Theme 5 - Developing a Mystical Consciousness

‘Only The Mystics Will Survive ‘

Theme  5     Responses to Question Part One   -

                     Developing a Mystical Consciousness

Facing the Questions

“Have patience with everything that remains unsolved in your heart.

Try to love the questions themselves,

like locked rooms and like
books written in a foreign language.

Do not now look for the answers.

They cannot now be given to you
because you could not live them.

It is a question of experiencing everything.

At present you need to live the question.

Perhaps you will gradually,

without even noticing it,

find yourself experiencing the answer, some distant day.”
                                            ― Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet

Pre-Amble     Asking questions is a natural and important part of being human. Questions are often fuelled by our desire to explore, to understand and to gain knowledge. When we were children we learned a lot from asking questions. Any of us who have any experience of either raising and/or teaching children will know how they incessantly ask questions. They also ask a lot of WHY questions. Little do they realise that it is the Why   questions that are so often difficult to answer.

Only as we grow and mature do we begin to realise that definitive answers to difficult questions are rarely simple, straightforward or constant. Science and Technology can, and increasingly are, providing answers to the Who, What, Where, When , Which and How questions. However, many of the Why questions provide us with more challenge and mystery. Traditionally, Philosophy, Religion and Spirituality have attempted, albeit with great hesitancy, to address the Why questions. Very often their tentative responses reveal the paradox of mystery and the Ultimate Mystery.

All the above reveals the wisdom of the poet Rilke’s quote that opened this reflection. Also, on the Spiritual Journey, which is a journey into the heart of awareness, a journey ultimately into our very soul and source, we are very often like children asking Why ? !  This leads me to the next quote from  CS Lewis, which I hope some readers will find comforting and re-assuring.

“When I lay these questions before God I get no answer. But a rather special sort of 'No answer.' It is not the locked door. It is more like a silent, certainly not uncompassionate, gaze. As though He shook His head not in refusal but waiving the question. Like, 'Peace, child; you don't understand.”
― C.S. Lewis

So this brings me to the wisdom, not only of Rilke and Lewis but also of Ishpriya, when, opening these sessions she reminded listeners that she could not provide answers’  but merely some ‘responses’.

In this  conference talk, Ishpriya responded to a series of questions from the audience. This is the first of 2 sessions  with responses to questions. In this the first session she ‘tackles’  several main themes. Initially she addresses questions on ‘What it is we mean by survival ,( a question implied in the Title of the Conference ‘ Only the Mystics Will Survive )

‘I can only give a response to questions and not an answer’

Sister Ishpriya

What Do you  mean by Survival?    Her response  addresses this question   on several levels. The first level is that  the physical survival of mankind and the planet. The 2^nd level is about the  psychological survival and the third,  and ultimately  the most important, is the survival of our awareness  of our responsibility for  spiritual survival. She reminded us that Creation has been unfolding for almost 15 billion years. This is vastly longer than the minute time span which encompasses the arrival of humanity. Addressing the first two levels , those of the body-psyche; Ishpriya  talked about the challenges facing humanity.

One World

 As a species, a human family, we are being severely challenged. This is because of the growth in  knowledge about  the perilous state of our planet and the amazing and remarkable story of our species- homo sapiens-sapiens. This growing understanding denies us the ‘luxury’ of feeling totally helpless and unable to do anything.

Certainly, in the vastness of the Cosmos and the remarkable diversity of our planet – Mother Earth-   we are small but not  we are not insignificant beings. We have the amazing gift and ability of self-reflection. This demands that we reflect  seriously our co-responsibility for the on-going evolution of creation, our planet and the Cosmos. We now have the technology and capacity to influence who or what survives.  Therefore, every individual has  some responsibility and we cannot opt out of this responsibility with an immature attitude that we can ‘just leave it to God’.   We have to face the challenge and opportunity that our role as  Co-Creators in this continuing evolution of Creation brings to us.

The third level of our survival involves the spiritual. This is ultimately the ‘real’ or ‘true’ level. This will be more fully addressed later in this reflection/session and in the next.

