How does the spiritual state relate to the mystical one?
Some time ago I gathered a few ideas about stages on the mystical path[2].
The idea is to encourage cognitive dissonance[3]
such that ‘things’ are no longer as they seem. By taking thought, the illusory
nature of ‘I’ becomes apparent and this leads to dropping personal viewpoints
and worldviews. The non-dual Oneness is unspeakable. But, fortunately, it can
be experienced.
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| A dark night of the soul |
Paul Simon had some ideas about it:
“And so you see I’ve come to doubt
All that I once held as true
I stand alone without beliefs
The only truth I know is you.”
But who is the you? Woody Guthrie had some ideas about it:
“You gotta walk that lonesome valley
You gotta walk it by yourself
Nobody here can walk it for you
You gotta walk it by yourself”
But these days I appreciate the company of like minded
souls. Were it not for the radicals of Findhorn I might well have given up the
quest and dropped back to the default of a parochial and xenophobic country
bumpkin. Or perhaps not. I have read many
spiritually inspiring books and magazines; and these days there are audio and
video programmes, social networks and email.
I have contributed to
the spiritual reading material in cyberspace. In chronological order:
- The Essence of Faiths - whispers from everywhere
http://www.toonloon.bizland.com/whispers/ - Let it begin with me - a rough guide to mind
training and meditation
http://www.srds.co.uk/begin - Existential Soft Rock - mental re-construction
through just sitting - be still and know
http://dodclark.blogspot.com - http://www.facebook.com/dodclark
- https://twitter.com/dodclark
- http://www.scribd.com/george_clark_25/ Some of my essays and booklets for free download
- Changing minds - thinking and feeling, and the dis-ease that comes from thinking outside the box - http://naesaebad.blogspot.co.uk/
In promoting spirituality the eastern religions have
developed a deep rooted and time tested psychology of perception. Physical quiet
and stillness lead to psychological quiet and stillness. The mud of busy-ness
settles and clarity and insight improve. The seeker is encouraged to remain
awake and to be aware of what enters and leaves the attention centre. Notice
what is being noticed and remain aloof. Learn to mindfully and gently respond
rather than to mindlessly and vigorously react.
BUT - it is rarely plain sailing:
“In the middle of the journey of our life I came to myself within a dark wood where the straight way was lost.” ~ Dante Alighieri
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| a spiritual journey |
I feel uneasy with such stories. The hero has power - and
power corrupts. In the Tao teh Ching it is reckoned that, “of the best leaders,
when they are gone, the people all say, “We did it ourselves”.”
There is an issue about engaged spirituality and the
bestowing of boons. Is an elitist vanguard inevitable? How might we get round
the problem that “the reality that can be described is not the real reality”
and that “those who speak do not know?”
We can fall back on the psychology of perception. We are
what and how we think and feel. By taking thought we can alter what and how we
think and feel. It is now well established that we ‘see’ with our brains rather
than with our eyes. Immediate sensory inputs take part in vital churns with
memories of facts and feelings. Thus we adapt to our world and act so as to
meet our various actual and idiosyncratic needs in real time.
By their words and deeds shall you know them.
By being awake, aware and mindful you will be a
compassionate and cool dude. That is how you are hard wired – at least for most
dealings with your limited number of hunting and gathering ancestors. Cultural
evolution (nurture) has put enormous strains on our neurological evolution
(nature). But there is plenty plasticity.
By taking mindful thought we can sort things out.
That is spiritual.
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