Mysticism

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"Mystical" redirects here. For the rapper, see Mystikal. Mysticism ( pronunciation (helpinfo); from the Greek , mystikos) is the phenomenon of having a

unique experience of communion with God, an ultimate reality, divinity, or insight into spiritual truths. Sometimes the words Enlightenment and Illumination (from Latin illuminatio, meaning 'a lighting up' or 'an enlightening') can be used to describe the mystical experience. Mystics are often part of a larger religious tradition, and form spiritual movements within their religion, such as Vedanta and Kashmir Shaivism within Hinduism, Kabbalah within Judaism, movements ofChristian mysticism and Sufism within Islam.
Contents
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1 Origin of Word 2 Mysticism in Major Religious Faiths

2.1 Overview

3 The mystical perspective

3.1 Process 3.2 Ambiguities of meaning 3.3 Literary Forms used by Spiritual Teachers 3.4 Relation to philosophy and sciences 3.5 Ontology, epistemology, phenomenology

4 Other perspectives

4.1 Goals sought and reasons for seeking 4.2 Types of experience 4.3 Mysticism and the soul

5 Differences of terms and interpretation

5.1 Pantheism, Panentheism, acosmism, dualism, non-dualism, syncretism

6 Mysticism and the Major Religions

6.1 Catholicism 6.2 Major Religions in General 6.3 New religious movements, perennial philosophy and entheogens

6.4 In Rosicrucianism, Masonry and Golden Dawn

7 Mysticism in Buddhism 8 Numerology 9 Mystical traditions 10 See also 11 References and footnotes 12 Further reading 13 External links

[edit]Origin

of Word

The Eleusinian Mysteries, (Greek: ) were initiation ceremonies held every year for the cult of Demeter and Persephone based at Eleusis in ancient Greece. Of all the mysteries celebrated in ancient times, these were as held to be the ones of greater importance. These myths and mysteries, begun in the Mycenean period (c. 1600 BC) [1][2] and lasting two thousand years, were a major festival during the Hellenic era, later spreading to Rome.[3] The name of the town, Eleuss, is a variant of the noun , leusis, arrival. The present meaning of the term mysticismarose, via Platonism and Neoplatonism, which referred to the Eleusinian initiation as a metaphor for the "initiation" to spiritual truths).

[edit]Mysticism

in Major Religious Faiths

In Catholicism, mysticism is understood as a unique experience of spiritual enlightenment or vision, for movements whereby Catholics experience the truth of the beliefs see Catholic spirituality.

In Hassidic Judaism, abnegation of the ego and Ein Sof are important concepts

Detachment from the world Kaivalya is important in some schools of Hinduism, including Sankhya and Yoga as well as Jhana in Buddhism)

Liberation from the cycles of Karma in Moksha from the Jainist faith, Sikhism and Hinduism, Nirvana in Buddhism

Connection to ultimate reality (Satori in Mahayana Buddhism, Te in Taoism) Union with God (Henosis in Neoplatonism and Brahma-Prapti or BrahmaNirvana in Hinduism, fana in Sufism, mukti in Sikhism, and God-realization in Meher Baba's teachings)

Theosis or union with God and a participation with the Divine Nature in Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy

Innate Knowledge (Sahaja and Svabhava in Hinduism; Irfan and Sufism in Islam)

Experience of true bliss in Samadhi Svarupa-Avirbhava in Hinduism and Buddhism

Seeing the Light, or "that of God," in everyone Hinduism, Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), Sikhism

The Love of God, as in the Hinduism, Baha'i Faith, Christianity, Islam, Sikhism and many other spiritual traditions

Mahamudra and Dzogchenmeditation, the process of union with the nondual nature, in Tibetan Buddhism

Ability to see and recognize the pattern that nothing is ultimately dependent nor independent, but that everything is only compositionary and interreactional including the conception of the existence or non-existence of the identity of self. Identities and labels are only practical conceptions. Theravada Buddhism

[edit]Overview
'"Mysticism'", referred to as spirituality in the Catholic Church, refers to beliefs and practices that go beyond the liturgical and devotional forms of worship of mainstream faith, often by seeking out inner or esoteric meanings of conventional religious doctrine, and by engaging in spiritual practices such as breathing practices, prayer, contemplation and meditation, along with chanting and other activities designed to heighten spiritual awareness. For example, Kabbalah (based in Judaism) seeks out deeper interpretations of the Torah and other mystical works, and may conduct spiritual practices based in Meditation, Theurgy, or Alchemy, as well as song, dance, prayer, and talmudic study, accordingly, as is done in many other mystical traditions. Sufism (in Islam) extends and amplifies the teachings of the Quran in the spirit of universal love, most famously through their devotional musicians dancing Zhikrs and singing Qawwalis. Vedanta reaches for the inner teachings of Hindu philosophy encapsulated in the Vedas, and many students of both Shaivite Tantric schools within Hinduism, as well as Shakta Tantrics, along with usually more mainstream-oriented Vaisnaivas, will use the symbolism and

