only the mystics will survive-are you ready for the quantum leap?

ONLY THE MYSTICS WILL SURVIVE

Are You Ready for the Quantum Leap?

Reflections on

Developing a Mystical Consciousness

Based on notes taken from the Teachings of

Sister Ishpriya

SATSANG Seeking Together-Helping to Create-A planetary Vision-A Universal Heart of Compassion

Peter Creagh (2013) [email protected] Please seek permission to re-produce 1


A series of reflections based on the author’s notes taken whilst listening to a series of Pravachan/ Conference Sessions by Sister Ishpriya – the founder and President of the International Satsang Association. Further detail on the Association can be accessed on the following two websites www.international-satsang.org and www.satsang-companionship.org.uk

CONTENTS

Introduction 3 Theme 1 Listen to the Spirit - A movement into Mystical Consciousness. 6 Theme 2 Face to Face - A Direct Experience of the Mystery 9 Theme 3 The Signs of Mysticism. 14 Theme 4 Our Common and Universal Spiritual Inheritance 20 Theme 5 Responses to Question Part One - Developing a Mystical Consciousness 25 Theme 6 Responses to Question Part Two - Developing a Mystical Consciousness 32 The Importance of Meditation Conclusions 37

Acknowledgement :- I would like to acknowledge the support and companionship of my Anam Cara ( Soul Friend) - my wife Angela. Her encouragement, sharing and wisdom help to inform the content of all SIX POSTS in this series. I merely collated and composed the material from the wisdom of Sister Ishpriya, my sharing with Angela and my own experiences. Now to conclude this series of Mysticism.

NOTE: These reflections are one perspective of the teaching of Sister Ishpriya. They are as honest and accurate as one person’s perception can be. However, they do not necessarily represent the official views of either Sister Ishpriya or the International Satsang Association




“The eye through which I see God is the same eye through which God sees me; My eye and God's eye are one eye, one seeing, one knowing, and one love.”

Meister Eckhart (13th

Century Christian Mystic)

INTRODUCTION

These are some notes and reflections based on two main sources. The first, and primary source, is a series of talks delivered by Ishpriya Mataji, (the Spiritual Guide and Founder of the International Satsang Association) at a John Main Conference held in Dublin, Ireland. The second is personal reflection and lived experience by the writer of these reflections. The Conference talks were recorded and, along with some of these notes, were used to support a series of Satsang Meeting (in Wolverhampton, UK). These meetings focused on the crisis currently facing most formal Religious Traditions in this post-modern era.

Many leading figures of the modern mystical movement contend that only those who face the challenges and questions that arise out of our modern era will survive. We are currently undergoing major shifts in our consciousness and a massive growth in our scientific, cosmological and theological awareness and knowledge. This faces us with many challenges and opportunities. The Faith Traditions can help but very often, in their struggle to maintain and retain their influence, they merely give formal and ready packaged theological answers to the questions. Very often these answers address questions which seekers are neither seeking nor asking. But first let us look at the word ‘Mystic’. The following dictionary definitions of MYSTIC are:-

‘Of or relating to mysticism or mystics.’

‘Inspiring a sense of mystery and wonder’. ‘A person who seeks by contemplation and self-surrender to obtain unity with or absorption into the Deity or the Absolute’ These definitions give some sense of the essence of mysticism and mystics. They also indicate the root connection with the word mystery. Spiritual sages, saints and prophets throughout time and from different traditions, all indicate that there is a MYSTERY behind Creation. It is this Mystery that has enthralled, and still enthrals, mystics in all cultures and Faith Traditions.



