Mystical Experiencer: Male in early sixties
Current location: India
Age at time of experience: 52
In spite of the fact that I didn't believe in god or practice religion I was yet thinking about what a god would be like if it existed. I asked myself how it would be possible to hear the prayers of many people simultaneously and from different parts of the world. I theorized that if I were god I would have to atomize myself to be present in many places at the same time, but I realized that there would not be enough particles to spread myself everywhere. Then I thought of splitting again, into sub-atomic particles. But I realized further that there would yet not be enough of me to hear the billions of humans.
Not disappointed by failing to find the answer, being a non-believer, I remained where I was, just listening to my breathing and external sounds, not relating, not searching, and not thinking anything when suddenly the word selfless popped up in the mind. And I sensed something indescribable flowing into me. I immediately understood. An entity would have to be selfless to be present everywhere at the same time. It was as if a selfless being had aligned with me.
My eyes brimmed when I realized what was happening because I did not think myself worthy of the experience. The answer was so simple and the longer I contemplated the idea the sharper my perception became. It was as if having become endowed with extra-natural perception, with which I contemplated on yoga practice and realized that I had indeed been practicing selflessness every time I ended the session with shavasana, dead body pose, but did not know it because the preoccupations of the self had blocked it out.
I knew I had chanced on a profound realization, and that henceforth I will always be studying and understanding the concept. Each day, every moment it burgeons in consciousness, growing bigger than anything we know.