Children go through developmental cycles which, today, are readily labeled and recognized. One such cycle, which can come as quite a shock to an infant is the realization that he is not his mother, or more specifically, that his mother is not an extension of him. From that moment forward, the question remains.

The mind arrives at all sorts of conclusions around your who-ness based on it’s interpretation of it’s surroundings. None of this is done with any mischievousness. It is just based on the evidence available– deductive reasoning. Namely, that if I am playing in the sprinkler and feeling the water on my skin, naturally I come to the conclusion that I am a body. Or, more advanced, but equally misguided, would be that I must actually be here—as if you exist in a place or in a time. The mind, through no fault of it’s own, continues to download information based on one’s senses, interpretations, feelings and thoughts. This does not even begin to address the overwhelming outside burden that society, culture, family, religion, traditions, geography and nationality place on you as their own interpretation of who you are, or should be.

At some point, in most people’s lives, they come to the realization that, in all honesty, they do not actually know who they are. They know the details or their lives well enough; where they live, what they enjoy, etc. But that is not WHO they are– that is what they do, where they resided, etc. The fundamental question remains unanswered. It is one the truth seekers of every tradition have spent their lives in search of the answer to. Most traditions have sacred text, scriptures or edicts from a Higher Power, God, Source of Life and such. They have tremendous value, but it still remains, even when understood, just knowledge.

Knowledge will bring you up to the edge but does not ultimately satisfy. More knowledge is just that and does not settle the question. Actually, one can have even the “right” answer, if you will, and not the experience that goes with it that makes it realized. That is the key. It must be realized, as in Self-Realized. The experience must be direct in order to fundamentally shift one’s consciousness.

It is possible to directly experience one’s Self, in the fullest expression of the word– to have an Enlightenment experience. The very suggestion that it is an experience, lends itself to the question of “how”. The tricky part is that there is no “how”. One can only set up the possibility to directly experience oneSelf. Directly means without or through any process. To have the same experience that Buddha had under his Bodhi tree so many years past.

To experience the truth of WHO you are, the experience must be direct. That is what is attempted in contemplation and meditation. Both techniques work well in this arena, yet can take a lifetime of sitting, if not several. Most people do not have the desire and patience for the arduous journey that such a practice requires. There is a quicker way; The Enlightenment Intensive. A three and one half-day retreat set up with just this specific intention– to have an Enlightenment experience.

Is it possible to have a direct experience of one’s Self in such a short time? The answer is a resounding yes! I have facilitated and witnessed repeatedly, and also experienced for myself, just such a thing. It is not possible to process all the parts of the mind in such a short time. The mind can be very tricky here, selling you all kinds of things. The Ego dies hard. It is most invested in maintaining it’s illusion of being you. It is essential to have a trained Enlightenment Master and an environment set up specifically for this task to make good progress.

It is possible to bring to the front of one’s mind all the ideas and experiences around your who-ness. The “mind” overlays your field of consciousness. But is not your consciousness. Everything one has stored around the idea of who you are needs to be contemplated and communicated out, as it stands as a barrier to the Truth. It is necessary to clear out the ideas about “who” are. With the mind now clear or open, it sets up the very real possibility to then have a direct experience of yourSelf without all the stuff (ideas, interpretations, beliefs) in the way. It allows for a de-identification of other states of who- or being-ness that you have previously identified with incorrectly. It is often at this point of de-identification that the Enlightenment experience happens. You can now directly experience the Truth of who you really are—having an actual Enlightenment experience. The Truth of who you are could not be more obvious and yet it must be experienced to have value. It is not hidden. The Truth is a simple thing but not necessarily easy to attain. You are seeking the one who is doing the seeking. An eye can see but not see itself. It is like that. The Truth of who you are is obvious, the most obvious! No one has ever been disappointed by the “Truth” and you might as well settle it once and for all so that you can go about living your life as YOU! The time and date has been set. All that is missing is “You”.

I have had the great pleasure in supporting others on their quest for such an experience of themselves for many years now, and it is the most satisfying of work. There are many other great benefits that come from attending an Enlightenment Intensive in the areas of: self-esteem, communication, concentration, authenticity, intentionality, connectedness, and clarity. Each will greatly improve the quality of your relationships and life. For most, an Enlightenment Intensive will be your peak spiritual experience, and I recommend it with all the enthusiasm and compassion of a fellow truth seeker. If not now, when? “Reason explains the darkness, but it is not the light.”

- Jamar

Thursday Evening, June 7^th-10^th  The Enlightenment Intensive w/Jamar- The Ultimate Journey of Self Discovery! This 3 day residential retreat is set up to give you the best opportunity to experience directly the Truth for yourself. It is not just an average workshop. It is a quest for the ultimate truth, an actual Enlightenment experience. Who Am I? What Am I? What Is Another? What Is Life? All the answers are inside, why look elsewhere? The environment is carefully structured to assist you in this endeavor, concentrating all your efforts towards this one goal. Come to know your birthright— Inner Contentment and Peace.  Cost including 3 nights at Duncan Retreat $775 or $725 by 5/15 or $649 by 4/30

The dictionary says the word enlightenment means ‘to illuminate,’ or ‘to comprehend the truth of something you want to know’; or ‘to free yourself from a state of ignorance.’ The Western Zen Buddhist meditation teacher, Philip Kapleau, translates the Japanese word ‘Satori’ into the English word enlightenment. Satori means ‘Instantaneous Awakening’. It is the elevated state of self-realization that Zen meditators and Enlightenment Intensive participants aim for. Zen Masters poetically describe it as ‘Opening the Minds Eye’ or ‘Awakening to your True Nature.’

People around the world point to the enlightenment experience by calling it many different names: direct experience, self-realization, god consciousness, kensho, reality, Truth, etc. Zen masters say that ‘pointing at the moon isn’t the moon,’ which is to say that the idea of enlightenment shouldn’t be confused with the thing itself. To know what enlightenment is, you have to directly experience it for yourself.

Charles Berner, the originator of the Enlightenment Intensive Retreat says, ‘Enlightenment is the direct experience of the truth. In the case of self-enlightenment, it is the direct experience of the truth of you. By direct experience is meant by no way or no via. Not by seeing, thinking, believing, deciding, reasoning, feeling or not by any other way. Direct experience of the truth is enlightenment.’

Jeff Love who has been facilitating Enlightenment Intensives since 1970 says that, ‘words are inadequate to convey the meaning of enlightenment, but that you’ll know what I mean when you yourself have experienced it.’

If you’re hungry, why eat the menu? Reading the menu in a restaurant never fulfils your hunger. To satisfy your hunger for food you have to eat real food. At the Enlightenment Intensive Retreat the enlightenment experience is always the main feast on the menu. If you are hungry for the Absolute Truth, eating ideas or concepts or indirect experiences will not satisfy. Why eat the menu when you can eat the real thing?