Merton at Polonnaruwa

Listening to an interview with Harold Talbott speaking about Thomas Merton's experience at Polonnaruwa, I find my spiritual acuity brought into sharp focus. Merton died some ten days later... 

At Polonnaruwa and looking at the carved stone Buddhas, Merton said,

"...I was suddenly, almost forcibly, jerked clean out of the habitual, half-tied vision of things, and an inner clearness, clarity, as if exploding from the rocks themselves, became evident and obvious. The queer evidence of the reclining figure, the smile, the sad smile of Ananda standing with arms folded (much more "imperative" than Da Vinci's Mona Lisa because simple and straightforward). The thing about this is that there is no puzzle, no problem, and really no "mystery." All problems are resolved and everything is clear. The rock, all matter, all life, is charged with dharmakaya...everything is emptiness and everything is compassion."