Shaktipat

sometimes enlightenment comes through being seen, rather than through the act of seeing.

According to an article in Wikipedia, Shaktipat is a Sanskrit word in the Hindu spiritual tradition that refers to a spiritual teacher conferring a form of spiritual awakening by transmission of a sacred word or mantra, a look, a thought, or by touch. The touch is usually given to the ajna chakra or third eye of the disciple. Shaktipat can be transmitted in person or at a distance, through an object such as a flower or fruit, or via telephone or letter.

The book Hands of Light, by Barbara Brennan, describes shaktipat as the actual projection of the guru's "aura" on the disciple, whereby the disciple acquires the same mental state of the guru, hence the importance of the high spiritual level of the guru. The physiological phenomena of a rising kundalini then naturally manifests.

Related reading:
Kundalini, Evolution, and Enlightenment by John White, editor, (ISBN 1-55778-303-9).
A Deeper Surrender, by Stuart Perrin (ISBN 1-571742-17-4)