 But first it is important to return to the whole question of our responsibility. Arguably, a crucial challenge facing us all is that of RESPONSIBILITY. This requires us to be adult and to resist the temptation to regress into a childish refusal to accept responsibility. In fact, many stay in Child Mode and merely apportion Blame and Shame and fail to take responsibility. The great psychologist Viktor Frankl, the father of Existential Therapy and a survivor of 4 Nazi Concentration Camps, developed a form of psych-therapy that is primarily rooted and founded on responsibility. He contended, in a paper written in 1947, that man’s failure to accept responsibility would inevitably lead to a society that begins to lose meaning and purpose in life.

 He predicted that in a few generations, and particularly in Western Society, an epidemic ( that he referred to as the ‘ Psychotic Triad’  ) would engulf humanity. This triad would involve Aggression, Depression and Addiction. This has proved to be very prophetic , as any psychologist in our Health Services will attest to. We are currently facing an epidemic of these three ‘conditions’ in all our Mental Health Services. Arguably, as people either fail to take any responsibility or buy into the ‘big lie’ that they are totally helpless, then this provides a ‘breeding ground’ for meaningless and despair. But now to address another  question.

What about the Quality of Life ?    Ishpriya responded by affirming that we can influence the quality of life. Our gift of self-reflection is unique. She reminded us of the many ‘influences’ and ‘tyrannies’ ( consumerism, globalisation etc)  that have a bearing on the quality of life and to challenge these our world needs ‘prophets’  to help us to make good choices. We all bear a responsibility for the quality of life we pass on to our children and grandchildren. . Selfishness was a block but as she reminded us ‘If you have lost your fear of the differences   and your security is in the permanent and not in the impermanent, then you are not going to be selfish’ In this respect – i.e. the quest for the truly permanent-  we need to realise that religion, culture, possessions  etc cannot be relied upon – we all have a personal responsibility  which we cannot abdicate.

 Before moving on , it seems important to outline a few reflections on our quest for the Mystery. This involves personal reflections and some input from another Conference Talk given by Ishpriya at Die Quelle the International Satsang Association’s Sadhana Ashram.  The title of this talk was ‘Wake Up to the Reality’. In this talk Ishpriya reminded us of the fact that God, the Mystery or Ultimate Reality was both Immanent and Transcendent.

 Many of our great spiritual traditions and their mystics proclaim the Non- Duality of God the Ultimate Reality. That is that God can be both  Immanent and Transcendent at all times. Relating to this concept of both transcendent and immanent has been the struggle and search by the mystics of both East and West of Hinduism, Jainism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

The Transcendent tends to identify God as “out there” or normally distant, a ‘Big Man in the Sky’ This Transcendent God reveals himself  to us through big events and moments. ( note how in all our paternalistic religions this Reality is considered masculine) . This Transcendent God  can often end up being considered as  being other and not in any way related to us or creation. In summary,  a transcendent God is one who is beyond perception, independent of the universe, and wholly “other” when compared to us.

 The Immanent tends to identify God as “in here” . This is a God who is intimately related to us, present in every moment, every emotion , every thought  and action. This is the Indwelling Presence of Celtic Spirituality, the Holy Spirit of Christianity and the Atman of Hinduism.  In summary An immanent God, is one which exists within — within us, within the universe, etc. — and, a God that is  very much a part of our existence.  

 The following are the author’s notes on Ishpriya’s talk, they give one perception – or picture- of the essence of the theme – Wake Up to Reality.

For countless generations people have struggled with this concept as the tried to relate to the spiritual and to God. The following quote from the Bhagavad Gita ( The Song of the Lord)  – a classic if Indian Spirituality , demonstrates this perennial search, where Arjuna – the Indian Warrior- asks Krishna – an incarnation of Vishnu- the Lord- this question ..

Lord Krishna

Those who in oneness worship thee as God Immanent in all;

And those who worship the Transcendent,

The Imperishable

Of these, who are the best yogis ?