mythologies of their gods and goddessess, to take the initiate home to their highest awareness, via mystical practices designed and proven for these purposes. Mystics hold that there is a deeper or more fundamental state of existence beneath the observable, day-to day world of phenomena, and that in fact the ordinary world is superficial or epiphenomenal. Often mysticisms center on the teachings of individuals who are considered to have special insight, and in some cases entire non-mystical (doctrine-based) faiths have arisen around these leaders and their teachings, with few or no mystical practitioners remaining. Different faiths have differing relationships to mystical thought. Hinduism has many mystical sects, in part due to its historic reliance on gurus (individual teachers of insight) for transmission of its philosophy. Mysticism in Buddhism is largely monastic, since most Buddhists consider jhana (meditation) to be an advanced technique used only after many lifetimes.[1] Mysticism in Abrahamic religions is largely marginalized, from the tolerance mainstream Muslims grant to Sufism to the active fears of cultism prevalent among western Christians, with Chasidic Kabbalists of Judaism being the notable exceptions. Mysticisms generally hold to some form of immanence, since their focus on direct realization obviates many concerns about the afterlife, and this often conflicts with conventional religious doctrines. Mystical teachings are passed down through transmission from teacher to student, though the relationship between student and teacher varies: some groups require strict obedience to a teacher, others carefully guard teachings until students are deemed to be ready, in others a teacher is merely a guide aiding the student in the process. Mysticism may make use of canonical and non-canonical religious texts, and will generally interpret them hermeneutically, developing a philosophical perspective distinct from conventional religious interpretations. Many forms of mysticism in the modern world will adapt or adopt texts from entirely different faithsVivekananda in Vedanta, for instance, is noted for his assertions that all religions are one. As a rule, mysticisms are less concerned with religious differences and more concerned with social or individual development. What mysticism is most concerned with, however, is having the most effective set of practices to attain enlightened consciousness and union with God. Not much else beyond this matters to a dedicated mystic, who focuses on the inner realms: mind-breath, non-thinking awareness, and so on. Mystics are not too concerned with the opinions or the religious tools of their more conservative religious compatriots.

[edit]The

mystical perspective

[edit]Process
Author and mystic Evelyn Underhill outlines the universal mystic way: the actual process by which the mystic arrives at union with the absolute. She identifies five stages of this process. First is theawakening, the stage in which one begins to have some consciousness of absolute or divine reality. The second stage is one of purgation, which is characterized by an awareness of one's own imperfections and finiteness. The response in this stage is one of self-discipline and mortification. The third stage, illumination, is one reached by artists and visionaries as well as being the final stage of some mystics. It is marked by a consciousness of a

transcendent order and a vision of a new heaven and a new earth. The great mystics go beyond the stage of illumination to a fourth stage, which Underhill, borrowing the language of St. John of the Cross, calls the dark night of the soul. This stage, experienced by the few, is one of final and complete purification and is marked by confusion, helplessness, stagnation of the will, and a sense of the withdrawal of God's presence. It is the period of final "unselfing" and the surrender to the hidden purposes of the divine will. The final and last stage is one of union with the object of love, the one Reality, God. Here the self has been permanently established on a transcendental level and liberated for a new purpose. Filled up with the Divine Will, it immerses itself in the temporal order, the world of appearances in order to incarnate the eternal in time, to become a mediator between humanity and eternity.[2]

[edit]Ambiguities

of meaning

The mystic interprets the world through a different lens than is present in ordinary experience, which can prove to be a significant obstacle to those who research mystical teachings and paths. Much like poetry, the words of mystics are often idiosyncratic and esoteric, can seem confusing and opaque, simultaneously over-simplified and full of subtle meanings hidden from the unenlightened. To the mystic, however, they are pragmatic statements, without subtext or weight; simple obvious truths of experience. One of the more famous lines from the Tao Te Ching, for instance, reads: My words are very easy to know, and very easy to practice; but there is no one in the world who is able to know and able to practice them. (Legge, 70)[3] References to "the world" are common in mystical and religious traditions, including admonitions to be separate, and the call to a detachment analogous to emptiness. One key to enigmatic expressions lies in the perspective that "the world" of appearances reflects only learned beliefsbased on the limitations of time, culture and relationshipsand that unquestioned faith in those misperceptions limits one's return to the divine state. The cloaking of such insights to the uninitiated is an age-old tradition; the malleableness of reality was thought to pose a significant danger to those harboring impurities. Readers frequently encounter seemingly open-ended statements among studies of mysticism throughout its history. In his work, Kabbalah, Gershom Scholem, a prominent 20th century scholar of that field, stated: The Kabbalah is not a single system with basic principles that can be explained in a simple and straightforward fashion, but consists rather of a multiplicity of different approaches,

widely separated from one another and sometimes completely contradictory[4]

[edit]Literary

Forms used by Spiritual Teachers

aphorisms, poetry, and etc. artistic efforts to crystallize some particular description or aspect of the mystical experience in words

God is Love (Christian and Sufi in particular) Atman is Brahman (Advaitan) God and me, me and God, are One (Kundalini Yoga, Sikhism) Zen haiku Rumi's love poems (Sufism) koans, riddles, and metaphysical contradictions

irresolvable tasks or lines of thought designed to direct one away from intellectualism and effort towards direct experience. "What is the sound of one hand (clapping)?" (Zen) "How many angels can stand on the head of a pin?" (Christian). These can be meant as humourous phrases (see humour, below); or as serious questions with significant mystical answers. Others believe that the most edifying understanding of these riddles is that excessive effort contemplating the impossible can give an individual the opportunity to stop trying to 'achieve' and start just 'being'. The evocative Taoist phraseTo yield is to be preserved whole, to be bent is to become straight, to be empty is to be full, to have little is to possessis another example of a metaphysical contradiction describing the path of emptying of the learned self. humourous stories teachings that can quash serious discussion and make simple, yet (sometimes) profound metaphysical points

