By Mirza Ashraf
(The mystic discussed in this article relates to universal mysticism not Sufism)
Mysticism is an ancient doctrine or practice concerned with the mysteries of existence relating to man’s spiritual and intellectual realm about consciousness and man’s own self, to the origin and nature of matter, the universe, and Ultimate Truth or God. Mysticism covers, both theistic and non-theistic dimensions, universally. Mystical experience is not just a spiritual or an intellectual uncovering of information or facts; it is an experience of being and seeing the true nature of man’s own self, humanity, the universe and to establish communion with the Creator. Typically, mystics [religious or non-religious] aim their experience at human transformation. In short it is a, “super sense perception-experience in a supersensory mode is what makes the experience mystical.” We can say that al-Hallaj, Ali Hajwari and many others were spiritual mystics, while Newton, Einstein and many other scientists were natural mystics.
The human emotional system is broken down into roughly two elements: Love and Fear, where love is of the heart and soul (consciousness) and fear is of the personality. Love unites man with his fellow human beings and for the believer with his God. Through his passion of love man is creative while fear enhances his capacity to destroy. The homo sapien—much before Darwin’s expositions in The Origin of Species in 19th Century—sought relief from the fear of being alone in this world by connecting himself with the realm of supernatural. He first sought myths, then worldly religions which evolved towards divinely revealed religions. Whereas Adam the first man was divinely aware of his religion, the natural man was also actively involved in religious practices. Religion in either case is so natural to humanity that it seems to be part of human nature, as if a propensity for belief in the supernatural were genetically engraved in the human mind, and expressed spontaneously. Man, whether a creation of intelligent design, or appeared naturally, is one whole human with a body, mind and soul i.e. all three in one where body is material, while soul or conscience, and mind or intellect are immaterial.
The religious image of man as a creation of intelligent design displays that man is naturally designed as a mystical-spiritual-intellectual human with free will at his command—a capability that no other animal possesses. This ability of free will permits man to bypass ordinary laws of cause and effect and thus, acting freely he exercises a prerogative which some will attribute only to God or a Super-Power above man. But those who do not believe in God or any Super-Power outside man’s intellectual realm, they attribute this act of free will to the principles of natural selection. Thus, we have a scientific image of man which maintains, man is an animal that evolved according to the environmental and ecological rules of natural selection. The scientists present a strictly mechanistic and materialist interpretation of man who is free from any superstition and spiritualism. Therefore, as one image depicts man intrinsically possessing a spiritual part—an incorporeal soul and a mind—the other image portrays that there is no such thing as soul. Religious image reveals man’s inner self or his spiritual nature; science—focused on man’s animal roots—unfolds the secrets of the external world. Within these terms, though both the images of man seem incompatible to each other; yet there is a common strand of mysticism between the two images working as a “blazing lightning bolt.” It is because of man’s mystical aspiration that both the images maintain an everlasting view of what it means to be a human, a conscious and unconscious being, a being of free will with a capability for self knowledge and ability to live rationally, morally, and meaningfully. Even today both characteristics of man are engaged in a common pursuit of reaching the source of creation: science through physics, religion through metaphysics. Both the images of man are mystical; the scientific researching through intellectual channels, while the spiritual trying to find the creator through his holistic approach of three in one—the body, soul, and the mind. Scientific quest is materialistic and is singular to see and present the abstract in physical form or shape, while mystical/spiritual pursuit is collective of man’s many intrinsic capabilities to feel or perceive the abstract in every possible form.
For a purely mystic, knowledge of the mysteries of existence is experienced mostly through the channels of direct intuition, including the possibility of direct communion with God or the source of creation. Once the mystic is satisfied with his experience it transcends simple rational understanding. While mystical experience may be monotheistic, polytheistic, agnostic, atheistic, or scientific, most traditions agree that the aim of mystical practice is to actualize the highest stage of enlightenment. Such an actualization brings freedom from destructive and self-defeating traits, such as vain ambition, greed, jealousy, anger, etc., and brings about a clear consciousness so that one can become—in mystical term—a “perfect” or a “complete whole person.” Depending on different traditions, such a person immersed in Divinity becomes a Qutb, Saint, Yogi, Shaman, and on historical traditions, a “great scientist” of an extraordinary creation and invention in the fields of science and art.
In the final analysis, a true mystic is a person whose inner life is driven by a passion for unity and oneness with Truth and Higher Knowledge, and with humanity. In a mature mystic, it is a conscious response of an essential need to “being called” or “invited” or “attracted” by a Higher Knowledge or Truth or Being, a need which cannot be filled by human reasoning alone but demands the brightening of hope, the leaping of faith, and the power of “unifying force of Love.” A scientist advances with a firm faith on his knowledge of physical sciences and a love to uncover which is hidden. A scientist helps to heal the body while a spiritual heals the inner self of the man. This is one great reason that a majority of psychologists and psycho-analysts are both scientists and spiritualists.
Man the mystic, in a nutshell is, “to be in the world, but not of it,” that is free from greed, intellectual pride, blind obedience to custom or religious traits, or awe of persons higher in rank. The mystics respect the rituals of their religion insofar as these further social harmony, but broaden religion’s doctrinal basis wherever possible and define its myths in a higher sense—for instance, explaining angels as representing man’s higher faculties and moral virtues. The earliest known theory of conscious evolution is of mystical origin based on metaphysics which applies to the individual as well as to the human race. The evolutionary theory of modern age is based on physics and natural science. But both seek the “self-existing essence” from the most fundamental meta-laws of physics to diverse kinds of consciousness, one of which could be God or a new scientific revelation.
Mysticism is at the heart of intimate relationships. Being human is an accomplishment which needs practice. Relationships with other people forms the spiritual web of our lives with crucial strands being, marriages, partnerships, family, and friends. For example, marriage is not just a bond of two physical bodies, it is like plunging into one another’s soul. According to many religious traditions, our deepest values are expressed through these essential bonds. In moral code of Confucianism, the health of the society derives from the maintenance of proper relationship with family, friends, and the community. Sacramental theory recognizes that relationships are reminders and reflections of man’s spiritual relationship with other beings. Panentheism emphasizes the relational nature of cosmos. Divinization assumes that we see the divine in each other. Non-theistic or scientific approach of inter-being is based on the fundamental assertion that everything is connected to everything else through a chain of attraction and gravity, which in philosophical term is the passion of “love.” Thus, we can say, The Whole Universe is Woven Together by a Mystical Relationship.
Mirza Ashraf