The Holy Grail
by Al Link and Pala Copeland
I (Al Link) held the Holy Grail for approximately one hour. This was an experience of enlightenment (Mahamudrai in Shivaic Tantrism and Tibetan Buddhism). I was able to partially transmit the experience to Pala within minutes by touching our bodies together; hence we refer to our spiritual path as Enlightenment for Two™. The illumination receded over succeeding weeks restoring the more familiar ego centered consciousness, much to my chagrin. Receding of the expanded consciousness is not uncommon according to many other enlightened authors, e.g., David Hawkins:
Advanced spiritual seekers often fluctuate in and out of this ‘presence of the Beloved’ as they approach enlightenment; this loss of the higher state and descent to a lower one is identified in both Eastern and Western literature as an ‘anguish of the soul.’ii
Tantric and Ch’an master Daniel Odier recounts an exchange with his guru Lalita Devi.
Daniel Odier: ‘Is awakening subject to transformation?’
Lalita Devi: ‘All nature is subject to transformation. An awakening that isn’t in accord with the deep nature of things gradually becomes diluted. One morning, you open your eyes but you’re no longer awake. A Ch’an master speaks of the slow polishing of the awakening. That’s it. It’s not enough to find a raw nugget. It’s necessary to let life run over it until the gold dazzles the entire universe.’iii
From the experience I will draw conclusions and make interpretations of meaning, but I am doing so from memory, albeit memory profoundly affected by the illumination. There may be errors in my accounting of the experience and the conclusions I draw from it, but this in no way detracts from the truth of the experience or its ultimate value. As you read books about enlightenment, something to note is if there is reference to actual personal experience or merely conjecture, ideas and concepts. As Paul Tillich says: “I started with the experiences of the holy and advanced to the idea of God and not the reverse way.”iv It makes no difference whether you start from an idea or an experience, but understand that the experience is what really matters, not the idea or concept. Don’t make the mistake of confusing the words for the experience; don’t be like the man who goes into the restaurant and eats the menu instead of the meal.
i “Introducing Mahamudra” By H.E. Tai Situ Rinpoche, Zhyisil Chokyi Ghatsal Publications 2002
http://greatliberation.com/teachings/texts/mahamudra/text1.htm
“The tantric teachings of Lord Buddha cover everything. In the tantra you find the teaching of sutra, Vinaya and Abhidharma, but in the sutra, the Abhidharma and the Vinaya you will not find the teaching of tantra. So the tantric teachings of the Lord Buddha are the essence of everything. This means that the Mahamudra teaching is the principle and the path that is given in the teaching of the tantra.”
ii Power VS. Force: The Hidden Determinants of Human Behavior by David Hawkins, Hay House, 2002, pp. 262-263
iii Tantric Quest: An Encounter With Absolute Love by Daniel Odier, Inner Traditions, 1997, p. 66
iv My Search for Absolutes by Paul Tillich, Simon and Schuster, 1967, p. 28 |