Ishpriya’s Conference Talks were delivered in six separate sessions. Over the next few weeks, our Satsang Blog will present a series of Blog Posts which reflect on each of these talks. They will also include quotations and readings from a variety of Mystics to support the theme or topic being addressed. The following are the six themes:

Theme 1:- Listen to the Spirit: A movement into Mystical Consciousness. Theme 2:- Face to Face: - A Direct Experience of the Mystery

Theme 3: – The Signs of Mysticism. Theme 4:- Our Common and Universal Spiritual Inheritance. Theme 5:- Responses to Question Part One - Developing a Mystical Consciousness

Theme 6:- Responses to Question Part 2

Developing a Mystical Consciousness – The Importance of Meditation

Conclusions

In the time since we used these Conference talks we have focused on many aspects of the Spiritual Journey and looked at a variety of Sadhana Practices (Spiritual Practices) that assist us in developing both our awareness of, and relationship with, the Mystery we call God. We all have a 'mystical part' and each of us has experienced times of being mystic. These Blog Posts will expand on the previous notes. The first of these Blog Posts will appear shortly on the Satsang Blog which is fed from the UK Satsang Website. http://midlands-satsang.blogspot.co.uk/ 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



‘Only The Mystics Will Survive ‘

Theme 1: Listen to the Spirit

A movement into Mystical Consciousness.

Aum bhur bhuvah svah Tat savitur varenyam Bhargo devasya dhimahi Dhiyo yo nah pracodayat

“We meditate on the transcendental glory of Savitur (God) Who creates everything. May He stimulate and illumine our minds. ”

Om Shanti , Shanti, Shanti

The Gayatri Mantra (an ancient chant or prayer from the Hindu Vedas)

This is one of many translations

Welcome to this the first in a series of 6 Blog Posts that explore the topic of Mystics. One definition of a Mystic ( which appeared in the previous, introductory, Blog) is defined as a person ‘Inspiring a sense of mystery and wonder’. The brief chant of the Gayatri Mantra above, which can be heard in Ashrams all over India, is a translation of what is perhaps the oldest recorded Mantra known. It is recorded from the Rig Veda, the ancient scriptures of Hinduism. It conveys the awe and wonder of the Deity and the purpose of any relationship we have with this Mystery we call God ( Savitur ). Our theme in this 1st Blog is ‘ Listen to the Spirit - A movement into Mystical Consciousness’. Now ‘Only the Mystics will survive’ is a statement for our current world situation. It is statement that has been made by several modern Christian theologians e.g. Karl Rahner, Matthew Fox, Raymundo Pannikar and many more. But it implies certain questions and these are ; what is it we need to survive and how come only those who are mystics ? Now these are questions which members of the International Satsang Association , whose Teacher is Sister Ishpriya, have been reflecting on for over 20 years. One of the central threads that run though Ishpriya’s teaching, and the spirituality of the Satsang, is the urgent need for everybody ’ to remain awake, with open and listening hearts and remain ready to ‘read the signs of the times’ But what are we staying awake for and what are we listening for and how can we develop this ‘listening’ heart. ? Ishpriya reminds us that deep listening is an attitude we all need to develop. However, all too often, ‘We hear what we are listening for’.So she encouraged each of us to be open to ‘listening to the Spirit’.



So to return to the question, What is it that Only the Mystics will survive? She reviewed the many dramatic and recent changes in our human understanding of the Cosmos and of Planet Earth. We had now 'moved off the Planet' . This was a Quantum Leap. As a species we had looked back , from space, at our World, our Home and this was a big change in our collective and individual consciousness. There was now no going back to old understandings. This faced us and also some of the formal Faith Traditions with many new challenges.

The first challenge was and is our need to acknowledge and recognise the challenge and risk facing our human family and the world. Will we survive the global change – the greed and destruction facing our Planet and necessary the quantum leap is our awareness and consciousness ? Physically the quantum leap has happened. We, as a species, have left this planet and looked back. We have 'left our house and walked out into the garden of space'. We are watching creation unfold as science discovers more about our cosmos , its make-up, its beginnings and its unfolding evolution. Whether we have recognised or accepted the emotional, psychological and spiritual aspects of this Quantum Leap is debatable.

