In the book already mentioned
(The Varieties of Religious Experience)
Professor
William James dwells with great attention on Christian mysticism, which contributed a
great deal to the establishment of the
cognitive
side of mysticism.
I borrow from him the description of mystical experiences of certain Christian
saints.
Saint Ignatius confessed one day to Father Laynez that a single hour of meditation at
Manfesa had taught him more truth about heavenly things than all the teachings of all
the doctors put together could have taught him. . . . One day in orizon, on the steps of
the choir
of the Dominican church, he saw in a distinct manner the plan of divine
wisdom in the creation of the world. On another occasion, during a procession, his
spirit was ravished in God, and it was given him to contemplate,
in a form and images
fitted to the weak understanding of a dweller on the earth,
the deep mystery of the holy
Trinity. This last vision flooded his
heart with such sweetness, that the mere memory
of it in after times made him shed abundant tears.
Similarly with Saint Teresa. 'One day, being in orison,' she writes, 'it was granted me
to perceive in one instant how all things are seen and contained in God. I did not
perceive them in their proper form, and nevertheless the view I had of them was of a
sovereign clearness, and has remained vividly impressed upon my soul. It is one of the
most signal of all the graces which the Lord has granted me. . . . The view was so
subtle and delicate that the understanding cannot grasp it.'
She goes on to tell how it was as if the Deity were an
enormous and sovereignly
limpid diamond, in which all our actions were contained in such a way that their full
sinfulness appeared evident as never before.
On another day she relates, 'Our Lord made me comprehend in what way it is that
one God can be in three Persons. He made me see it so clearly that I remained as
extremely surprised as I was comforted . . . and now when I think of the holy Trinity,
or hear it spoken of, I understand how the three . . . Persons form only one God and I
experience an unspeakable happiness.'
Professor James points out that Christian mysticism is very close to the 'Upanishads'
and the 'Vedanta'.
The fountain head of Christian mysticism is Dionysius the Areopagite. He describes
the absolute truth by
negatives
exclusively.
The cause of all things
is neither soul nor intellect; nor has it imagination, opinion,
or reason, or intelligence; nor is it reason or intelligence; nor is it spoken or thought.
It is neither number, nor order, nor magnitude, nor littleness, nor equality, nor
inequality, nor
similarity, nor dissimilarity. It neither stands, nor moves, nor rests. ...
It is neither essence, nor eternity, nor time. Even intellectual contact docs not belong
to it. It is neither science nor truth. It is not even royalty or wisdom; not
one; not unity; not divinity or goodness; nor even spirit as we know it. . . .'*
The writings of mystics of the Orthodox Church are collected in
the books, called
Philokalia,
comprising five large volumes, difficult to read. I have taken a few
examples of deep and subtle mysticism from the book
Superconsciousness and Ways
to its Attainment
by M. V. Lodizhensky who studied
Philokalia
and found there
remarkable examples of philosophical thought.
Imagine a circle [says Avva Dorotheus - seventh century], in the middle, its centre,
and radii, or rays, going out of this centre. The further these radii travel from the
centre, the more divergent and distant they become from one another; and the other
way round, the closer they are to
the centre, the nearer they approach one another.
Imagine now that this circle is the world, the very middle of it. God, and the straight
lines (radii) going out from the centre towards the circumference, or going from the
circumference towards the centre are the paths of men's lives. And here also, the
further the saints penetrate inside the circle towards the middle of it, desiring to
approach God, the closer, according to the depth of this penetration, they come to
God and to each other. . . . Understand similarly about going out from the centre. -
The more they withdraw from God . . . the more, in the same measure,
they withdraw
from one another, and as much as they withdraw from one another, so much they
withdraw from God. Such also is the property of love: to the extent that we are
withdrawn and do not love God, each of us is also far from his neighbour. But if we
love God, then to the extent that we approach to God in our love of Him, we become
united in love with our neighbours; and as much as we are united with out
neighbours, so much we become united with God also
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