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“I entered, I felt I was standing in the centre of the cosmos.
I spoke but my words lost their meaning. I saw people coming towards me but all were myself. I had never known this world. I was never created. I was the cosmos.
No individual Mr Sasaki existed.” - Sokei-an-Sasaki
An Enlightenment Intensive is a powerful, highly structured three days of contemplation, aimed at bringing about a change of consciousness generally known as enlightenment, or more usefully referred to as, a direct experience of things as they ultimately are, a state of no separation, beyond conflict. The change of state in these moments is the same referred to by all mystics, and though often very brief, this awakening can be the basis for whole new directions in life and self-understanding. It is a demanding and rewarding technique for anyone willing to devote themselves for three very full days to exploring the truth of self, life and others.
Enlightenment Intensives have been taken by thousands of people since they were developed by Charles Berner in the sixties. The process can be described as combining age old aspects of Zen Buddhist meditation retreats, with contemporary western techniques of frank, open face to face communication. Participants contemplate a single question, such as “Who am I?” continuously throughout the whole three days. A simple technique is taught to help do that. Other questions are “What an I?”, “What is life?” and “What is another?”. Pondering your question and communicating what that brings up is the basic practice. A large part of the time is spent working in pairs, sitting facing each other; one partner contemplating, and communicating whatever is arising in their contemplation, the other listening without comment or judgment of any kind. The result is profound. Contemplation continues whilst eating, walking, working, resting or sitting silently.
There is a schedule and rules. The schedule starts at 6am and continues to 11pm. The rules exclude toxins and distractions such as sex, jewellery, tobacco, caffeine, alcohol and gossip about other people in the group. Food is light, wholesome and vegetarian. Everything about an intensive has been tried and tested with one aim: to provide the best opportunity to directly experience Truth.
You are not given any set beliefs or ideas; the aim is to find out for yourself.
Anyone in reasonable mental and physical health can use this technique, regardless of beliefs, outlook, problems or hang-ups, there are no qualifications and there is no way of knowing who is graced with Truth.
Many traditions deal thoroughly with these experiences; Intensives provide and opportunity to totally enter this quest for 3 days and get something firsthand. This form of contemplation carries you sometimes rapidly through highs and lows, through changing mental, emotional and physical states, until at some point there is real resistance to going further. What you come up against is what’s between you and Truth. Obstacles like preconceived ideas (however accurate), feelings of unworthiness, fear of failure and trying to keep one’s image intact. You are encouraged and guided through this process, but not evaluated or advised and so left free to go through whatever is between you and Truth. Trust and openness develop through real contact and through seeing others go through their barriers.
Truth does not change, it just is, but each individual comes upon it in their own way and has their own personal expression of it, rolling about laughing, floods of tears, exuberance or quiet amazement, feelings of love, oneness, eternity, gratitude, recognition of something they’ve always known, of coming home and acceptance. Not everyone gets it, and it can be a rough ride and requires tenacity, but everyone who does says it was worth whatever it took to get there.
A direct experience doesn’t solve problems, it just shows you the way things actually are, but knowing this can be the decisive factor in your life, and allow you to act and live from yourself, free of other peoples ideas, opinions and judgments.
Everyone goes through their own individual three day “journey”, however most experience at some time or other something of, fear, guilt, anger, frustration, restful calm, hilarious giggling and deep intimacy, insights into attitudes, emotions, and ideas that have perhaps not been questioned so deeply before, drowsiness and fatigue, wanting it to be all over, soaring energy, gratitude, incredible honesty and open heartedness, and at some point, if you’ve really been going for the Truth, something about yourself you just don’t want to face.
This technique has been carefully polished and you are wholeheartedly supported, so that you can go through whatever you have to go through to glimpse the ultimate. Moments of direct experience are incomparable. You may or may not breakthrough to that other realm but you’ll certainly discover a lot in the attempt.
”If you don’t get it from yourself. Where will you go for it?” - Zenrin
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