However, even the fact that the physical leap has taken place challenges much of our traditional and fundamental Theology and thus our understanding of God the Reality This is not a new challenge, the spiritual masters of all traditions have advised us to learn to discern the unreal from the Real. This is succinctly put in the following translation of an ancient Hindu Mantra :

Om .. O Lord

Lead me from the unreal to the Real. Lead me from darkness to Light.

Lead me from death to Immortality. Peace Peace Peace

In Western Theology we have faced similar changes and challenges in our past. When we thought the world was a flat plate, then our theology had a simple model that suggested God was in the heavens above and hell was below. Then, after many attempts to either deny or suppress the truth, scientists discovered and proved that our world was a globe and thus was not the centre of our Universe. This led to a change in our concept of God and we had to reconfigure our view of God, our world and our species. The next challenge was evolution, still today many try to deny this. However, for the many it has led to an entirely new and awesome view of creation and thus our view of the ‘One who created all this ! ‘

In the recent past with giant strides and advances into the macro- spaceof the cosmos and the nano-space of the interior and small, we have a much better view and understanding of the vastness of space and the diversity of flora, fauna and species. We now have the concept of an ever-expanding Cosmos. All these advances in knowledge challenge our concept of God. It requires us to re-think the nature of The Source or Mystery and our relationship with God who is this

Source , by whatever name we call it.



Ishpriya, emphasises , along with so many Integral and Spiritual Teachers , that it is Only the Mystics who could survive this challenge andthus chart a safe course through these changes. It is important to acknowledge that we all have the capacity to be mystics. Mysticism is not an exclusive call or gift for the few. But how could we begin to accept this truth, that we all have a mystical capacity?. We canall too easily take the comfortable and mistakenly 'safe' way out and claim that only ' special and holy people' had this capacity. Ishpriya suggested we needed to pause and challenge ourselves and that the lines in Psalm 8, from the Hebrew Scriptures could be of assistance.

Lord, our Lord, How great is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory in the heavens.

When I consider your heavens, The work of your fingers, the moon and the stars,

Which you have set in place, 'Who am I

that you should create & care about me?'

Reflecting on these words could help us to both create and convey awe and wonder at Creation and the Cosmos. She further suggested that this 'awe' was, and is, a typical example of a mystical experience. We have reached a stage where we need to recognise and accept that Our theology is influenced by our Cosmology. This affects all cultures, civilisations and everybody on our planet. Mystics are people who are ‘wide awake’, discerning and willing to accept responsibility to respond to the challenge and change. This is ultimately what lies behind each of us having the courage and awareness that enables us to read the signs of our times .

We live in a world and a Universe of such great beauty, complexity and wonder. Everything is inter-connected and shares the seeds of DNA. The English poet Blake, like many others through time, has seen the inter-connected beauty. Blake wrote about this in his poem Auguries of Innocence. Below are the first and last verse which captures something of the wonder of Creation and the power and light of the Mystery.

To see a world in a grain of sand, And Heaven in a wild flower,

Hold infinity in the palm of your hand And Eternity in an hour.

God appears, and God is light, To those poor souls who dwell in night;

But does a human form display To those who dwell in realms of day



In facing this challenge we begin to both recognise and acknowledge the quantum leap that faces us at the emotional, intellectual and spiritual levels. These are stormy times for both our Planet and our Human Family. Ishpriya used an analogy to vividly highlight these times. She likened our planet to a small boat in the vast seas of the Cosmos. We are all in this small boat and only the Mystics can help chart a safe course for the crew and passengers. In addition, when a boat is in peril and in danger of sinking, it requires all on board beginning 'bailing out’!

The preceding reflections focused on the challenges and choices facing us all as we enter a vitual stage where a great quantum leap in consciousness is taking place . We live in times of great change. All around us we both see and are increasingly becoming more aware of great climatic, intellectual, emotional and financial changes . These both require and demand our focused attention. We are being challenged to accept the responsibility to develop our mystical awareness of the Reality we call God. Ishpriya ended this theme by posing some questions to guide our reflections. Readers may find the following questions helpful : What is it that causes me to get that sense of awe?