Some examples are the Nasrudin tales, e.g. someone shouts at Nasrudin sitting on a river bank, "How do I get across?" "You are across." he replies;

Bektashi jokes serve to oppose the pressures Orthodox Islam can place on people

the Trickster or Animal Spirit stories passed down in Native American, Australian Aboriginal, and African Tribal folklore. Even the familiar "Br'er Rabbit and the Tar Baby", for example, is fairly acute psychology wrapped in a children's tale. Humor of this sort is often corrupted into mere jokes: some Nasrudin tales have a clear metaphysics built in, while others have devolved into little more than depictions of a crazy, dimwitted old man. parables and metaphor

stories that have a deeper meaning to them

Jesus makes use of parables and metaphors when teaching his followers. See Parables of Jesus. Some Passages seem to be aphorisms, riddles and parables all at once. For instance, Yunus Emre's famous passage:

I climbed into the plum tree and ate the grapes I found there. The owner of the garden called to me, "Why are you eating my walnuts?"

[edit]Relation

to philosophy and sciences

Throughout history and even today mysticism has attempted to gain scientific validity by borrowing from all branches of science various laws, theories, jargon, formula, etc.

These are then incorporated into the literature (for example) to give the reader the feeling that what is being discussed is "scientifically sound" and thus valid. Mysticism is generally considered experiential and holistic, andmystical experiences held to be beyond expression; modern philosophy, psychology, biology and physics sometimes being seen as overtly analytical, verbal, and reductionist. However, in some instances throughout history, mystical and philosophical thought were closely entwined. Empedoc les, Parmenides, Pl ato and Pythagoras , and to a lesser

extent Socrates, had elements in their teachings that could be interpreted as mystical in nature; many of the great Christian mystics were also prominent philosophers, and certainly, for some, Buddha's Sutras and Shankara's 'Crest Jewel of Discrimination' (Sanskrit: Vivekach udamani) (fundamental texts in Buddhism and Advaitan Hinduism, respectively) display what seem to be analytical treatments of mystical ideas. Baruch de Spinoza, the 17th c. philosopher, while supporting the new discoveries of science and eschewing traditional Jewish concepts of God and miracles, espoused that

Nature/Universe was one holistic reality with the highest virtuethe power inherent in preserving essence (being) or "conatus," and the highest form of knowledgethe intuitive knowing of the Real. Whether or not these shared understandings occur in the field of philosophy is for students of such subjects or interests to interpret. The pursuit of knowledge in the realm of physics was sometimes seen as inseparable from understanding the mind of Godthe 20th c. comment by Albert Einstein that "God does not play dice," referring to the unfathomable discoveries of quantum physics, is

often cited to lend an aura of scientific validity to discussions of a mystical nature. The rift between mysticism and the modern sciences derives mainly from elements of scientism in the latter: certain branches of the natural sciences, sometimes disavow subjective experience as meaningless, fully understanding the limitations of the ancient languages. That said, several areas of study in biology (work of Mae Wan Ho and Lynn Margulis are two examples) and philosophy address the same issues that concern the mystic, and some modern physicists are now attempting to understand a multiple

dimensional reality that, coincidentally, philosophers and mystics' have attempted to describe for millennia. Physicist David Bohm speaking of consciousness expressing itself as matter and/or energy could be completely understood by the mystic or philosopher, whatever his cultural/religious heritage. It should be clear that no scientific backing need be used in that understanding but it is sometimes forced together for validity's sake. However, the historical lack of rigor in defining "dimensions" does not make it clear that historical mysticism and philosophical "dimensions" are

the same as what physicists are defining. Furthermore, Continental philosophy tends to be concerned with issues closely related to mysticism, such as the subjective experience of existence in Existentialism. It should be noted that while existentialism suggests a nothingness rather than a oneness, the mystic's pursuit of emptinessdespite its fear producing angstfor the sake of union with the Divine, points directly toward a potential unity between physics and psychology that does not at present exist. The mystic's attempt to describe cause and effect between

one's internal state and the miraculous, hints at a close connection between psychological stability (ego transcendence) and the mysterious realm of causality quantum physicists are now deciphering dimensional reality shifts that synchronize with states of consciousness and unconflicted choices.

[edit]Ontology,

epistemology , phenomenol ogy

While the three philosophical fields the nature of reality, knowledge and phenomenon would appear to all relate to aspects of mystical experience, they have not as yet

been correlated in a systematic way. Traditional use of the term ontology make s it a synonym of metaphysics. Prior to Immanuel Kant's theoretical separation of "reality" from the "appearance of reality," with human knowledge limited to the latter, the field of ontology/metaphysi cs concerned itself with the overall structure or nature of reality. Afterwards, many philosophers separated philosophical and mystical approaches in a seemingly permanent way. 'The general focus on experience in mysticism tends to belie ontological qu estions; mystical ontology is rarely stated in clear

affirmative particulars. Often, it consists of generalized, transcendent identity statements "Atman is Brahman", "God is Love", "There is only One without a Second"or other phrases suggestive of immanence. Sometimes it is stated in negative terms, from the Hindu tradition for instance, the word Brahman is usually defined as God 'without' characteristics or attributes. Buddhist teachings explicitly discourage ontological beliefs, Taoist philosophy consistently reminds that ontos is knowable but inexpressible, and certain 'psychological' schoolsspiritual schools following after Carl Jung, and

