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'''Mysticism''' (ancient ] ''mysticon'' = secret) is the pursuit or practice of the direct experience of union with ], ], or ]; or the belief that such experience is a genuine and important source of knowledge. In the context of ], mysticism refers to using non-rational methods such as ], ], ], or ] to invoke the non-sensory ] experience or ] "feeling". (], 1923) '''Mysticism''' (ancient ] ''mysticon'' = secret) is the pursuit or practice of the direct experience of union with ], or ]; or the belief that such experience is a genuine and important source of knowledge. In the context of ], mysticism refers to using non-rational methods such as ], ], ], or ] to invoke the non-sensory ] experience or ] "feeling". (], 1923)
A classical book on mysticism is "Cosmic Consciousness" by Richard M Bucke, 1898. A classical book on mysticism is "Cosmic Consciousness" by Richard M Bucke, 1898.


Revision as of 22:18, 28 July 2005

Mysticism (ancient Greek mysticon = secret) is the pursuit or practice of the direct experience of union with divinity, or Ultimate Reality; or the belief that such experience is a genuine and important source of knowledge. In the context of epistemology, mysticism refers to using non-rational methods such as meditation, prayer, chanting, or entheogens to invoke the non-sensory transcendent experience or numinous "feeling". (Rudolf Otto, 1923) A classical book on mysticism is "Cosmic Consciousness" by Richard M Bucke, 1898.

Because mystical experience is ineffable experience (words do not exist for its phenomena), it is impossible to really explain it. Describing mystical experience is like trying to communicate Beethoven´s Emperor Concerto in words. In all the writings about mysticism, there are two kinds of people: those who have had the experiences and those who have not. It is a famous saying in mysticism: "For he who has had the experience, no words are necessary. For he who has not, no words are possible."


Types of mystical experience

Many different aspects of mystical experience have been reported in the voluminous spiritual literature of the world. Some of the more common of these are:

  • Expansion and absorption into the Emptiness or Void: the Nothing from which Everything comes.
  • A transcending of the illusion of separate individuality, and a sence of unity and oneness with all that exists.
  • Experiences of other levels of energy and existence. The Cosmos is perceived as an infinite spectrum of realities and containing innumerable universes and beings.
  • An expansion of one's sense of self or identity to include and embrace the whole Cosmos.
  • A perception of the Divine in everything.
  • Awakening to one's True Self as a fragment of the Divine, or even as the Divine Itself.
  • A direct experience of God, Goddess or Deity; including of being God oneself, as all is ONE.
  • Realization of one´s immortality
  • The realization of the non-duality of Spirit and the World: That everything that exists is ONE BEING.
  • Ineffable peace and bliss.
  • Certainity of the benefic purpose of all existence and the eventual happiness of all.


Subjectivity and mysticism

Theistic, pantheistic, and panentheistic classical pantheist/cosmotheist metaphysical systems most often understand mystical experience as individual communion with a god or goddess. One can receive these very subjective experiences as visions, dreams, revelations, prophecies, and so forth. St. Thomas Aquinas, a Catholic mystic of the 13th century, defined it as cognitio dei experimentalis (experiential knowledge of God). In Catholicism the mystical experience is not sought for its own sake, and is always informed by revelation and ascetical theology. This causes the subjectivist tendency of mysticism to be curtailed, as experiences not aligned with truths otherwise known are discarded.

Self-transcending self-discovery

In philosophy, the term Perennial Philosophy is used, and relates to a primary concern:

ith the one, divine reality substantial to the manifold world of things and lives and minds. But the nature of this one reality is such that it cannot be directly or immediately apprehended except by those who have chosen to fulfill certain conditions, making themselves loving, pure in heart, and poor in spirit. (Aldous Huxley, 1945)

Some mystics use the term to refer to a manner wherein the mystic plumbs the depths of the self and reality in a radical process of meditative self-discovery to discover the true nature of reality experientially. Historically in some cultures and traditions, mind-altering substances -- often referred to as entheogens -- have had a place as a 'guide'; others use rituals and methods such as meditation, self-reflection or self-enquiry.

Mysticism and syncretism

Mystics of different traditions report similar experiences of a world usually outside conventional perception, although not all forms of mysticism abandon knowledge perceived through normal means. Based on extraordinary perception, mystics may believe that one can find true unity of religion and philosophy in mystical experience.

Elements of mysticism exist in most religions and in many philosophies. Some mystics perceive a common thread of influence in all mystic philosophies that they see as traceable back to a shared source. The Vedic tradition is inherently mystic; the Christian apocalyptic Book of Revelation is clearly mystical, as with Ezekiel's or Daniel's visions of Judaism, and Muslims believe that the angel Gabriel inspired the Qur'an in a mystical manner. Indigenous cultures also have cryptic revelations pointing toward a universal flow of love or unity, usually following a vision quest or similar ritual. Mystical philosophies thus can exhibit a strong tendency towards syncretism.