How wide awake, discerning and responsive am I to the challenges that face our human family ?

Where do or could I feel uncomfortable in all this?

Postscript Our understanding of who or what ‘God’ by whatever name we call it; is extremely important in our efforts to make sense of ourselves, our environment, creation and the cosmos. This then effects how we relate to ourselves, others and our environment. The next part of this series is Theme 2 :- Face to Face :- A Direct Experience of the Mystery. The second instalment of these Blog Posts will appear shortly. Meanwhile, if you are interested in the Spirituality of the Satsang then visit the following websites: www.international-satsang.org




Only The Mystics Will Survive ‘

Theme 2 - Face to Face

A Direct Experience of the Mystery

Face to Face

Day After Day, O Lord of my life, I stand before You face to face.

With folded hands, O Lord of all worlds Will I stand before You face to face ?

And under Your great sky, in solitude and in silence, With humble heart, I stand before you face to face.

In this arduous world of Yours

Turbulent with toil and struggle. Among hurrying crowds. I stand before You face to face.

And when my work shall be done in this world, O Lord of all worlds.

Alone and without the need of words I will stand before You face to face.

Rabindranath Tagore

‘At the moment humanity is searching for its soul’

Ishpriya opened this Theme on Mystics and Mysticism with Rabindranath Tagore’s poem, Face to Face. This poem expresses the intimacy of our unique relationship with the Source and that ultimately we will ‘stand’ face to face. She then reiterated and reminded us of the crisis and challenge facing our world and summarised this with the statement ‘At the moment humanity is searching for its soul’. Now for some personal reflections which are not directly connected with Ishpriya’s Conference Talks but arise out of lived experiences and reflections. This searching for ‘soul’ has become more prevalent and urgent in most recent times. The great changes in both Science and Technology have challenged and changed many of the old certainties that have held sway for centuries. The growth in modern communications, allied to the exponential growth of computers, means that we have more information at our fingertips and that this information can be shared in seconds around the world. We are living in times that are changing faster than either individuals or institutions can either keep up with or manage and this can be both challenging and unsettling.



For many of our Institutions, particularly Religion, these unsettling times can give rise to great anxiety and panic. Thus we see an ever increasing growth in fundamentalism and conservatism as Institutions and Organisations try to avoid the chaos of change and cling relentlessly on to old and outdated theology, worship and ideas. This is particularly true of male dominated Institutions, which applies to most of the formal Faith Traditions and certainly in Western Religions. These resist and even deny any ideas and advances that suggest that we could benefit by acknowledging the on-going evolution of Creation and the importance of balancing the patriarchal dominance with the feminine aspect of our humanity. Yet both Science and the Universal Wisdom of the Mystics, along with the wisdom of the aboriginal peoples of the world, acknowledge and recognise that there is both Chaos and Conservation. Chaos and conservation are a natural part of nature, the environment and the human experience. At the moment, modern humanity is over-focused, and arguably obsessed, with the patriarchal and masculine side of its psyche. Part of the solution could be for humanity to tap into and balance its feminine and masculine gifts in order to find a new and wiser way through this quantum leap. In this respect we have much to learn from the wisdom of the ancients and the aboriginal peoples who both recognise and celebrate the feminine aspect of the Divine. This could result in us finding the balance required that will enable us to cherish, respect and appreciate the richness of both the feminine and masculine. In this way mutual respect will grow and the oppression, abuse and failure to acknowledge and accept the great talents and gifts of women will cease. There is nothing too surprising in all this if we just look at history. In the middle ages the invention of the printing press brought about terrific changes. The spread of information and ideas was rapid and played a huge part in the turmoil and chaos of the Reformation in Western Christianity. At that time the Catholic Church tried to cling on to the old ways and to suppress the growth and spread of new reformist ideas. However, like the famous story of King Canute, the (formal) Church failed to stem the tide. Instead it resisted the necessary reforms and the ensuing conflict let to centuries of war, dispute, torture and general disharmony between peoples and Faith Traditions... Now we have entered the Digital Age, with rapid changes in technology and communication. Information and ideas move around our planet in seconds and all forms of authority are struggling to contain and control the pressure for reform and change. Modern people do not communicate in the old ways, hence the dying spasms of post (snail mail) and the growth of email, ipad, blogs etc. Yet, in the West, our Churches still rely on written texts and outdated and outmoded rites and rituals which fail to appeal to so many, particularly both the young and the discerning older people. Little wonder that churches are almost empty and cinemas, shopping malls and dance studios and clubs are filling up. Many people find worship boring and irrelevant to modern times. They are searching for answers to questions that very often the main stream churches don’t or won’t address. But now to return to aspects of Ishpriya’s Conference Talk. Focusing on this search for the soul, Ishpriya went on to address the fact that many people hunger for the direct experience of the Mystery that is mysticism. The modern search, which initially focused on Meditation, began in the 1960s. This was a time of great change in music, culture and ideas. The children of the Second World War , the Baby Boomers, entered adulthood and began to challenge and reject many of the accepted norms. People outside the mainstream Religions began to search for meaning in their life. They were not convinced by the ‘certainties’ of their parents and



