Is it possible to trigger a mystical/religious experience in another individual?

Question

How? In the Gospel of Luke it says the Christ "...opened their understanding..."
Was he literally enlightening his disciples, or something else? What? Can one individual enlighten another? Many believe one must 'walk the path alone', through meditation, reflection and contemplation, but is there a way for a teacher to induce a direct experience? I'm not talking shortcuts, I'm talking accelerated learning. Is it remotely possible?

I'm not talking about forcing anything on anybody, I'm talking about two or more individuals being of sound mind and body.

Excellent answers everyone, very enlightening!

Answer 1

This is what all good 'teachers' ( gurus ) will do for their followers ( disciples, students, etc ) when they consider the moment is right, and it is almost always with the prior knowledge and consent of said student. Occasionally a teacher will decide to try a 'jump-start' procedure, and will do so only of she/he is absolutely sure that the student would agree if asked, but these occasions are less common.

I have had a few of the latter practised on myself, not just in the spiritual realm either, and I have always been grateful for the teacher concerned's decision on my behalf. I have done the same for others at a very basic level. I have frequently used 'jump-start' techniques, usually with good records of positive results, and never with 'negative'.

Yogananda wrote in his autobiography of being 'advanced' in yogic practise by Sri Yuktesvar, and one or two other of his teachers. He himself did the same for some of his students in turn. It's not at all uncommon, and frequently very helpful.

Answer 2

this is quite an interesting question. the answer is just as intriguing. i have not read the bible nor am i one of the faithful, but i am not against the concept of a god; just not the one religion portrays. so if i stray away from the knowledge in the bible do not take this as a attempt to sway your mind. with that said, my short answer is yes. it is possible for another to trigger enlightenment in a different person. but this however is a deceptive statement. one can only change or learn if one is open to such experience, thus in the end, it is the one changing that ultimately caused or triggered the shift. therefore, at best jesus could have been the inspiration for their "understanding" but they themselves were the ones who chose to allow the change to occur. i'm am not talking about metaphysical experiences, just alterations of perception. the reason behind this is because in a reality where the metaphysical is possible anything is basically possible and thus there are no rules or boundaries, and so there is no control. the one thing to remember is this, all we are is self, everything else is just background; for without self life does not exist. in life we give everything meaning and take meaning away from experiences as well. unfortunately most people give meaning to that which should not be treasured as such thus the reign of misery in the human race, or generally speaking, the human condition. the most inmportant aspect to remember is self, and that there is no absolute value for self, thus you are not obligated to be anyone but who you decide to be. this is the one absolute value in life. "Many believe one must 'walk the path alone', through meditation, reflection and contemplation, but is there a way for a teacher to induce a direct experience?" yes and no. it is possible for a person to affect another without a change occuring, but the teacher would have to project exactly what the student would need to based on what the student wants to experience. to be honest however, it is not that the enlightened path must be walked alone, it is actually that because self is all that matters any other input is irrelevant thus solitude is just logical. but whether there is people with the person or not is irrelevant. plus meditation and reflection are simply contemplation and contemplation is just imagination. thus the true message is to be able to calculate the variables and accomodate for anything so that in the end you are who you desire to be regardless of the experiences. in life we are not the rock that gets weathered by the river but rather the river that takes the minerals of rock with us as we pass by. as it should be, the river actually never changes just because there is different substances in it, it is still h2o. this is similar to the mind, just because we have memories and can be effected by them doesn't mean they should. self is all that could ever matter and self is will and desire. sorry for such a long answer. i could talk all day about self and the possibilities.

Answer 3

mmmm- I don't believe one individual can enlighten another, but yes, most definitely we can provide openings, windows, accelerations. Absolutely.

I found it interesting a number of people before my answer detailed that the receiver needed to be in agreement.

I would propose that in the case of a more subtle, or unspoken, energy exchange, perhaps that isn't so much the case. I have found that despite philosophical differences, or similarities, people who exist at a very fine level of consciousness can convey that without words. There is an electrical exchange whenever any of us meet - when we meet someone who is refined, our electrum (or our subtle body) rises naturally. No words, therefore no need to agree. Think of meeting the Dali Lama - you may not believe in reincarnation, but you can walk away from that meeting feeling lighter, more peaceful.

In a more accelerated experience, teachers who are farther along than we are can provide very specific openings, and they can be quite powerful. And I do think one would need to be available (in agreement), but not necesarly consciously. The agreement is not realized yet, but is there none the less. Meditation teachers meditate with their students because it has been found that that direct contact will accellerate the students own meditations - you ride the coat tails, so to speak. Same with mystical experiences. If you hang out with a mystic, be prepaired for all manner of windows to open....but that only goes so far. It is not called a path of self-realization for nothing, right? The teacher is a tool, in the end it is all you baby.

