FOREWORD
Itreatsatorifirstofallasapsychologicalproblem.Foranyone
who docs not share or understand this point of view, the
"explanation"willconsistofnothingbutwordswhichhaveno
tangiblemeaningforhim.Heisnotthenabletomakeofthese
abstractionsabridgetothefacts related;inotherwords, he
cannot understandhowtheperfume oftheblossominglaurel
(p.90-1)orthetvN'eakednose(p.87)shouldeffectsuchacon-siderable change ofconsciousness. The simplest thing would
be, ofcourse, to relegateall these anecdotestothe realmof
amusingfairv'stories,oratleast,ifoneacceptsthefactsasthey
are, to dispose ofthem as instances ofself-deception. (One
wouldalsowillinglyuseheretheexpression"auto-suggestion",
thatpatheticwhiteelephantfromthestoreofspiritualinade-
quacies!) Aseriousandresponsibleexaminationofthestrange
phenomenacannotlighdypassoverthesefacts.Wecanofcourse
neverdecidedefinitelywhetherapersonisreally"enlightened"
or"redeemed",orwhetherhemerelyimaginesit.Wehaveno
criteria for this. Moreover, we know weU enough that an
imaginarypainisoftenfarmorepainfulthanaso-calledreal
one, in that it is accompanied bya subtle moral suffering
causedbythegloomyfeelingofsecretself-accusation.Itisnot,
therefore,aquestionof"actualfact"buto[spiritualreality;that
istosay,thepsychicoccurrenceofthehappeningknownassatori.
Everyspiritualhappeningisapictureandanimagination;
were this not so, there could be no consciousness and no
phenomenalityoftheoccurrence. Theimaginationitselfis a
psychicoccurrence,andthereforewhetheran"enlightenment"
iscalled"real"or"imaginary"isquiteimmaterial.Theman
whohasenlightenment,orallegesthathehasit,thinksinany
case that heis enlightened. WTiatothers think about it can
determine nothingwhatever for him with regard tohis ex-
perience. Evenifheweretolie, his liewouldbeaspiritual
fact.Yes,evenifallreligiousreportswerenothingbutconscious
inventions and falsifications, a very interesting psychological
treatisecouldstillbewrittenonthefactofsuchlies,withthe
same scientific treatmentw^th which the psychopathologyof
delusionsispresented.Thefactthatthereisareligiousmovement
uponwhichmanybriUiantmindshaveworkedoveraperiod
ofmany centuries is sufficient reason forventuring at least
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