 Bhagavad Gita Chap 12: 1

 Note the duality or Either: Or nature of Arjuna’s question

The answer or response is then given in the remainder of the Bhagavad Gita. But to return to Ishpriya’s conference talk ‘ Wake Up to Reality ‘  and our way of relating with God.

Ishpriya reminded us of the difficulty we can have in relating with an abstraction. Our challenge is that as humans in this body-psyche , we are hard wired to relate to an Intimate Reality. But both the  Immanent and Transcendent , as the Bhagavad Gita points out, are necessary and essential parts of the imperishable God who is the  Ultimate Reality and Mystery.

She cautioned us about  the way we related. Relating ‘exclusively’ to either the Mystery or the Personal – the transcendent or immanent- can very often merely be a product of our emotions and thoughts and not necessarily of the spirit. In other words, we can be in danger of relating to the non-permanent, to the perishable. This results in us developing weak ‘spiritual’ roots. Consequently, when a crisis  of faith comes,  our weak roots cannot stand and our faith collapses and perishes.

 Speaking to a mainly Christian audience, she advised us ‘to wake up to Reality’ .Beware of developing an either: or faith  , either a faith based on a ‘totally human Jesus’ or  one that focused on an ‘ Ultimate Mystery’ – both can be false securities. Acceptance – or faith- rooted in hope can guide us through to the Reality which is ultimately Love and Trust.

 None of this is ultimately in our control. We are  rooted in hope but this is a hope that can guide us through the thoughts, emotions,  imaginations and fantasies of our human psyche to a firmer spiritual reality. She advised  us to be guided by the thousands of years of our universal inheritance – the spiritual writings and scriptures of the Faith Traditions. …. This section on Ishpriya’s  other talk – Wake Up to Reality- ends with two quotations which can provide us with useful guides to developing a non-dual relationship with God.

‘ If your capacity for love is not increasing, then you are probably creating a perishable ( i.e. non-permanent) God’                                                   Sister Ishpriya

‘It is You, the Innermost One, who awakens myself with deep hidden touches which I  learn to trust’ 
                                                                Rabindranath Tagore ( Hindu Poet and Mystic)

What about the importance of developing a Mystical Unconsciousness ?      

 In response to this question, Ishpriya briefly recapped the evolution of humanity until our present species – Homo Sapiens-Sapiens. She contended that the change in human consciousness ( our capacity for awareness or awake-ness) is the important start in developing a mystical consciousness. She reminded us not to make the mistake of thinking of the psychological terms of ‘consciousness’ and ‘unconsciousness’. It is better to think of AWARENESS or Mindfulness. She chose to expand on the concept of Awareness. She then looked at four  simple and  basic levels of awareness .

 These are simplistically outlined in an attempt to form a common ground for further reflection. They are not meant to provide a detailed psychological explanation of human awareness.

1.  Pre- Consciousness: - This is our early (infant) state of consciousness. This is very often dominated by  undifferentiated awareness. Very often we can ‘cling’ to this state in adult life.

2.  Magical or Dreaming World: -    As we grow throughout childhood we  develop the ability to create a ‘world of imagination’.  This is a world of heroes and heroines of fairy tales and fantasy .

3.  World of Abstractions: -    Then our awareness moves on and grows into ‘the world of abstraction’. This results in the development of  the ability to be aware of intellectual abstractions.

4.Trans-personal Awareness: -  This begins when we develop  a sense of being ‘not just this body’. We begin to have moments when  we get a sense of being something other. These are moments of transcendence.

Mystical Consciousness      In this part of the session she focused on the importance  Developing a Mystical Consciousness and , to assist in this, she  outlined the  Indian Yogic traditions  that emphasised the different levels of consciousness.

