Mysticism demystified

Most religions are grounded in mysticism and more so the oriental religions. In the average Hindu way of looking at things  Vedanta (technically the end of the Vedas or  Uttara Mīmāṃsā ) is synonymous with religion of Vedas and people believe in mysticism, mystics and mystic powers.

Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan says in A-Hindu-View-of-Life (P 18) about the spirit that guides 

understanding of Vedas for the serious Hindu.

  

The Hindu attitude to the Vedas is one of trust tempered by criticism, trust because the beliefs and forms which helped our fathers are likely to be of use to us also; criticism because, however valuable the testimony of the past ages may be, it cannot deprive the present age of it's right to inquire and sift the evidence.

Most people venerate the mystics as saints and obviously are not clear about the nature of mysticism e.g Are Ramakrishna and Aurobindo mystics? Why do they differ in their religious experience? How valid is their claim to know 'The Truth'? How should we take claims in 'Autobiography-of-a-Yogi-by-Paramahansa-Yogananda' ?

I start by listing some core questions of mystic experience

1. Mystic experience is a mental phenomenon in which people have claimed communion with god , experience of bliss, altered state of consciousness ...
2. To what extent the claims reflect factual world (to the extent the experience refers to factual world) is questionable on a variety of grounds
3. Does Mr X's mystical communion with God prove or disprove the existence of God.

2 and 3 are referred to as epistemological questions i.e questions concerning knowledge and it's nature.

Back Ground Facts

•  The term "mystery" means "anything hidden", a mystery or secret, of which initiation is necessary.

•  Mystic experiences are 'subjective' the third person cannot vouch. third person can vouch for redness which is perceivable by the eye How can a third vouch for the experience communion with 'God' (whatever that might mean)

• There are some who claim that mystic religious experiences are perceived by a sixth sense that needs to be awakened a 'Kundalini'

• There are some who claim that mystic experience is ineffable or inexpressible and cannot be grasped by the mind.

• The Christian revelation generally is only for a select few 'initiated' . So if you are not initiated you don't get to know what was revealed. Other religions also make similar claims.

• There are many who posit the existence of an additional mystical sense of perception (in addition to hearing, sight, touch, smell, and taste) that enables people to feel the existence of 'God'

• Some philosophers feel that mystical experience involves intuitive understanding of the meaning of existence and of hidden truths, and the resolution of life problems. This view implies that the experience is not necessarily religious and can occur to anyone including atheists.

• Broadly speaking there are two views about mysticism. Perennialists conclude that  religious experience  is ultimately uniform in various traditions. It is culture independent, time independent and social condition independent. This group believes that mystical experiences are reported in many cultures and times and that there is a common core in all of these. The Constructionists believe "mystic's specific cultural background massively constructs — determines, shapes, or influences — the nature of mystical experiences " or at any rate there is no mystical experience without some concepts provided by the culture.

• Answers to core questions above are divergent. Some hold the mystic experience to be a valid form of knowledge and as good as any other acquired through perception. Others don't accept it for example on the ground of ineffability Wittgenstein says ""Everything that can be thought at all can be thought clearly. Everything that can be said can be said clearly ." If there is no expression and no content (in the mystic experience) it is meaningless

As an example of so called mystics let us take the claims in 'Autobiography-of-a-Yogi-by-Paramahansa-Yogananda'
A look at the table of contents shows chapter 7 'Levitating Saint',19.My Guru Appears Simultaneously in Calcutta and Serampore claims far beyond Religious experience. Levitation and omnipresence can be empirically tested and found to be false. About three or four decades back Karanjia of Blitz held a show for a swami who claimed to be able to walk on water. It ended as a fiasco.

Empirically testable claims are not debated they are simply verified. As of today there is no scientific evidence that confirms 'Levitation' or  'omnipresence'.

Let us look at chapter 10 'I Meet My Master, Sri Yukteswar'
"The sealed covering untouched, lo! the amulet was gone." miracle?
A sampling of phrases "supernal experience", "divine womanly voice", "divine face" ,"he of my thousand visions".... all designed to create an aura of mystery or the mystic so dear to the Western audiences to whom the book was primarily addressed.

There are many instance of suggesting supernatural powers e.g 'he unobtrusively wove into his conversation an intimate knowledge of my nature.' These instances are too many in the whole book to cite.

The overall impression I have of the book is that it is an ad blitz for his 'Kriya Yoga' and meditation courses. As to the religious sermons there is nothing new. It looks like our (Indian) religious teachers would rather set up tent in more paying countries than slug it out here.

In the contemporary usage "mysticism" has become an umbrella term for all sorts of non-rational world views.No veridical position can be generated on the basis of mystical experience.



http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/mysticism/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mysticism.

The Pre-Socratics-1

I will look at both the East and West for Pre-Socratics. In this Blog I will talk about Science and Technology and Chinese philosophers.

While the Greeks, Indians and Chinese started to develop grammar around 400 B.C , the most remarkable were the Greek and Indian Grammars. The former exemplified in Plato's and Aristotle's works  and the latter by Panini's Aṣṭādhyāyī

I will take a quick look at the following aspects of Philosophy.

1. Science and Cosmology
2. What is Good life?
3. Morality and Ethics
4. Political Organisation
5. Role of philosophy
6. God

Chinese astronomy started way back in about 1200 B,C with the observation of celestial phenomena and categorisation of stars. In India science can be said to have started with Indus Valley Civilization (c. 2500–1900 BCE).