philosophical schools derived from Husserl concern themselves more with the transformation of perceptions within consciousness than the connection between transformed consciousness and the external Real. Mysticism is related to epistemology to the extent that both are concerned with the nature, acquisition and limitations of knowledge. However, where epistemology struggles with foundational issues how do we know that our knowledge is true or our beliefs justifiedmystics often appear more concerned with process as the means to true knowing. However,

every mystical path has necessarily as its ontological purpose, the discernment between truth and illusion, and many approaches emphasize the total discarding of beliefs as the prerequisite to knowledge in the phenomenologi cal sense. Foundational questions are generally answered, in mystical thought, by mystical experiences. Their focus, less on finding procedures of reason that will establish clear relations between ontos and episteme, but rather on finding practices that will yield clear perception. The goals therefore are the same, but the mystic's awareness of evolving levels of

consciousness encompass another realm altogether. At least one branch of epistemology claims that nonrational procedures (e.g. statements of desire, random selection, or intuitive processes) are in some cases acceptable means of arriving at beliefs, while the mystic's goal is discarding said beliefs as a limit to knowledge.[citation
needed]

The term

"mysticism" is also used in a pejorative sense in branches of epistemology to refer to material beliefs that cannot be justified empirically, and thus considered irrational.[5] Accordi ng to Schopenhauer,[6] mystics arrive at a condition in which there is no knowing

subject and known object:

... we see all religions at their highest point end in mysticism and mysteries, that is to say, in darkness and veiled obscurity. These really indicate merely a blank spot for knowledge, the point where all knowledge necessarily ceases. Hence for thought this can be expressed only by negations, but for sense-

perception it is indicated by symbolical signs, in temples by dim light and silence, in Brahman ism even by the required suspension of all thought and perception for the purpose of entering into the deepest communion with one's own self, by mentally uttering the mysterious Om. In the widest sense, mysticism is every guidance to the

immediate awareness of what is not reached by either perception or conception, or generally by any knowledge. The mystic is opposed to the philosopher by the fact that he begins from within, whereas the philosopher begins from without. The mystic starts from his inner, positive, individual experience, in which he finds himself as the eternal and only being, and

so on. But nothing of this is communica ble except the assertions that we have to accept on his word; consequent ly he is unable to convince. Schopen hauer, The World as Will and Representa tion, Vol. II, Ch. XLVIII<

The emphasis that is placed on subjective direct experience of the "divine and otherworldly transcendent goal of unity", makes it highly controversial to individuals who place a greater emphasis on empirical

verification of knowledge and truth (such as scientists for example). In this sense, one again returns to a more philosophical context within the fields of Epistemology and the philosophy of perception, exploring the notions of truth, belief, knowledge and verification. Phenomenology is perhaps the closest philosophical perspective to mystical thinking, and shares many of the difficulties in comprehension that plague mysticism itself. Husserl's phenomenology, for instance, insists on the same firstperson, experiential stance that mystics try to achieve: his notion of phenomenological

epoch, or bracketing, precludes assumptions or questions about the extra-mental existence of perceived phenomena.[7] Heid egger goes a step beyond: rather than merely bracketing phenomena to exclude ontological questions, he asserts that only 'beingness' has ontological reality (similar to Baruch de Spinoza's suppositions) and thus only investigation and experiencing of the self can lead to authentic existence. Christian mystics would assert that "the Kingdom of Heaven is within" references the same approach. Phenomenology and most forms of mysticism part ways, however, in

their understanding of the experience. Phenomenology (and in particular existentialist phenomenology) is pre-conditioned by angst (existentia l dread), which arises from the discovery of the essential emptiness of 'the real' and can go no further; mystics, by contrast take the step beyond to "being" and describe the peace or bliss that derives from their final active connection to 'the Real'. Those who adopt a phenomenological approach to mysticism believe that an argument can be made for concurrent lines of thought throughout mysticism, regardless of interaction.[8]

[edit]Other

perspectives
The integral theorist Ken Wilber who has also studied mysticism and mystical philosophies in some depth comments that: "There is nothing spooky or occult about this. We have already seen identity shift from matter to body to mind, each of which involved a decentering or dis-identifying with the lesser dimension... consciousness is simply continuing this process and dis-identifying with the mind itself, which is precisely why it can witness the mind, see the mind, experience the mind. The mind is no longer a subject, it is starting to become an object [in the perception of] the observing self. And so the mystical, contemplative and yogic traditions pick up where the mind leaves off... with the observing self as it begins to transcend the mind." "The contemplative traditions are based upon a series of experiments in awareness: what if you pursue this Witness to its source? What if you inquire within, pushing deeper and deeper into the source of awareness itself? What do you find? As a repeatable, reproducible experiment in awareness? One of the most famous answers to that question begins: There is a subtle essence that pervades all reality. It is the reality of all that is, and the foundation of all that is. That essence is all. That essence is the real. And thou, thou art that. In other words, the observing self eventually discloses its own source, which is Spirit itself, Emptiness itself... and the stages of transpersonal growth and development are basically the stages of following this observing self to its ultimate abode." Q: "How do you know these phenomena actually exist? A: "As the observing self begins to transcend... deeper or higher dimensions of consciousness come into focus. All of the items on that list

are objects that can be directly perceived in that worldspace. Those items are as real in [that] worldspace as rocks are in the sensorimotor worldspace and concepts are in the mental worldspace. If cognition awakens or develops to this level, you simply perceive these new objects as simply as you would perceive rocks in the sensory world or images in the mental world. They are simply given to awareness, they simply present themselves, and you don't have to spend a lot of time trying to figure out if they're real or not." "Of course, if you haven't awakened to [this] cognition, then you will see none of this, just as a rock cannot see mental images. And you will probably have unpleasant things to say about people who do see them".[9] Accordin g to author J oseph Chilton Pearce, author of "The Crack in the Cosmic Egg" and "Evolutio n's End," we have transcen dence itself as our biologica l imperati ve:

"...Spiritual transcendence and religion have little in common. In fact, if we look closely, we can see that these two have been the fundamental antagonists in our history, splitting our mind into warring camps. Neither our violence nor our transcendence is a moral or ethical

matter of religion, but rather an issue of biology. We actually contain a built-in ability to rise above restriction, incapacity, or limitation and, as a result of this ability, possess a vital adaptive spirit that we have not yet fully accessed." "Historically our transcendence

has been sidetracked... by our projection of these transcendent potentials rather than our development of them. We project when we intuitively recognize a possibility or tendency within ourselves but

perceive this as a manifestation or capacity of some person, force, or being outside of ourselves. We seem invariably to project onto each other our negative tendencies..., while we project our transcendent potentials onto principalities and powers "out there" on cloud nine or onto equally nebulous scientific laws... we wander in a

self-made hall of mirrors, overwhelmed by inaccessible reflections of our own mind." "Culture has been defined by anthropologists as a collection of learned survival strategies passed on to our young through teaching and modeling...as the collected embodiment of our survival ideation, is the mental environment to which we must adapt, the state of mind with which we identify. The nature or character of a culture is colored by the myths and religions that arise within it, and abandoning one myth or

religion to embrace another has no effect on culture because it both produces and is produced by these elements...That we are shaped by the culture we create makes it difficult to see that our culture is what must be transcended, which means we must rise above our notions and techniques of survival itself, if we are to survive. Thus the paradox that only as we lose our life do we find it." "A new breed of biologists and neuroscientists have revealed why we behave in so paradoxical

a manner that we continually say one thing, feel something else,

and act from an impulse different from either of these...A major clue to our conflict is the discovery ...that we have five different neural structures, or brains, within us. These five...represent the whole evolution of life preceding us; reptilian, old mammalian, and human (other two?). Nature never abandons a good idea but instead builds new structures upon it...Thus, while we refer to transcendence in rather mystical,

ethereal terms, to

the intelligence of life, transcendence may be simply the next intelligent move to make."

"...Neurocardiolo gy, a new field of medical research, has discovered in our heart a major brain center that functions in dynamic with the fourfold brain in our head. Outside our conscious awareness, this heart-head dynamic reflects, determines, and affects the very nature of our resulting awareness even as it is, in turn, profoundly affected."[10] The Indian spiritual teacher Meher Baba hel d that the nature of mysticis m is

both spiritual and practical: Spiritual experience involves more than can be grasped by mere intellect. This is often emphasised by calling it a mystical experience. Mysticism is often regarded as something anti-intellectual, obscure and confused, or impractical and

unconnected with experience. In fact, true mysticism is none of these. There is nothing irrational in true mysticism when it is, as it should be, a vision of Reality. It is a form of perception which

is absolutely unclouded, and

so practical that it can be lived every moment of life and expressed in every-day duties. Its connection with experience is so deep that,

in one sense, it is the final understanding of all experience. When spiritual experience is described as mystical one should not assume that it is something supernatural or entirely beyond the grasp of human consciousness. All that is meant is that it is not accessible to limited human intellect until it transcends its limits and is illumined by

direct realisation

of the Infinite....[11]

[edit]Goals

so and reasons seeking

Theistic, pantheis

and panentheistic

ysical systems mo

understand mystic

experience as ind

communion with G

One can receive t

verysubjective exp

s as visions, mirac

dreams, revelation

prophecies, for ex

Going beyond "na

theology" (theolog

naturalis) to direct

experience of God

"mystical theology

(theologia mystica as Thomas

Aquinas defined it

"experiential know of God" (cognitio

experimentalis).[12

Catholicism the m experience is not

for its own sake, a always informed by revelation and

l theology. The eff

being analogous t

reentering a divine

which we misperc

have been exclud

sin/shame/remors

Repentance (awa

of lower-self attac

and ascetics (givin

the thoughts/beha

the requirement fo

reestablishing div

communion/unity/ Enlightenment is

becoming aware o nature of the self observation. By

examination of the

thought system an emotions with detachment, one

becomes aware o

processes withou

controlled by them

allowing one grea creative capacity

ease of interaction others and the environment. Hence the saying: If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle. Sun Tzu, The Art of War[13]

Terms descriptive afterlife

include Moksha (l

), Heaven (traditio a gathering place

near to God and o

and Nirvana (litera

the mental fetters

mind), but in myst

reference an expe

"different from the now." The goal is

established throug

revelatory or mira

such as a dimens

one structure of re

Once this "potenti

experienced/recei

understanding ho

occurred become

individual and per

this "direct experie

obsessively pursu descriptive of the

defined differently individuals within

and their usage w

often no less impr

extremely difficult

has not experienc

of the "shift in awa

translate mystical useful way.