Now mystical consciousness goes beyond the personal, the physical and the psychological to a much deeper and more truly ‘permanent’ level. This is the level of consciousness that  we all need to develop.  Because, as we do,  eventually we develop an awareness that is beyond the ‘psyche’. This leads to further levels of human consciousness – and eventually leading to a collective consciousness.  As people  we have lost that sense of ‘connectedness’ towards the environment and each other. This is something we urgently need to re –discover. This was the next ‘ Quantum Leap’ for humanity , it was a leap within, into the centre of our being. It was a leap that could take us into a new consciousness.

Ishpriya then  reminded  us of the 4 Indian Yogic levels of consciousness and very  briefly outlined these as:

1.   Our Awake State – This is mistakenly thought to be the most aware but it’s the least ‘wakeful’ state!  In fact we can spend most of our life asleep!

2.   Dream State - This is a state that enters inner consciousness. It is a state that can allow ‘hidden’ and ‘unaware’ reality to surface in our lives.

3.   Beyond Dreams & Images -  This is a deeper state where we no longer require images.

4.   Beyond all the Above -           Beyond all these is mystical consciousness.

One way of reaching this 4th state is through Meditation – but  there are other ways.

She then went  on to make some initial comments upon the importance of Meditation Practice 

( Silent Prayer ) . ‘We cannot wake up mystically by ourselves. God has to wake us up from within’ Sister Ishpriya

This topic or theme of Meditation / Silent Prayer will  be covered  more fully in the next   post (Theme 6)  However, before we look at a summary or postscript , a longer quote from the Hindu Upanishads on the 4 Levels of Consciousness is provided.

 This is taken from the Mandukya Upanishad where the Seer or Spiritual Guide is attempting to explain that Brahman ( God) is all – both Transcendent and Immanent – and also Brahman is nothing or no-thing. This lengthy quote is taken from the Penguin Classic – The Upanishads – translated by Juan Mascaro). This quote not only reveals the richness and depth of Indian Spirituality, it also pre-dates and reinforces much that Western Mystical sources intuit regarding the nature of God,.

‘Om -  the eternal Word is all: what was, what is and what shall be, and what beyond is in eternity. All is Om.

Brahman ( God)  is all and Atman ( the Spirit) is Brahman. Atman , the Self has four conditions.

The first condition is the waking life of outward moving consciousness ..

The second condition is the dreaming life on inner moving consciousness, enjoying the seven subtle inner elements in its own light and solitude.

The third condition is the sleeping life of silent consciousness, when a person has no desires and beholds no dreams.

The fourth condition is Atman in His own pure state: the awakened life of supreme consciousness. It is neither outer nor inner consciousness, neither semi-consciousness nor unconsciousness. He is Atman, the Spirit Himself, that cannot be seen nor touched. That is above all distinctions, beyond thought and ineffable.  In the union with Him is the supreme proof of His Reality. He is peace and love.’

( extract taken from Juan Mascaro – The Upanishads ISBN 0-14-044163-8)

Postscript   

Our understanding of who or what ‘God’ ( by ‘whatever name’ ) is,  is extremely important in our efforts to make sense of ourselves, our environment, creation and the cosmos. This then prepares us to be open to the signs of mysticism in our life, both within and without. We need to beware of duality – i.e, an either:or concept of God. This is not only a false dichotomy but also  can lead us into developing a ‘false ‘ or ‘idolatrous’ image of God.  Waking up to Reality is very important and involves an holistic journey.  This requires us to develop our  awareness  of, and access,  the 4 levels of consciousness  about which Hindu Philosophy teaches us.

Developing a reflective attitude can aid us in our quest to both better understand  and relate to the Mystery we call God. The more we begin to realise and know about the Mystery , we so easily call God, the less we either can or want to say. Ultimately, our mystical journey leads us into silence and solitude.

The next part of this series  on Only the Mystics Will Survive is Theme 6  :-   Responses to Questions Part 2 - Developing a Mystical Consciousness – The Importance of Meditation.  This  sixth ( 6^th)   part  will appear shortly. Meanwhile, if you are interested in the Spirituality of the Satsang then visit the following websites:

www.international-satsang.org

www.satsang-companionship.org.uk