Note: I am writing this almost two years after the enlightenment experience, October, 2009. The enlightenment experience was January 2007.

Once you have had the enlightenment experience, you have a dilemma. When the experience recedes, you are no longer enlightened. So what do you do then?

There are only two options. The first is to remain silent, not speaking about it with anyone. The second is to try to share the experience by talking and writing about it. Neither option is ever satisfactory.

In any case, sometimes I talk (or write) and sometimes I remain silent. I fail to see how remaining silent is of benefit to any other human being, but if speaking would not be of benefit, then silence is the only option. And it is of course true that speaking is often of little or no benefit, but sometimes, occasionally, speaking is of benefit to those who are ready to hear.

Actually, I find it easier to write about the experience of enlightenment that I had, as for example in this format presented on this website, for the simple reason that the information is out there and I assume only those people who would benefit by reading it (or listening to the audio version), will find it, and if they find it, then perhaps it was meant to be of some small value for them. All of this can be in some mysterious way worked out by powers beyond my limited ego self. So if you are reading this, you were probably meant to do that. Perhaps that is one meaning to the word destiny. Destiny is a complex result of what we choose to do, what we choose not to do, and what just happens to us.

While someone is in the enlightened state, they don’t have to talk about it. That does not mean they don’t talk at all, but they typically will not say, "I am enlightened." The simplest and most obvious reason is that from within enlightenment there is no "I" to speak. But the more important reason they don’t say "I am enlightened" is saying that does not help anyone else.

In fact, I have noted three primary reactions from people on the occasions where I have said, "I experienced enlightenment." Note: I have never said to anyone, "I am enlightened," never. The first common reaction is, "boring." Frankly, most people are not even a little bit interested in the subject of enlightenment. And you may be surprised (I was), this is true even for those who are presumably seriously pursuing some spiritual path or practice. I can’t quite figure that one out.

The second common reaction is "that is preposterous," or "unbelievable," or they let me know that they believe I am being monstrously egotistical, essentially bragging or boasting, to say such a thing. Of course that is not the reaction I was hoping for.

The third common reaction is they let me know they are impressed, that they think I am wonderful, special, or important. This is not at all the reaction I was hoping for.

The least common reaction is for someone to show an active interest, which they would do by engaging me in further conversation about the experience. In other words they ask me questions about the experience to discover more about it, possibly even to learn something that may be of benefit to themselves. By the way, you can do this online at this website in the forum (only serious premium members please). This reaction is pretty rare, which really surprised me. It also bothered me for a long time, but not anymore. I had mistakenly assumed that if people met someone who had experienced enlightenment, they would be eager to find out more about this extremely rare experience.

What was I hoping for when I mentioned to people that I had experienced enlightenment? Why would I do that? Before I explain that, let me first mention something else. When someone is in the enlightened state, they typically don’t talk about what enlightenment is, rather, they show it in their behaviors. In fact, everything they do shows what enlightenment is, not because any specific behavior is enlightened; if that were true, all others would have to do would be to copy those behaviors, but that certainly will not work.

When I say everything they do demonstrates enlightenment, it is not because of the specific behavior, but rather because of the powerful attractor field of consciousness that is radiated out from the Source, Enlightenment Itself. That field has the remarkable effect of sweeping all those nearby into its power, awakening a spark of divine consciousness within all who are ready and willing to be so affected. Yes, the specific action, or non-action, of the enlightened one, is such that all who were present could report that such and such happened; the enlightened one did this and that. But it must be obvious the action came out of the enlightenment; the enlightenment was not caused by the action.

This is one reason why even an enlightened master cannot tell anyone else what to do or not to do to become enlightened. The only thing that can be said about the action any enlightened master performs, is that it will always be perfectly matched to the situation in such a way as to be of maximum benefit for all parties involved, and will be of assistance to any who are willing to see, willing to wake up to their own light within.

So back to the question, what am I looking for when I speak about enlightenment, even though I am no longer enlightened? In short, exactly the same thing, that is to say, to help others wake up to their own light within. It certainly is not any kind of ego boasting. It is not ego aggrandizement. I am not hoping you will think I am a great person. I am not trying to show that I am different than or better than you are. I am not claiming to be a special person. On the contrary, I am trying to show that if even I could experience enlightenment, so can you!

In reporting my experience, I am trying to show how one ordinary man, after 40 years of spiritual quest, experienced the lifting of the veil of illusion and realized his true divine nature. I am saying that the Self I realized was not my ego self, did not belong to Al Link, the individual man, but rather is the same Self that each of you are. The proof of this was that enlightenment was transmitted into Pala within minutes (Enlightenment for Two), and she discovered the exact same Self; that we are one, that everything is one thing, Enlightenment. I am, you are, everyone is, everything is one pure undifferentiated consciousness, out of which all forms are manifested. That is what enlightenment is. Enlightenment does not belong to anyone, is not an accomplishment achieved by anyone. It is what we have forgotten that we are, always have been and always will be.