[edit]Types

of

Philosopher W.T.

two common clas

mystical and relig

his book Mysticism

Philosophy (1960

Extrovertive

consciousnes

nature overla perception of

Introvertive that includes

perceptual, so introspective

experience of "emptiness",

traditions, are

introvertive ex

[edit]Mysticism

soul

Abrahamic religio

a soul that lies wit

which is of great s significance.

In all cases union

omnipresent is the

meditator, for inst

Orthodox Christia

a hesychast will s

and in Hinduism a

(moksha) with Bra

Buddhism a medi

(bodhi) with the D

Christian concept

has also the paral

Hindu belief and t

Tibetan Buddhism

In the Quaker view

light, an inherent p

within the individu

Orthodoxy holds t

happens in this lif

and continues via

of theosis. Christia

as Jacob Boehme

state of the soul w

variously, through

ascetism (purifica

and meditation, to

resurrection of the

in this life. Catholi

traditional belief th

the soul and union

occur only at the r

physical death, an

known logically, w

practitioners in the Faith.

The Jainist view o

perceivable non-m

connect to infinite

cannot receive tha

without removal o of karma. As self

gained, the hold o

loosened, everyth

and nirvana(salva

The pure souldi

accomplished whe

karma is destroye

destruction of karm

the meditator is th

Buddhist concept

the rounds of rebi

simultaneous enli

Christian concept

not seeking fame. Islam shares this

distinct soul, but w

miraculous power

emphasizes reme

zikr): the recalling

and innate connec

grace. In tradition

connection is mai

who carry out God

the soul to one's a

though only proph

to see and hear th

mystical path is in

the Sufi tradition o

Self/Soul is emba

infidel/ego. Sufism

can be experience

universal love tha

universe. Remem

explicitly means re

soul's love/purpos

one's original divin

are particularly no

turn their forms of

Eastern philosoph

Hinduism, Buddhi

are concerned wit soul's dissolution into transcendent

(generallyBrahma

mystical aspects o

tradition Atman (s

entirely different fr conception of the

be identical with B

mystical practices Vedantic disciplic

primarily aim for G

consciousness an

liberated soul in v

loving service of t

of the disciplic suc

by Sankara, aim a

individuality, in on Godhead. Taoism is largely the soul. Instead,

around the tao ('th

path'). The human

according to Taois

of dualisms; the T

practice is to reca

with that original u

which is translated

Regardless of par

of the soul, a com

mysticism is the e

collective peace, j love.

[edit]Differenc

and interpre
One.

There is One in A

[edit]Pantheis

Panentheism dualism, non syncretism

Pantheism is the v

the Universe (Nat identical.[14]

Panentheism is th

universe is part of

as distinguished f

is-God doctrine"),

God with the total

panentheism hold

pervades the worl

beyond it. He is im

transcendent, rela

This embracing of

dipolar. For the pa in all, and all is in

Sivaya Subramun

In contrast Acosm

the reality of the u

as ultimately illuso only

the infinite unman real.

There are also du often with an evil

material world of t

with a transcende

perfect spiritual pl

the true self/essen

term for various m

initiatory religions

knowledge schoo

active in the first f

theChristian/Com

the Mediterranean

central Asia. Thes

recommend the p

knowledge (gnosi

goal of life. They a

depict creation as

between competin

and dark, and pos

between the mate typically depicted

governance of ma

higher spiritual rea

divided. As a resu

traits, dualism,ant

body-hatred are s

within Gnosticism

variety, subtlety, a

the traditions invo

Mysticism is often

with nondual worl

mystics, from whic

tradition they origi describe in many

view of existence.

Balsekar commen

and mysticism, th

phenomena to oc

of personal existe

(ego) is present, a

mysticism and no

accessible (conve

"Consciousness-at-rest is not aware of Itself only the force around it. It becomes aware of Itself only when this sudden feeling, I-am, arises, the impersonal sense of being aware. And that is when Consciousness-at-rest becomes Consciousness-in-movement, Potential energy becomes actual energy. They are not two. Nothing separate comes out of Potential energy becoming the one true being... That moment that science calls the Big Bang, the mystic calls the sudden arising of awareness..."[15]

Related to syncre

traditions report s

world/reality outsi

perception, althou

abandonment of k

through normal m

the same unity ex

culture and religio

individuality of the

attempt of religion

to describe reality fable of five blind

an elephant by de

mystic of every re

the elephant desp

approach and diff

language. Elemen

the core of all relig

philosophies, inclu

majority of the foll

awareness of this

a common thread

religions and philo

The Vedic traditio

the Christian apoc

Revelationis clear

with Ezekiel's or D

of Judaism, and M

angel Gabriel reve

miraculous manne also have cryptic

toward a universa

usually following a

ritual. Mystical ph

exhibit a strong te

towards syncretis

[edit]Mysticis

Religions

[edit]Catholici

The Appearance of

Teresa of vila, Pet

In the Catholic Ch

is usually reserve

experience of God

has been given by

great faith. One o

that of the mystics

heroic virtue and m

[edit]Major

Re

General

Conventional relig

strong institutiona

formal hierarchies

textsand/or creed

are expected to re these closely.

Most mystical pat

some particular re

aside or move bey

structures, often b

be following the 'p

representations o

extent that a myst

it is generally limit

relationships; to th

central text or eth

as interpretable g established law.

