[MD] mysticism

[kgt83dr at yahoo.com]

Hello Marsha,
  
Thanks for sharing your reflections on the question.  It's good to hear you've
found contentment in detaching intellectually and that your years of searching
have led you to answers that satisfy.
  
Re: Defining mysticism?  I think I know what you mean.  There aren't enough
words or words that are good enough to describe it well.  Words like faith,
love, hope, peace, beauty, contentment, serenity, contemplation and rest
come to my mind.  But so do words like radical, transformation, light, power,
strength, liberation, mercy, forgiveness, freedom, action, wilderness and
catharsis.  These are all words I associate with mysticism.
  
Words I don't associate with mysticism are careful, plan, control, expectation
and all the thoughts and feelings that attach themselves like baggage to these words, e.g., nice, success, failure, regret, resentment.
  
A quick search of Lila turned up several references to mysticism.  You can
find them on pages 63, 115, 336, 372, 375 and 376.  The following is from
page 63.
  
     The central reality of mysticism, the reality that Phaedrus had called
     "Quality" in his first book, is not a metaphysical chess piece. Quality
     doesn't have to be defined. You understand it without definition, ahead of
     definition. Quality is a direct experience independent of and prior to
     intellectual abstractions.
  
Yes and no.  On the one hand I agree that mystical experiences defy control.
On the other hand I believe it is inaccurate to say we can always know and
understand mystical experiences for what they are in themselves.  Having the
mystical experience is one thing.  Understanding its meaning is another
matter altogether.
  
According to the Metaphysics of Quality, there are experiences whose
meaning we find in static patterns of value.  This sounds about right.  But then
there are experiences whose meaning is self-evident, coming directly from
Dynamic Quality itself?  This I'm not so sure about.  like I said, it's one thing
to say experiences can be direct, independent of and prior to intellectual
abstractions.  It's another thing to assign meaning to the experience.
  
I agree with the Metaphysics of Quality that there exist experiences that are
independent of and prior to intellectual abstractions.  Bit it's difficult to talk
about a thing you have no name for and that defies description and definition.
We do it nevertheless.  And what we do, according to the Metaphysics of
Quality, is assign labels and meaning based on our preferred static patterns
of value.  I experience mysticism and call it contemplative prayer, the
awareness of God's indwelling spirit in people and the knowledge of the peace
that passes all understanding.
  
Perhaps the best description of the mystical experience is the description
that is the life of a person who makes it her business to put mystical truths
into action.
  
I'm sure we all know such people.  Who are they?
   
  
Kevin Perez
  
Marsha wrote,
  
> You are asking familiar questions.  I have had such questions in my 
> mind for many years, long before I read ZMM.  I've sought the answer 
> in many different places.  I am now content with being able to detach 
> from my mind, and, in MOQ terms, detach from all the static 
> quality.  Even if it's only for a few minutes, or even seconds, it 
> brings about a contentment and clarity.  I have no idea how one would 
> define mysticism.

		
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