“Mysticism as been in the world long enough to justify us in regarding it as a fact in world history. It is no longer considered as the crazy belief of a few fanatics of erratic mind and irresponsible action. It is recognized as a branch of knowledge and a way of life.” - Raymund Andrea The Mystic Way
It may be an overstatement but I do feel that each religion has expressed itself mystically or rather I should take a line from wiki-pedia which says: Mystic traditions form esoteric sub-currents within larger religious traditions. From the Islamic revelations we have Sufism, we have Christian mysticism, Jewish mysticism, Vedanta in Hinduism. From all these traditions the one message I hear over an over again is that man can enjoy an intimate relationship with his Creator, without intercession.
The religious responsibilities and duties served in many ways as a preparatory course for the later mystical practices. I imagine if one could not find the time to pray or the compassion to take care of one’s fellow human beings, then the demands of the mystical path would be beyond their reach. it has been said of sufis in the past that the shariah (religious rules and duties) brings on to the tariqah (the spiritual path), and finally this brings one to the haqqiqah (the Truth)
Rumi not surprisingly has a wonderful story that illustrates this journey:
Once a student of Mevlana Rumi asked him about the four stations of Tasawwuf. Mevlana told him to go ther room next door and asked him to slap each of the four students that were there. So the student slaped each of the four students in the room. The first one got up and slapped him back. The second one got up and just as he was about to slap him, he stopped half way. The third one just glaced at his face. The fourth one just continued to do his work.
The student came back to Mevlana who explained to him. The first one was at the level of Sharia, so he dealth with you at the level you dealt with him. The second one was at the level of Tariqa, so he (remembered) and dealt with you, how his Shaykh reminded him to deal with you. The third one had the knowledge that it was all the doings of the Divine (Ma’rifa), but he was curious to know whom Allah had sent to carry out the attack. The fourth one was in Divine Annhilation and had already reached to Haqiqa, so he had no concern whatsoever
I’m bringing this up because of a pattern I’ve noticed. I have found that in the West there is a tendency to strip the mystical tradition of all its religious trappings and its ideology. I think this is a ramification of New Age consumerism that has really taken a grip on the way we view things here.
The new Age Spiritual movement aims to create a spirituality without borders or confining dogmas that is inclusive and pluralistic (taken from Drury, Nevill, The New Age: Searching for the Spiritual Self). Mystical practices are stripped of a lot of their context and infused with a lot of “self-help principles”. What I mean by that is that mystical practices are given as a remedy to many of the ills of our days as a way to make you feel better, sleep better, think better, focus more, have better coordination etc.
I have viewed this as a complete reversal of one of the central messages of mystical practice which is done for others. To serve and love God is simply to serve and love his creation. When one seeks “enlightenment” for one’s self it in many ways treats enlightenment as a commodity, something to get, to aspire to, to work towards, but ‘enlightenment’ is a gift. It is something that is given. I feel early on in the training ideas like this are shown for what they are.
So I am wondering a lot about a few things and I am hoping to hear some of your thoughts on,
- Can one separate mystical practices from their religious and the ideology from which they are historically and traditionally expressed through ?
- What for you are some of the benefits of the New Age spiritual Movements. Obviously it wasn’t all bad ?
- Can one walk a mystical path without a teacher or guide (a living exemplar) of sorts?
Related articles
- The unknown face of Rumi – Sufism and Spiritual Consumerism in the West (mycaravanofdreams.com)
- Henry Corbin’s SPIRITUAL EXEGESIS OF THE QURAN (mycaravanofdreams.com)
- Confronting our darkness from Love is a Fire – The Sufis Mystical Journey Home by Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee (mycaravanofdreams.com)
- The unknown face of Rumi – Sufism and Spiritual Consumerism in the West 3 (mycaravanofdreams.com)
- The unknown face of Rumi – Sufism and Spiritual Consumerism in the West 2 (mycaravanofdreams.com)
- Recommending Sufism and the Way of Blame by Dr. Toussulis (2) (mycaravanofdreams.com)
- Sufism and Dream – A post from the Technology of the Heart and en from Love is a Fire by Llewellyn Vaughan Lee (mycaravanofdreams.com)
- Stephen Schwartz: Islamic Sufism and Jewish Kabbalah: Shining a Light on Their Hidden History (huffingtonpost.com)
- Differences Between Unity and Separation – A Vital Distinction By Dr. Yannis Toussulis (mycaravanofdreams.com)
Question 1) I believe it was religion and theology that tried to overtake mysticism, not the other way around.
