Some years ago there was an American of great Spiritual Attainment by the name of Alfred Pulyan (1896-1966
). Pulyan was basically an unhearled Zen master nearly anonymous to the core and initially known to only a few within a very small circle. However, as his fame grew and more and more came to him he developed what would be called today, a mail order following.
In that simple pre-computer era people that came to hear about him would write letters hoping for insight into what one could do to Awaken to the Absolute, and Pulyan would respond, asking for no more than a stamped self-addressed envelope. Pulyan presented through his teaching what he called Transmission, somewhat extrapolated from a working mixture of his own experience combined with the weight behind the meaning of the four lines of the stanza attributed to the First Patriarch of C'han Buddhism, Bodhidharma as cited part way down on page two. Those who knew Pulyan claimed that through his efforts he had a success rate ten times higher than the ancient Zen masters.
It was largely because of having met Pulyan while spending a summer studying under him on his compound, and after learning of the purported success rate of Pulyan's mail order efforts, that years later, in the age of computers the idea of AWAKENING 101 came about.
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PAGE TWO
Over the years I have received numerous letters and emails from a variety of individuals telling me how much Awakening 101 contributed toward their Awakening, albeit almost always hybrid in nature --- that is, most of them have been pursing Enlightenment in one fashion or the other most of their lives and in the process of that pursuit, after coming across Awakening 101, something just clicked. A couple of the most recent of those emails --- testimonials if you like --- can be reached by clicking HERE
Another strong example, also hybrid in nature, but this time the individual started out initially using various aspects of Awakening 101, which inturn led him to going to and doing study practice in an established Zen center. The results of his endeavors ended wherein, I have been so told, he attained a state of immortality. For more, please see the footnote in Enlightenment In Three Days.
As for pure internet numbers of attemptees, there are no doubt countless numbers and successful results are, I am sure, quite rare. The one major example of claimed Attainment fully through such an approach is A Child of the Cyber-Sangha.