Answer 4

it's which ever you choose, whatever works best for you-

having a high level teacher as Jesus would advance you lifetimes i'm sure...but the vessel has to be ready to advance, the chakras must be developed and purified which is done through meditation, reflection and contemplation. some people would not recognize the power of such a teacher, because they were not yet ready, not open to receive.

so you would advance on your own, until you found a teacher that you resonated with. having a teacher speeds up the evolution, yet you don't need a physical teacher present to do so. it is possible to connect with and learn from a non-physical teacher, the writings of an enlightened one- or through meditation and direct revelation. yet- be careful it is not your dillusional ego...tricky!

yet i also believe a teacher could just "give" you enlightenment...but would they choose to? free will, an openness must be present- ask and ye shall receive

Answer 5

Yes it is, but the other person receiving the "enlightening" has to be receptive to the experience, or it will be for nothing.
Of course both have to be on the same "wavelength" sort of speak, believe in the same thing, and be open to the same spiritual (not religious this has nothing to do with religion at any level!) or "mystical" beliefs as you put it. Oh, and the other person has to trust the one giving the enlightenment, just like the disciples trusted Jesus.

Answer 6

I know of two possibilities.

The most direct one is called Deeksha (just type this word in any search engine ;) and it will give you more info than you need).
The process looks very attractive, but, being a chicken of radical changes, I prefer the second way:

A teacher leads a person through a series of minor realizations, a series of "understandings", that lead to the major one (may be called enlightenment, if you wish). Thus, this person understanding is his/ her own and, to me, looks more... genuine.
This process consists of showing through various techniques taken from all over the world (as all religions speak of the same Thing using their own particular metaphors :) ) the inner feeling, the state of mind where everything becomes clear.
But the key word in ANY practice (religion/ esoteric technique, etc.) is your inner state, your mood (for the lack of better word). It is the point zero for any understanding.
So the 'guru' teaches to become aware of and control your moods. And he can "show" (radiate, very powerfully) any state. Meaning he can show the enlightenment, but it will be his own. You need to work out your own :)

Interesting, isn't it? :)

Speaking of Jesus, if he was a true "professional" in the hard job of being a guru, he surely could have done this, I've no doubt :)

Thanks for a good question! :)

Answer 7

I think that the mystical experience that you mention is triggered by the *power* that resides in the *words* that a person conveys to another and the *receptivity* of the other person.
For example, Christ was able to "open the understanding" of many people of His time, as you mention. But He was not able to touch the heart of a lot of other people, who did also come into direct contact with Him.
Their problem was certainly one of lack of receptivity, since no one would be able to transmit the message of Christ better than Him.
So what triggers the mystical experience is the power of the "Word of God", to use a "religious" expression and the receptivity of the person who listens.

Answer 8

IT's in the "two or more" contact. EAch still has their own experience, and understanding; but we charge each other up. Just by being.

See, some of you just made that happen for me here. There is enough common patterns to make the electrical charge.

We very much reflect our energy source and how that works. Our thoughts align and BAM.

I feel that Yeshua had enough common bonds with people related to experience that when he threw his senses in, people related.

They shifted their understanding. It takes but alittle to suddenly have the road take a curve.

It's not that a person's path becomes mine, it's that tool that they used somewhere (usually one they start talking about that has nothing to do with what they are trying to teach). It's just their beingness that I open up too.

Whatever is unseen, becomes seen.

I would never walk this world utterly alone, but celebrate my solitary journey.

Answer 9

First of all, Jesus could have pretty much done anything!=)

secondly....there are many catalysts in this world that can accelerate awareness. Each person is wired for a different 'style' of response to stimulus......yes some people will respond to another person 'helping ' them to see the light. The attitude of LOVE is a must for it to be pure though. Living a life of example is one of the ways that Jesus did this.

There is a fine line between pushing something on someone and being part of the big picture....=)

Answer 10

As I read this question, the lyrics to the Trance piece I am listening to gave the answer to this question (right as I finished reading the question too)! It said...

"Compassion is the way!"

The path -does- need to be walked alone, as everyone's path is their own; it is personal to them and only them. All that anyone can do for another is to guide them along to their own path, by being that guiding compassionate light in their life.

The only way for a "teacher" (who should not actually consider themselves a teacher, but merely a friend), can induce a direct experience, is to first be aware -purely within themselves- that a deeper connection has been piqued with another individual, and then leading them down a line of Self-discovery by traveling down a line of their own Self-discovery (of their own Being).

This may be hard to understand, as it is VERY difficult to put in words... And, the unfortunate bit, is that one can NEVER know if they truly -have- led another into any sort of mystical/religious experience, as it IS still a personal experience within the other person.

EXAMPLE:: One of the best ways that I have witnessed others creating a mystical/spiritual experience within me -- regardless if they knew there were doing it, or not -- was they just spoke candidly about their own personal life experiences. And, when I realized those experiences directly related to my own personal past experiences, I felt as if they were directing their words right to my inner being. This is a very loose example, of course. ;-)

But, as I said above... or as my trance music said...

Compassion is the way!