As the mystics
of any of the traditions will attest to, the manipulation of the conscious mind
can produce effects that would be called mystical experiences. But these experiences certainly are not
exclusive to those who are pious. Most
practices of mysticism involve the manipulation of thought through physical
actions and mental concentration in order to achieve blissful states of inner
peace. Most religious practitioners of
this kind of mysticism to would attribute these altered states of consciousness
to the ethereal realm. Practices of
Buddhist meditation are exercises in achieving states approaching Nirvana. Sufi dervishes practice rituals of physical
asceticism in order to experience closeness to Allah. The whirling dervishes of the Sufis spin in
around in circles attempting to achieve a kind of pre-mature death in order to
achieve ecstatic states that they would attribute to a close approximation to
God. Hindu ascetics will starve
themselves and disown any worldly possessions and achieve states that we might
call “happiness”.
Feelings of
happiness and ecstasy are attributes of certain periods in our consciousness. We all have to admit that the thing that we
call consciousness is extremely plastic, and can easily change to experience a
plethora of alternate realities. On a daily
basis we experience reality in totally different ways which are clearly caused
by physical things. Many of us alter
our reality with coffee every morning by making us more alert. What we consume for our meals have an effect
of our mood and how our bodies feel.
Some of us suffer from diseases like Schizophrenia which vastly alter
the realities we experience.
Consequently, some of us take pharmaceutical drugs to alter our altered
behaviour. Anti-depressants have a clear
effect on the way an individual views the world. Most of us spend a sizable chunk of the time
we are alive in a state called sleep. It
is a state of semi-consciousness where our bodies are at rest but our minds
experience something different. The
thing we call “me” drifts in and out of consciousness in a totally hallucinated
realm. Time is often experienced
differently as it is very difficult to discern when a dream begins or
ends. Happenings that would seem bizarre
in a waking state often seem commonplace in a dream. Dreams are demonstrably a physical occurrence
in the brain, but it doesn't make dreaming any less worthwhile. Dreams can cause people to have inspirations
and epiphanies regarding their physical life.
They can be greatly entertaining and emotionally powerful. Could this not also be the case with
practices of traditional mystical experiences?
The fact that all forms of mysticism are practiced with physical actions
shows that these experiences can be achievable without any kind of belief in
dogmas or unproven superstitions. Some
can even be experienced without any kind of mental concentration or physical
asceticism. Psychoactive substances such
as psilocybin, LSD and DMT have the ability produce incredibly unique
experiences comparable to any religious mystical experiences.
Sam Harris is
one of the few of the “new atheists” who speak highly of the practices of the
eastern religions. In the book The End of Faith, Harris outlines why
concentration of thought on the experience of consciousness, is monumental in
achieving truly content states of mind.
He compliments the eastern religions for having the wisdom of these
practices. He suggests the use of these
meditative tools for anyone religious or not, wanting to find inner peace and
happiness. He regards mysticism as a rational
enterprise but religion is not.
“A kernel of truth lurks at the heart of religion,
because spiritual experience, ethical behaviour, and strong communities are
essential for human happiness. And yet
our religious traditions are intellectually defunct and politically ruinous.
While spiritual experience is clearly a natural propensity of the human mind,
we need not believe anything on insufficient evidence to actualize it.”
-Sam Harris-
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