Quote from The Flowing Bridge

The Flowing Bridge: Guidance on Beginning Koans

by Elaine Macinnes

Wisdom Publications, Somerville, Massachusetts, 2007.      159 pages

We can consider a line in the Bible that seems to present two: Whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me (Luke 10:16). That “one” is an entity and is presented as such and stands against the “me”. Such a statement can be processed by the intellect. It is not no-thing. But after many years in Zen, I can see and be aware of the “one-ness” that is pointing at “not-two”. The mystics of old considered the word advaita (Sanskrit for not-two) as being true to the experience.

I stress this here because many people tell me they have had an experience of “being one with God”. I’m sure they are very sincere and have had some kind of an intimate personal revelation. I said in Light Sitting in Light that if I am speaking to a group of thirty-five people and mention “God” then thirty-five gods will appear on the screen of their consciousness. The Absolute we touch in the Kenosha experience seems to be realized on its own terms. It’s an experience of something totally new. I have never met anyone with a confirmed breakthrough who did not express surprise. As I often say, when someone touches a live wire all things written and spoken about electricity are of little help in understanding. An experience of union is part and parcel of Kenosha; but we have so many possible venues of union through the Kokomo (soul) that Zen teachers are wary of that lone articulation (pages 39-40).


-- quote submitted by Matt M.

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