[humor] They don't call the beginning of universe The Big Bang out of sheer coincidence.
[/humor]
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Ask Any Questions About My Take on Mysticism
- Thread starter Sunstone
- Start date
[/humor]
Knowledge is not the same as experience. That's a trivial observation until one realizes that many of us confuse knowledge with experience. We think, for instance, that we are somehow getting closer to god by learning more about god, or that we are somehow getting closer to realization by studying more scriptures about realization. Apparently, the notion that knowledge leads to experience is deeply ingrained in us.
I kinda wondered if there was a dance version of the kama sutra, and if not, why you haven't invented it yet...
I would have to agree. I always doubt the expected as possibly being a product of my own mind. I'm awe struck by the unexpected surprises.
James did a remarkable job for his time and place. Consider that virtually all of the writings of his day on the same topic were attempts to "prove" that one religion or set of beliefs (usually Christian beliefs) were superior to all others. There were few if any attempts to look at religions and religious experiences objectively before James.
Subhankar Zac
Hare Krishna,Hare Krishna,
I mean does one have to go into deep states of meditation like in a trance in mysticism?
I kinda wondered if there was a dance version of the kama sutra, and if not, why you haven't invented it yet...
True story: I had a friend -- a stripper -- who sometimes danced in ways inspired by depictions of the Hindu gods and goddesses. Today, she'd be criticized for "appropriating Hindu culture", but I think such criticisms are intellectually infantile.
Thanks for the clarification. I can't answer for all mystics, but it's my view that the heart of mysticism, The Mystical Experience itself, is an experience, as opposed to a mere body of knowledge. And that experience seems to be something beyond a mere trance.
During a trance, one's normal, every-day consciousness is still intact, albeit altered a bit. But during the mystical experience, one's normal, every-day consciousness comes to an abrupt end. It is replaced by a kind of awareness that is not based on, or grounded in, a distinction between oneself and what oneself is aware of.
So, to more directly answer your question. Yes, there is a sense in which one must go into "deep states of meditation" in mysticism. That is, there is no substituting knowledge for the mystical experience itself.
Three questions.
Will you say that your experience is nearly same or exactly same as described in Heart Sutra ?
Does experience of this mystical state orient you towards or away from materialism?
Experiences come and go. What is the enduring change or enduring knowledge that you have gained?
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psychoslice
Veteran Member
Yes I agree, knowledge is of the mind, experience is from within, that is experiencing without the mind interpreting that experience.
Let me repeat questions of post 29.
Will you say that your experience is nearly same or exactly same as described in Heart Sutra ?
Does experience of this mystical state orient you towards or away from materialism?
Experiences come and go. What is the enduring change or enduring knowledge that you have gained?
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Meander_Z
Member
Has your mystical exploration ever brought you into contact with The Principia Discordia? If so would you agree that this is the most remarkable book of mystical revelation written in the modern age? Why or why not?
It's humour. The greatest mystery in the universe is not god, or life, or even consciousness. It is pulling the laundry out of the dryer, to find one sock missing.YmirGF understood that. I did not. I request you to kindly explain.
Yes. Then you throw away the one remaining sock and lo, two days later find its missing pair.
Nahwns Reefglin
Servant of the Far Ones
Of what have you seen from beyond the plane of the material?
Tumah
Veteran Member
I don't know if you're joking, but that's a real thing!
Tumah
Veteran Member
I agree with you and I understand this to by the position of my religion as well.
My question is, how do you understand it relationship to spirituality, practically and/or metaphorically?