“Meeting a Saint”

“Slowly, with careful steps, gathering flowers and smiling as he moved, the Master made his way up the steps. When he reached the man in front of me, he turned from the opposite direction and faced us. He took first the flower of that man and then, as I wedged my way into the front rank, mine. He looked up at me and held my gaze for a second or so before moving on. I experienced an influx of energy such as I had never conceived possible. All I could do was stagger back out of the line and against the wall of the hotel. My mouth was agape, my eyes, wide open. My body felt as if it had been plugged into a too-high-voltage electrical outlet. Every nerve quivered; all my muscles were warm and lively; my brain was blank; my mind was filled with light like lightning; stupendous contentment enveloped me. If ever I had doubted that enlightenment was something more physically profound than a slower pulse or more synchronous brain waves, I could no longer. The briefest of glances from this holy man showed me the possibilities inherent in the human nervous system. I now understood why people had always said that someone unprepared for illumination could not handle the experience, that it would short-circuit their internal wiring. For I had known only the faintest touch of the state, from a distance, from another being, for a short time, and the effects stupefied me.”