What is enlightenment? All those people whom we regard as "enlightened" masters, saints, sages and gurus appear to have at least two things in common. First, they have some real insight into the most essential truths of our existence—they somehow know who they are, or why we are here, or what the meaning of life is. Second, they all teach that each of us has the same access to truth—our own truth which lies within us and is the very essence of our being. Each of us can uncover for ourselves the truth of who we are or why we are here or what life is really about. And it is by consciously living our own truth that we find real meaning, purpose and fulfilment. This inner discovery of ultimate truth goes by various names: self-realisation, satori, awakening, enlightenment. It is an awareness of what truly is, the actual essence of reality—regardless of our belief systems, prejudices or preferences, regardless of what anyone else says on the matter, regardless of whether or not it makes sense or feels good. It is a timeless moment in which we simply know the way things actually are because we are at one with the truth itself. We could define it as the direct experience of truth, although this needs to be explained. Direct and indirect experience There is only one way to discover truth itself and that is by direct experience. We cannot ‘get’ it by visualising it in our minds, or by perceiving it with our senses, or by analysing it logically, or by intuiting it emotionally. The very process of trying to ‘get’ it from somewhere by some means is an obstacle to the simple direct experience of it. But if that is the case, then how does this direct experience occur? One of the difficulties in discussing this lies in the word ‘experience’. Experience is, by definition, indirect awareness of something by someone. So on the one hand there is the objective reality which impresses upon our awareness; the world we experience "out there". On the other hand there is the subjective reality of the one having the experience, the conscious self "in here". It is the mind that links the two. Every experience is constructed by the mind in a complex interaction between objective world, subjective self and mental process. So we are never directly in touch with reality, only perceiving it or feeling it or analysing it as an experience constructed by the mind. In fact, a lot of what we take to be reality is little more than the ideas we carry in our own heads. This is why so many have taught that our ordinary experience is little more than an illusion, so distorted is it by our own misperceptions, beliefs and projections. And this is also why we cannot know who we are by trying to ‘get’ it. Just as the physical eye cannot see itself, so the inner ‘I’ cannot observe itself. So enlightenment isn’t an "experience" in the ordinary sense of the word. It isn’t just another episode within our stream of consciousness, a subjective perception constructed in the mind. The word direct is the key, for in the moment of enlightenment, the artificial separation into subject and object breaks down and disappears. With enlightenment, there is no distinction between a ‘self’ and its ‘experience’. There is only truth, the timeless presence of what really is. Our language forces us to speak of ‘having’ an enlightenment ‘experience’, but there is no having and there is no experience. There is only pure being. Seeking enlightenment You do not need to be anyone special to have a direct experience. Countless ordinary people have had spontaneous and ‘accidental’ self-realisations, without even looking. Several books give accounts of such moments. A typical example is the account given by a lonely Scottish housewife who, while walking with her children one dismally wet afternoon during wartime, paused to look across the river—but then suddenly and for no apparent reason knew the ultimate purpose of life in all its glory. The ‘experience’ lasted only a moment, but some inner knowingness of truth stayed with her for the rest of her life (The Common Experience). But we do not have to wait for the unexpected bolt of lightening. Many mystical traditions of the East and certain esoteric systems in the West have developed techniques for facilitating the direct experience. One of the most ancient is the yogic practice of contemplating “Who am I?”, though without a good teacher it is all too easy to be distracted from the process and give up. A rather more intensive method is the zen technique of meditating on an unanswerable question within the monastic regime known as a sesshin. Focusing non-stop on the question (or koan) eventually defeats the mind and this facilitates a breakthrough into direct consciousness. For some people using this method, a moment of enlightenment has occurred within a few years or even weeks. ENLIGHTENMENT INTENSIVES bear many similarities to the zen sesshin format, but also include the recent Western psychotherapeutic technique of communicating one’s inner experiences to another within a safe setting. This small addition accelerates the internal shifts needed to maximise the possibility of enlightenment dramatically—so much so that on any Enlightenment Intensive it is typical for direct experiences to occur for about twenty-five to thirty percent of participants within three days. But what is it like? In the moment of enlightenment itself there is literally nothing to experience because there is no experiencing as such. There is no subjective part of the mind going "Hey, this is fantastic!" (If there is, then it isn't a direct experience.) The moment itself—and very often it is little more than a moment's duration—is timeless, wordless, formless and ineffable. What occurs in the very next moment, however, seems to depend upon the state and personality of the individual, as different people react to and assimilate direct experiences in surprisingly different ways. The subjective mind returns almost immediately, but there is often an 'afterglow' period in which some weep for joy and gratitude; some laugh hysterically at the 'cosmic joke' involved; some are overawed by the blessing they have received through no doing of their own; some experience feelings of serene bliss; some experience an explosive release of energy—and for some nothing unusual happens at all ... they are simply struck by the ordinariness or obviousness of the truth. Exactly what is experienced as a result of enlightenment and what effects it has are processes unique to each individual. People sometimes confuse the moment of truth itself with the feelings and phenomena that occur before or after it. There are no reliable physical or psychological indicators of enlightenment—the only true indicator is the direct experience itself. Nevertheless there are certain qualities common to most reports of enlightenment. People very often describe it in terms of absolute joy, contentment, peace, fulfilment, certainty and love. There is also usually a sense that it was definitely worth waiting for! But perhaps the most common statement is that no words could ever do it justice. Enlightenment exposes us to a truth that is literally beyond the mind's realm of language and logic. This is, perhaps, the greatest difficulty facing those who have a direct experience: the complete inability to convey its true meaning and impact to others. The communication element of an Enlightenment Intensive, however, affords people the opportunity to express whatever truth they have discovered with as much presence and authenticity as they are ever likely to have—with partners who are exceptionally receptive and nonjudging. Communicating the experience to another human being helps to 'ground' the realised truth into ordinary life. Moments of truth Here are some personal accounts of the direct experience written by first-time Enlightenment Intensive participants. One minute I was frustrated, bored, longing to fit in again into ordinary life—the next minute I was swept into the arms of Glory—caught up through no apparent doing of my own by the Great Kindness that is Truth. I could almost physically feel the force of life charging through me—leaving me drained and so joyful, so grateful, so bewildered to have been this vessel for this Truth. — L.P., teacher Another dyad and I found myself sitting in front of someone who had been on several Intensives and perhaps had seen by the look on my face that I was nearly 'there'. Her eyes simply glowed love and joy at me, and I fell into her enormous energy, the patent sense of "let it happen!" Not only did I fully understand that everything including her and myself was vibrating with Love, Energy, Light, call it what you will, but that everything I had ever read about a sense of Unity, in fine wise books, was true. But True in my heart, not just in my head. — F.K., writer

Home | Enlightenment | FAQs about EIs | UK Calendar | Resources | Links | Guestbook