If you study the spiritual scriptures of the globe (the Bible, the Upanishads, the Baghavid Gita, the Koran, the Pali Canon, etc) you will see that the doctrines contained therein are very distinct, regardless of a specific common thought now and then. But go through the writings of the mystics all through background and you will observe that what they wrote is strikingly comparable no make a difference what their religious custom. Go through the Hindu mystic Shankara, or the Sufi mystic Rumi. Go through the writings of St John of the Cross, or the writings of the Jewish Rabbi mystics or Buddhist mystics. You will see that what they are all saying quantities to the same point, although their method of describing it is different.
It is an utterly astounding simple fact that we have, in each and every solitary geographic spot on this earth, and at widely divided dates in background, individuals who have arrived at the exact same metaphysical insights through approaches of managing their consciousness, this kind of as meditation. From the Buddha of North India circa 500BCE, to Socrates, to the Catholic and Jewish mystics of the Medieval time period, to the indigenous shamans of Central The us, there is a common thread of mystical insight. Why is it that our exoteric traditions are so distinct, but our esoteric traditions are so equivalent? There is an important message listed here.
The function of religion is to give us a feeling of that means and purpose, and also to support us to expand spiritually. However, when religion gets institutionalized (as it always does), it gets to be all way too effortlessly, a stumbling block to our religious development. Do you want a direct knowledge of God and a further feeling of purpose? How can you discover your accurate self? How can you discover God? christian mysticism have pointed the way.
And what is a mystic? A mystic is merely a individual who has put in his or her life in silent contemplation and meditation and has accomplished a direct knowledge of a deeper truth than what is ordinarily perceived. He or she has turned his or her again on the distractions of the globe. They give up content issues and social standing. They look for the divine with a one particular-pointed mind. The 1 defining characteristic that distinguishes the mystic from the rest of us, is that they have had an fast, direct, intuitive experience of Divinity. 1 salient position is that every single single mystic emphasizes that the knowledge of God, the cosmic consciousness, divine mind, or no matter what they decide on to get in touch with it, is ineffable. It are not able to be conveyed with terms. It has to be knowledgeable straight. And this experience is universally described by mystics as currently being a totally euphoric state.
Every single mystic has emphasised the ineffability of the mystical point out. Words and phrases can hardly hint at what the experience is like. If you experienced never read a Beethoven symphony, do you think I could make you realize and recognize the electricity and splendor of the ninth symphony simply by telling you about it, no matter what size or attention to detail I handle such a description?
Despite the simple fact that the mystics have often emphasized the ineffability of their knowledge, many of them have tried to describe it, while at the exact same time warning us that their descriptions can only fall really short of actuality.
Sadly mystics are misunderstood by the masses. They are feared by the authorities of spiritual establishments. It is unavoidable that it would be that way.. Only the few are drawn to the esoteric teachings, those who by their character are of a much more religious temperament, or people who yearn for the religious encounter, but are as well intellectually advanced to be pleased with mere dogma .
It is most disheartening to know that mystics have been crushed to death, stoned to death, pressured to consume hemlock, crucified, and burned at the stake. Sometimes they are revered and occasionally they are persecuted, relying on the political/spiritual local climate of the instances, but persecution of mystics is considerably much more prevalent during heritage than reverence and admiration for who are they are and what they have created.
1 need to not necessarily confer the standing of mystic upon somebody just due to the fact they come about to have some sort of psychic ability or other paranormal reward. Men and women with the gift of heightened psychic powers might perhaps (and maybe not) be capable to attain the point out of union with the divine less complicated than most of us, but basically having these kinds of items is not in and of alone, an indication that they have.
It must be stated that any person can have a mystical encounter. The survivors of a in close proximity to loss of life experience have documented some of the same issues that mystics have written about, the experience of unity with all that is, the sense of that means, and the immediate notion of a further truth than our working day-to-day fact. Often men and women in a deep crisis circumstance have out of the blue been catapulted into the mystical point out. Psychoactive medication can result in a particular person to have a mystical encounter, but utilizing medications for the objective of mystical perception is strongly disapproved by mystics. You may possibly capture a glimpse of the numinous from the use of medications, but you will not be mentally or spiritually geared up for it, nor will you likely be capable to understand it.
The author, William James, listed four features that are discovered in each and every description of the mystic point out offered in the writings of mystics through history. The initial quality is ineffability. The experience completely defies verbal expression. The 2nd top quality is that the mystic in this point out looks to have access to a greater understanding that cannot be arrived at by logic, cause, or discursive argument, but can only be accessed intuitively. The 3rd good quality is the ephemeral character of the experience. It is uncommon for it to very last an total 30 minutes, although in incredibly exceptional cases it may possibly have lasted above an hour. The fourth quality is passivity. Mystics report that it appeared as if they were far more or significantly less under the management of a larger energy in the course of the expertise.
The lives of the wonderful mystics in heritage are impressive for their vitality, productiveness, and their deficiency of desire in content prosperity or social status. They are usually paragons of virtue, have wonderful compassion, and look to be happier than the common man or woman. They practically usually live a lifestyle of self sacrifice for the sake of aiding others to accomplish their insights, and also such items as fighting social injustice, feeding the very poor, and in basic, assisting other individuals in anyway that they can.
It is not my intention here to give a discourse in what the mystics have stated about God or the afterlife, or other metaphysical concerns. If you are interested in such things, I advise reading through “The Perennial Philosophy” by Aldous Huxley, or maybe “The Crucial Ken Wilber,” a selection of numerous writings of the modern day philosopher, Ken Wilber.
Thursday, September 21, 2023