In talking of science we are interested in
1. The cause of natural phenomena
2. Constitution of matter
3. The methods (such as Scientific Method)


There is evidence to suggest that systems of units, observational astronomy ,use of Hindu-Arabic numerals , mathematics in general were wide spread in India before the Mughal era. The claim that Modern Cosmology supports Indian Time Scale ( of Chaturyugas , KaliYuga ..) is not well supported not withstanding Carl Sagan's enthusiasm.

There is enquiry into the causes of natural phenomena in ancient India. Subhash Kak[3] comes closest to constitution of matter "; a further four, earth, water, fire, and air are atomic composed of indivisible, and indestructible atoms;" There does not seem to be an enquiry into what causes the sun and moon to move.

The Chinese were quite advanced in technologies like printing but it appears they were inhibited by culture from enquiring into what causes movement of cosmological bodies

The Pre-Socratic Greeks are considered the first Scientists . They enquired into "How did the ordered cosmos in which we live come to be?'. Democritus was the first to formulate the Atomic Theory of the Universe. Most of the current methods of critical analysis have originated in the Socratic dialogues as recorded by Plato. The  Pre-Socratic Greeks were well up on science and technology of  their period. The Greeks were among the first to lay down proper methods to arrive at valid conclusions . Epicurus was probably the first to lay down rules for inquiry in Physics.

Among the Chinese philosophers most remarkable is Confucius. According to [6] "Confucianism, along with Legalism, is responsible for creating the world’s first meritocracy, which holds that one's status should be determined by education and character rather than ancestry, wealth, or friendship."
Confucianism a system of moral, social, political, and religious thought that influenced and continues to influence Chinese thought. According to [7] " The tradition of Chinese ethical thought is centrally concerned with questions about how one ought to live: what goes into a worthwhile life, how to weigh duties toward family versus duties toward strangers,  whether human nature is predisposed to be morally good or bad, how one ought to relate to the non-human world ..."

The Chinese philosophers were more concerned with practical, moral  and political problems than meta-physical speculation. They were more concerned with worldly affairs.

As in other traditions there are at-least five schools of Chinese philosophy- Confucianism, Taoism, Legalism, Buddhism and Mohism. We will summarise  Confucianism, being the most important and dominant school.

One look at Analects will and you cannot help thinking of parallels to Socrates!
Confucius lived in about the 5th century B.C


Jen (wren) is concerned with human values, goodness,  benevolence, humanity towards others and self-esteem.The first principle of Confucianism is to act according to jen: it is the ultimate guide to human action. It further believes man can perfect himself, the man of jen will sacrifice his life to preserve jen. 

Li (lee) is the principle of gain, benefit, order, propriety and a  concrete guide to human action. As in many other cultures  proper action is the way between the extremes. The Five Relationships prescribe norms of behaviour for example a ruler should be benevolent  and subjects  loyal. Confucius recognised that every action affects someone else. So there are limits to individuality

Yi (yee) or moral righteousness says actions ought to be performed for the sole reason that they are right. The action is done as a good-in-itself, not as a means to an end (such as pleasing the boss).

Hsiao (showe) advocates filial piety and reverence.

Chih (chee) is the source of this virtue is knowledge of right and wrong. Chih is added to Confucianism by Mencius (muhn shoos) who believed that people are basically born good.

Chun-tzu (choon dzuh) is the concept of the ideal man. He is beyond personal ambition, intelligent and without fear, values personal relations the most and is virtuous.

Te (day) advocates the rule by power of moral example (the whole art of government consists in the art of being honest).


A few excepts from Analects - a collection of the ideas of Confucius compiled by his followers.

Lunyu 1.3
The Master said, "Fine words and an insinuating appearance are seldom associated with true virtue."

Lunyu 2.3
The Master said, "If the people be led by laws, and uniformity sought to be given them by punishments, they will try to avoid the punishment, but have no sense of shame. If they be led by virtue, and uniformity sought to be given them by the rules of propriety, they will have the sense of shame, and moreover will become good."
Rulers ought to be righteous themselves for subjects to obey.

Lunyu 2.15

The Master said, "Learning without thought is labor lost; thought without learning is perilous."
Right balance of learning and thinking or learning by critical analysis!

Lunyu 7.1
The Master said, "A transmitter and not a maker, believing in and loving the ancients, I venture to compare myself with our old Peng." 
meaning that he was only bringing forward what the ancients had already said.

Lunyu 7.8
The Master said, "I do not open up the truth to one who is not eager to get knowledge, nor help out any one who is not anxious to explain himself. When I have presented one corner of a subject to any one, and he cannot from it learn the other three, I do not repeat my lesson."
Teach the deserving and the eager.

Lunyu 3.13
Wang Sun Jia asked, saying, "What is the meaning of the saying, 'It is better to pay court to thefurnace than to the southwest corner?'" The Master said, "Not so. He who offends against Heaven has none to whom he can pray."

Confucius  advocated offerings to Heaven

Lunyu 13.6
The Master said, "When a prince's personal conduct is correct, his government is effective without the issuing of orders. If his personal conduct is not correct, he may issue orders, but they will not be followed."
Firm belief in the probity of rulers.

Lunyu 13.27
The Master said, "The firm, the enduring, the simple, and the modest are near to virtue."












References
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_science_in_early_cultures
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_science_and_technology_in_the_Indian_subcontinent
3. http://www.ece.lsu.edu/kak/grolier.pdf
4. http://www.crystalinks.com/chinascience.html
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_scientific_method
6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_philosophy
7. http://www.ancient.eu/Chinese_Philosophy/
8. http://www.philosophybasics.com/general_eastern_chinese.html
9. http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/ethics-chinese/