Words that pointed at something already present
Encountering specific words at the right moment. Accounts consistently name particular books and teachers — Eckhart Tolle's The Power of Now, Ramana Maharshi, Adyashanti, the Tao Te Ching — as catalysts. The teaching didn't cause the recognition; it pointed at something already present.
Several accounts describe reading a passage and something clicking — not as new information but as a recognition of what had always been true. The words seemed to work on something beyond the conceptual mind.
You know, you picked up that Ramana Maharshi book, read a few passages, and all of a sudden you had tears streaming down your face and your experience changed, and it wasn't a big stretch for you after that to believe the sorts of things you've been saying.
But then I met a teacher very quickly, who was in the Buddhist group, who gave me books on Eckhart Tolle and Adyashanti.
In this story it appeared that I had to have the lighter - or not the "lighter," it's not even the lighter - but the teachings of Buddhism first, and Eckhart Tolle and Adyashanti.
But I was walking through the wizard's – I call my friend John the wizard – I was walking through his bedroom and there was a picture book of Ramana Maharshi's.
Experience types that appear most often in accounts with this trigger.
Other triggers that co-occur most frequently in the same accounts.