Question 2) I believe it was the New Age movement that began reminding our modern world that we needed to return to Mysticism. (Even though I believe the New Age practices are nothing more than a novelty and mockery of true Mysticism.)
Questions 3) Yes, I believe when One is truly seeking the Truth, and One is willing to go deep within, then One can, in fact walk the path of Mysticism without a living, breathing teacher or master at their side. However, I do believe we all benefit from examples whom we can learn from, whether they be alive or dead, but not necessarily by our side.
1) I would not really separate it. When we are born, we come from the formless world into the world of form. Religion then helps us to develop a relationship with God. We get rooted into a certain religion and its ethics which is essential for our behavior here on earth. Yes in the beginning of our life it is a very personal relationship, a God who cares for us and whom we can trust. But with our ongoing journey into maturity we slowly take more and more responsibility for our life and are able to take back this projection of God as a father and instead, as mystics, we slowly take away the veils and create an empty space in which we can receive the sacrament of His Truth.
2) As well as any religion the New Age movement can also be a ticket for a journey which can lead into a deeper experience of oneself and the Devine Truth. It only depends on what our heart desires and how far we are able and willing to go.
3) May be one must not have a living teacher to go forward on that journey. Many people were brought to the mystical path just through their relationship with Christ. But I think a teacher can help to speed things up. If we follow a mystical path it is good to watch with what kind of people we surround us. If we want just an exchange with people who are on the same level, we just connect with them, who mostly just reflect our own inner state and do not really push things forward. If we connect with people who reached a higher state of consciousness we get the chance to reach a shift in our consciousness as well. Some need to spend a lifetime with a teacher and some need some sort of initial experience and then they are able to go on alone until may be a next shift is needed. The only thing which is important in this kind of relationship is that the teacher has the capacity to help the disciple to find his own unique inner thread which leads to God, to spark the fire and if it is necessary help to keep this fire burning.
Alone With The Alone
Hi Dave,
Sometimes I like to compare mysticism with martial arts. They have certain aspects in common which makes answering questions like you posted a little bit easier to answer.
1. Can one separate mystical practices from their religious and the ideology from which they are historically and traditionally expressed through ?
Can you practice karate without knowing about Japanse history, culture or religion? Can you practice Pencak Silat without knowing Phillipine history, culture and religion?
The answer is “no”. There are different martial arts – and none is better/stronger than another – but all of them are enshrined within a certain culture and religion. You can train yourself in self-defence but if you want to practice an established martial art you need to become familiair with its background.
2. What for you are some of the benefits of the New Age spiritual Movements. Obviously it wasn’t all bad ?
For me the great benefit of the New Age Movement is that it has opened society to different and foreign spiritual systems. Without the New Age Movement we would not have known exotic belief systems like Buddhism, Hinduism, Sufism, Druidism, Wicca, Shamanism etc.
3. Can one walk a mystical path without a teacher or guide (a living exemplar) of sorts?
Can one practice karate without a teacher? Can you learn karate from books? You can teach yourself self-defence – and it might be effective – but it will not be karate, kung-fu or taekwondo unless you have trained with a master. And eventhough you can train yourself in self-defence it is much easier if you practice a traditional martial art under an experienced master.
There is a difference between a martial art and a martial sport. For example, kickboxing and MMA Fighting are martial sports. These have been stripped of all cultural and religious trappings. There is a difference between judo and jiu-jiitsu. One is a sport, the other an art. Maybe kickboxing is easier to learn and more effective than karate but it is also more shallow. You become a better person (not just a fighter) through karate but not through kickboxing.
I like to think that New Age ‘fads’ are the sports, and traditional mystical systems are the arts.
I hope my answers help you in your travels.
Brotherly greetings!