prompted my response;
I agree with all he says there, but the bolded stood out; Can SR be shallow vs. deep? I say no. Self has either been realized, (actually
REALIZED), or not. There is no half way. If it's incomplete, then actual 'realization' has not happened and one has merely gotten comfy with the conception notion of no separation, of Self is all....there is but One thingless thing.
And imo, a conceptual grasp of Self, does to some degree have a
mitigating factor, but it plain and simply is not the 'shift' in seeing/knowing/Being, that IS actual Self "realization."
I would say that if any of those attachments you describe above are in play, then clearly, Selfhood never actually fell away in the first place. Just seems to me that the term SR is being used to denote a conceptual understanding of Oneness/no separation, when really, the term 'realization' means something vastly different than just a mere understanding....it's the complete and total seeing through of separation.....of separate personhood....of 'an objective world out there.'
Read more:
spiritualteachers.proboards.com/thread/5101/non-abidance-mind#ixzz5DnBovCf1 