Conventional relig

towards mystics v

faiths. Sometimes

the Catholic churc

and Vedantic Hind incorporated into criteria set up for

experiences and v

achieve that statu

mystical paths foll

parallel course. Tr

monks were close

fabric of village life

but had no author

community; and a

Islamic scholars w

Shafi'i, Imam Naw

Some systems of

within specific reli

not relinquish doc

of mystical experi

cases, theology re

of insight that guid

the mystical expe

including most Pro

find mystical prac

called mystic "pra

generally restricte

as the Religious S

certain Charismat

implicitly incorpora

The mystic's disre

institutional struct

revolutionary aspe

and this occasion

established religio structures, or the

groups or new fait

mysticism to ethic

complex than is u

experiences do no

will be compassio

other hand is a m

with being morally

Rather, a given m

on the factual beli

in that mystic's re

[edit]New

relig movements, philosophy a

The late 19th cen

increase of interes

West that combin

in Occultism and E

Philosophy. Theo

movement in the p

interests. Madame

a central figure of

movement. This tr

absorbed in the ri

Age movement, w

surge in the popu

self-awareness gr

many others. At th

century books like

Miracles (purporte

course of study di

and Conversation

author describes h

with God) became

The term perennia

by Leibniz and po

Huxley, relates to

mystic's primary c

[W]ith the one, div manifold world of the nature of this

be directly or imm

those who have c

making themselve in spirit.[18]

Some mystics use

manner wherein t plumb the depths

radical process of

exploration, with t the true nature of

In some cultures a

altering substance

as entheogensh

guide; the Santo D

Vegetal being not

It is important to n

styled mystical be

recent decades es mysticism proper

individual seeker's

in the mystic tradi

be initiated by the

by the Ultimate Be termmystikos.

It is also importan

any sort of entheo

impurity and cond

traditions which b

observance ofla meditation, is the

attaining higher st

regarding drug ind

purely 'psychic', p even dangerous.

[edit]In

Rosicr Masonry and

"The Temple of the

Schweighardt Cons

The Rosicrucian O

secretive Order pu

early 17th century

symbol of the Ros

found in certain rit

"Blue Lodge"Free

Rosicrucian Orde

and many modern

an inner worldsOr

"Adepts." When c

beings, the consc

is said to be like th

"College of Invisib

source permanen

development of th movement.

Freemasonry is a

organization. Mem

joined together by

a moral and meta

most of its branch

declaration of beli

Freemasonry is a

certain aspects of

disclosed to the p

that it is not an oc

aspects of modern elements of ritual

of recognition amo the ritual.[20][21]

The Hermetic Ord Dawn (or Golden

referred to) is a tra

magicaltheurgy an

probably the singl twentieth century

many other traditi

including Wicca, T

of magical spiritua

mid 1890s, the Go

established in Gre

membership rising

every class of Vic

heyday, many cul

to the Golden Daw

actress Florence F

Machen, William B

Underhill and Alei

and women of the

sicle social cultu Golden Dawn.

[edit]Mysticis

Buddhism include

scriptures, beliefs

Many of these are

some doctrines w

Tantric Buddhism

mysticism. Pre-em

the teachings of D

the Tathagatagarb

doctrines indicate

hidden, deathless

beingvariously c

Nature, Buddha M

Mind Essence, Dz

which needs to be

into. This Essenc

tangible substanc

intellects efforts t model it, but it is

filled with benevol

Writing on this the

Rinpoche explains

on the ultimate na

Mind (bodhicitta)

What is ultimate b

mental constructs

by any analogy w

or category; it is b

unity of emptiness

space. Yet it is lov and clear. That is

to Mahamudra, th

expression is unc the unity of these

essence is empty luminous and the two.[22]

In the same work,

the essence of the

thing, yet is not to

existent; nor is it a

just one thing. It is

be called the I or

It is not found to b

nonexistent, since

not a singularity, b

ways. Nor is it a p

one essence. The

nature It may b

such as mind ess

the very basis of a

This spiritual esse

has to be develop

primordially prese

constitutes the inn

the Buddha found

Nyima Rinpoche w

Since primordial t

natural possessio

being. We learn th

which one achieve

compassion of the

produced through

Dharma [religious

them since the ve

absolutely inheren

The kayas exist s presence is not a

slowly produced t

create or manufac

through ones own

the teachings. On

The sutras and ta

In the Tathagatag

Buddhism, this en

called the Buddha

the Mahaparinirva

(see atman (Budd

indestructible natu

covered over by m

contamination. On

inner treasure of

revealed in its full

becomes Buddha

the Buddha teach Self means the

[i.e. Buddha Natu

of a one-gone-thu

exists in all sentie

obstructed by type

While existing in t

cannot see it T

sentient beings is

treasure of jewels

house, like a diam beings forehead, emperors spring

Elucidating this no

Nature or Buddha

Hopkins commen The basis [of the

ground on which t

rid it of peripheral

yielding the fruit o

the matrix-of-one-

Nature], which itse

established nature

primordial wisdom

compounded phe

stable, eternal, ev

compounded by c

the matrix-of-one-

Nature] is not s

exist before and is self-arisen.[26]