Some systems of mysticism are found within specific religious traditions and do not relinquish doctrinal principles as a part of mystical experience. For example, Christian mystics, through the centuries, have not decided that Jesus is not God after all: in other words, not all mysticism results in syncretism. In some definite cases, theology remains a distinct source of insight that guides and informs the mystical experience. For example, St. Thomas Aquinas' mystical experiences all occurred squarely within the love of the Catholic Eucharist.

On the difficulty of defining mysticism

Readers frequently encounter seemingly open-ended statements among studies of mysticism, throughout its history, for example in Taoist thought and in studies of Kabbalah. 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 which 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. (Scholem, 1974)

In Catholic traditions, mystical theology is informed by revelation, which averts an apparent tendency to become lost in formless thought. Christian mystics, too, are obligated to obey the forms of ascetical and moral theology, as following Christ is their primary objective, rather than seeking mystical experiences for their own sake.

Theosophy and Occultism

The late 19th century saw a significant increase of interest in mysticism in the West that combined with increased interest in Occultism and Eastern Philosophy. Theosophy became a major movement in the popularization of these interests. Madame Blavatsky and G. I. Gurdjieff functioned as central figures of the theosophy movement. This trend later became absorbed in the rise of the New Age movement which included a major surge in the popularity of astrology. At the end of the 20th Century books like Conversations with God (a series of books which describes what the author claimed to be his experience of direct communication with God) hit the bestseller lists.

Examples in major traditions

Examples of major traditions and philosophies with strong elements of mysticism are:

Hindu mystics

Some examples of Hindu mystics:

Andal
Shankara
Gopi Krishna
Lalleshvari
Mirabai
Sri Ramakrishna
Ramana Maharshi
Sri Deep Narayan Mahaprabhuji
Tukaram

Christian mystics

Some examples of Christian mystics:

St. John the Apostle (? -101)
Clement of Alexandria (? -216)
St. Augustine of Hippo (354-430)
St. Gregory I (590-604)
Saint Anselm (1033-1109)
Hugh of Saint Victor (1096–1141)
St. Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179)
Mechtild of Magdeburg (1210-1279)
Meister Eckhart (c. 1260 - 1327/8)
Richard Rolle (c. 1290 - 1349)
St. Gregory Palamas (1296 - 1359)
St. Bridget of Sweden (1302-1373)
Julian of Norwich (1342-c.1416)
Margery Kempe (c.1373-1438)
Paracelsus (1493-1541)
St. Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)
St. John of the Cross (1542-1591)
Jakob Boehme (1575-1624)
Sir Thomas Browne (1605-1682)
Michael de Molinos (1628-1696)
Sarah Wight (1632-?)
Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772)
William Blake (1757-1827)
Anne Catherine Emmerich (1774-1824)
Jakob Lorber (1800 - 1864)
Max Heindel (1865 - 1919)
G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936)
Thomas Merton (1915-1968)
Aiden Wilson Tozer (1897-1963)

Islamic mystics

Some examples of Muslim mystics (also called sufi):

Persian:

al-Ghazali, (d. 1111)
al Hallaj (d. 922)
Jalal ad-Din Rumi
Hafiz
Sadi
Abdul Qadir Gilani
Abu Yazid Bistami aka Bayazid of Bistam
Farid al-Din Attar
Jami
Mahmud Shabistari

Turkish:

Yunus Emre

Indian:

Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, aka Khwaja Gareeb Nawaz
Khwaja Nizamuddin Chishti, aka Nizamuddin Auliya or just Khwaja Nizamuddin
Qalandar Baba Auliya
Amir Khusro

Jewish mystics

Some examples of Jewish mystics:

Shimon bar Yochai (c.200)
Abraham ben Samuel Abulafia (1240-1291)
Moses ben Shem Tob de Leon (1250-1305)
Isaac Luria (1534-1572)
Moshe Chaim Luzzatto (1707-1746)
Nachman of Breslov (1772-1810)
Abraham Isaac Kook (1864-1935)
Menachem Mendel Schneerson (1902-1994)

Other mystics

Some examples of other mystics:

Rufus Jones (Quakerism)
Plotinus (Neo-Platonist)
Walt Whitman
Heinrich Himmler (Nazi mysticism)
Aleister Crowley (magick and Thelema)
Gurdjieff
Jiddu Krishnamurti
Rajneesh
Chapel Tibet

See also

References

  • Aldous Huxley, The Perennial Philosophy, Perennial 1945, ISBN 006057058X
  • Rudolf Otto, The Idea of the Holy, Oxford 1923, ISBN 0195002105
  • Gershom Scholem, Kabbalah, Meridian 1974, Plume Books 1987 reissue: ISBN 0452010071

External links

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