I don't know about "enlightened" Rabbis. I know that for me the one true master was Moses. After that it becomes muddy. There is a "Holy Tradition" in Judaism perhaps not unlike that of the Puja Holy Tradition. It is written up in Pirkei Avot. Here is a link with the words in English:
http://www.shechem.org/torah/avot.html These men formed the main chain-link of master to disciple that went from Moses all the way down to the end of the Talmudic era. That is a very long and largely unbroken link. There was one time in this history when the nation suffered a huge disruption and this was the destruction of the First Temple. At this time I believe that something got lost when these people were forced to go live in Babylonia. This is my theory. I believe that at some point the Mosaic Judaism which was more meditative and involving a more lively direct spiritual experience got slowly but surely replaced with a vivid but almost entirely intellectual process. By the time the Talmudic age ended, the remnants of the Mosaic techniques were forced underground and basically disappeared, with only tiny fragments left to pass on in secret groups. A big resurgence came with the Ari HaKodesh (also known as the Ari'Zal). After him came the Chasidim and a re-awakening of the mystical side of our religion. Regards, Fred --- In [email protected], "Mahamuni Das" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > How do you know that there is no unbroken lineage chain in Judiasm or one of its later sects named Christianity? Just because it is not completely public? > > There certainly are traceable lineages in Jewish Mysticism that are on the more public side. I believe the same would go for Christianity. > > How do you judge "enlightenment"? Does each disciple in the chain have to be "fully enlightened", in order to pass on the lineage Shakti? > > JAI AMMA! > > Surya >
