Volume 6, Issue 3, page 3

Even with a Teacher, Student Sets Up Many Dodges to Protect His "My"Consciousness from the Triumphant Experience of Full Awakening
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By ALFRED R. PULYAN
1' WAS in the little western town of Groups are everywhere in the world. What
Berree. I faced the committee. Mr. will happen to this flood of people? Clearly,
Aleph Norte, the chairman, looked at Subud will develop into a sort of religion and
me severely. "You know our princi- will offer much consolation to those content
plea," he said. "Seek and ye shall with the meetings and unable or unwilling to
seek. Knock and we hope nothing happens." proceed further. That is, in fact, what re"I do," I replied. I knew that Mr. Norte ligions are. There are tens of thousands of
had had a very trying month, On his arrival at awakened' people in the U. S., but if these
Berree, he had made no secret that he was and "work ; they work alone, and converts to Subud,
always had been a gold-seeker. There was an who trust pak Subuh, do not trust them.
avalanche. Many sought to sell him their mines; On the other hand, there is a Zen Master in
many, however, offered them to him freely. It this country (or soon should be) and those
was necessary to impose stringent conditions. working with him would not be much inclined to
The gold must be officially assayed at 100 per- switch to Subud.
cent, it must be on the surface, it must be It seems that there are as many brands of
near at hand. Even then a committee was neces- awakening as of coffee, and that it is the
sary to strain out all the applicants. well-advertised ones that attract people. They
"I notice in your offer, " said Mr. Norte, do not differ much actually in method and not
"that the gold is pure and beautiful and lies at all in result since, as you will see, their
on the surface ready for the taking. However, problem is the same.
you state that it lies on a road half-a-mile How can we sum this up? Clearly, Zen is a
to the north. Now, all of us here know for a sure way because a succession of enlightened
certainty that there cannot be only one way. Masters is rigidly maintained, but it is apt
We are here to investigate every way and are to be a very lengthy process. It is also a
willing to spend our money and time in contin- tough one, but so it has to be in any system.
ual seeking. We are, therefore, sorry to refuse Even in Subud there is an "O" group kept sepayour offer, the more so as we love people." rate because of their violent reactions.
This was not the first time I had made a Many are afraid of the whole business bemistake. Without thinking, I blurted out the cause they suspect or rationalize that it is
truth. "Actually, the gold lies in a half-mile autosuggestion. I know very well, for what it
circle. It is all around you. You cannot fail is worth to you, that you are more free than
to find it -- if, of course, you wish." before, not less free. Moreover, if it is time
There'w as a tense and terrible silence. for you to start this process, you will not
Then, they came towards me. have much to say about it anyway. We have a
How did I escape? I did not. The place was saying that when the student is ready the masa shambles. There were bits of me all over the ter appears. It does seem to work that way.
place, and so I feel free to tell you what the The harvest, however, is plentiful but the
committee would not listen to -- the actual way laborers are few.
in which a student is brought to "awakening", Let me consider the problem of working with
always has been and, as you will easily see for a person like you, the reader. Normally, if
yourself, always will be