One specific myst union

with Dharmakaya

aya is both the wi

Buddha, for one, a

omnipresent Mind

immortal essence

called the Dharma or Buddha Within

Hookham has term

described in the S

the Buddha states

the Body of the T

should be defined

identical with Spa

the range of vision

Body to be conce

surpassing the sp

oscillating betwee

surpassing the illu

placeless, surpas

aspiring to the Kn

essential, surpass

surpassing hatred

infatuation, explai

emptiness, unborn

eternal from the s

experience, undiff

of Nirvana, descri

quiescent in voice

regard to convent

with regard to the

Absolute accordin

[edit]Numero

Some numerologi

mystical relationsh

physical objects o

numbers represen

between them tha

based. In Traditio

the location of the

needles in acupun

number of days in

major rivers in the

time of developme

considerations.[29]

that the relationsh

music had a supe

[edit]Mystical

An all-seeing Eye o

tower of Aachen Ca

Ascetism Bah' Faith Buddhism Tibetan Zen Christianity Catholicism Benedictine

Desert Father Dominican

Discalced Ca

Franciscan

Marist spiritua

Society of Jes Montfortian

Redemptorist

Eastern Ortho Hesychasm

Protestantism Anglicanism

Society of Sa

Religious Soc Unitarianism

Transcenden Unity Church

Christian Kab

Divine Scienc

Esoteric Chris Faith healing

Freemasonry

Ghost Dance

century Nativ

Gnosticism (P

Greek mythol Hinduism Vedanta Yoga Islam Sufism

Judaism Kabbalah

Western esot

National myst

Near-death e

New Thought Occult

Psychedelic e

Religious Scie Sant Mat Taoism

The Fourth W

Theistic Satan

The Rosicruc

Conception (R

Thelemic mys Theurgy Wicca

[edit]See

also

Apophatic the Catholicism Benedictine

Desert Father Carmelite Carthusian

Catholic religi

Catholic spirit

Sacraments o

Ego death Gnosis Islam Sufism Judaism Kabbalah

Mystical psyc

Religious Exp Shamanism

Practical Mys

[edit]Referen

footnotes

1. ^ Alexander W

meditation. Ro

2. ^ Greene, Dan

Message of E

Spirituality Tod 22-38

3. ^ Legge, Jame

Ching (Sacred

4. ^ Scholem, Ge

Meridian. ISBN

5. ^ Bothamley,
8.

Theories. Gale

6. ^ Schopenhau

Wille und Vors

7. ^ http://plato.s

8. ^ http://www.c

varieties/jame

9. ^ Wilber, Ken.
pp. 197208.

10. ^ Pearce, Jos

Transcendenc

Spirit. pp. 25

11. ^ Baba, Mehe

Reoriented, 19

12. ^ The brief de

dei experimen

Thomas Aquin

provided by G

in Jewish Mys

1974, [repr.], p

according to E

der kirchlichen

und fr das Le

of religious my

and evaluated

1921), p. 37. A

bother to chec

quotation from

(Summa theol

2 [Reply to O

question as to

tempt God, an

mysticism. (Th

by Peter Sch

pages, page 5

13. ^ Chinapage.c

14. ^ Oxford Engl

15. ^ Balsekar, W

16. ^ http://www.s

R00000138.as

17. ^ Jones, Richa

Morality. Lexin

18. ^ Huxley, Aldo

Philosophy. P

19. ^ "Aims and R

20. ^ Emulation R

1991. ISBN 0-

21. ^ Griffin, Mark

Questions Ans

22. ^ Chkyi Nyim

Kunsang (tran

Mahamudra a

on The Quinte

The Direct Ins

Compassiona

pp. 188189. I

23. ^ Chkyi Nyim

Kunsang (tran

Mahamudra a

on The Quinte

The Direct Ins

Compassiona

pp. 122125. I

24. ^ Chkyi Nyim

Kunsang (tran

Mahamudra a

on The Quinte

The Direct Ins

Compassiona

p. 114. ISBN 9

25. ^ Professor Je

Doctrine: Tibe

Other-Emptine

Snow Lion Pu 53-54

26. ^ Professor H

27. ^ Dr. Shenpen

Within, State U

New York, 199

28. ^ Dr. Konstan

pp. 86-88

Samadhirajas

29. ^ Seeing the

Ancient Chine

Illustration, C University, [1]

[edit]Further

rel

Daniels, P., H

Places". Alex Books, ISBN

Fanning, Stev

Christian Trad

York: Routled

Louth, Andrew

Christian Mys

Tradition. Oxf Press, 2007. 3.

McGinn, Bern

God: A Histor

Mysticism'.' V

Foundations o

of Mysticism;

Mysticism) Ne 1997-2005.

"Buried Memo

Freud's Relat

Anti-Semitism

Psycho-Analy

199-208. (Jef Masson)

Chronicle Boo

Experience o

Wisdom. Lab

Underhill, Eve in the Nature

Spiritual Cons

Stace, W. T. M

Philosophy. 1

Stace, W. T. T

Mystics, 1960

King, Ursula.

Lives and Leg

Ages. London

Langer, Otto.

Mittelalter. My

Stationen e 2004.

Kroll, Jerome Mystic Mind:

Medieval Mys

York and Lon

Elior, Rachel,

Infinite Expre

Oxford. Portla

Library of Jew

Louth, Andrew

Christian Mys 2007).

Harmless, Wi 2008).

Otto, Rudolf ( (translator) &

(1932, 1960).

West: A Com

Nature of Mys

USA: The Ma

Dinzelbacher

Natur. Zur Ge

Verhltnisses

Gegenwart (B

(Theophrastu

Merton, Thom

Christian Mys

Monastic Trad

2008) (Monas

Nelstrop, Lou

Bradley B. On

An Introductio

Theoretical A 2009).

Baba, Meher

Myrtle Beach

Foundation. I

[edit]External

qu

to

Wik

med

Resources >

> Jewish Mys

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