An old fable tells of a certain mysterious wall. Many tried to scale the wall to see what was on the other side, but failed. Then one man reached the top. He saw what was beyond, smiled, jumped and never returned. After a time another man made the ascent and exactly the same thing happened. The people were very puzzled about this. They resolved that the next climber should have a rope tied to him to stop him from jumping. Eventually a third man came, reached the top, smiled and was pulled back. When the people questioned him about what he had seen, they found he had lost the power to speak.

Something of this kind applies to our efforts to explain meaningfully what exactly is meant by spiritual enlightenment. For enlightenment is indescribable. 'Those who speak do not know. Those who know do not speak,' says Lao Tzu. The point is, we are dealing with the realm of the infinite, the ultimate, which transcends altogether the reach of thought.

Nonetheless, there are things that can be said about enlightenment to guide us in the right direction. So let us see how Adhyatma Yoga can aid our understanding, and impart to us some insights that may help us to see beyond the wall—because the wall is within us, and what is beyond it is also within us, and from the highest standpoint, there is no wall at all!