therefore were looking for something different and more authentic. With the growth of modern technology and travel , they began to look further a field. This led to searches in places like India which had a rich heritage of spirituality and its long tradition of Gurus ( Teachers). In Indian Spiritual Traditions it is the Guru ( Master) who is more important and spiritually relevant than the priests. The latter merely perform the rites and rituals but the Guru is the reservoir of spiritual truths. In addition, the Guru never seeks disciples, it is the disciple who must first seek and recognise the Guru. In Christianity this is similar to the disciples of Jesus, they recognised the Master and followed him. Like so many people today (50 years later) , they too had the desire for that ‘Face-to-Face ‘encounter with a Friend , that is reflected in Tagore’s poem.

Ishpriya suggests that in this search for the Reality, for a different relationship at every level of being, the word ‘GOD’ could be a block. This was certainly true for many of the young generation, who were inclined to reject the ‘God Concept’ as it was being presented by both the formal Religions and the older generation. This was also true for many of us. Many of us have a become too used to the 'God' word. She told us about a lovely Canadian Children’s Prayer Book with a title ‘WHAT IS GOD?’ This introduces the difficult question of whom and what is God using language and ideas that could and would appeal to children. It uses language that they can readily understand. Perhaps we can learn from this. Because the question posed in the title of this children’s book, is the first and most important

one to ask on our Journey towards being human. As we journey and mature it is inevitable that the answer to that 1st question will keep changing because the ‘entity’ we so glibly refer to as God is so immense and unknowable, that our sense and vision of this entity changes. Similarly, it is hardly surprising that our 'image' of and our answer to the Who and What of God will grow and shift as they are informed by our direct experiences of the Ultimate Reality. However, many feel challenged and threatened as this view of ‘God’ emerges from human reflection, understanding and consciousness. This is entirely natural. Humanity has always been wary of great changes, in fact Neuroscience shows that we are ‘hard–wired’ for flight, fight or freeze. We are also hard wired to resist or feel wary of great changes. However we can manage small to medium changes. Therefore we need to see this wariness and reluctance as a sign of genuine growth in our spiritual relationship. Any time we feel a ‘resistance’ to change it is a sign that we have accessed some fear and/or anxiety about one of our core beliefs This is O.K. It is a sign of growth and it merely invites and challenges us to examine the resistance and the core belief. If after reflection we still wish to hold on to our core belief, that is O.K. Otherwise, we drop the ‘false belief’ and have a deeper and more rooted picture of and relationship with the Mystery we call God. We live in a dynamic world, which is part of an ever changing and ever expanding cosmos. Everything changes both in this dynamic world and in our dynamic inner and outer life. Therefore, so too must our understanding and responses to the perennial questions of ‘What



is God and Who (for me) is God’? Only be being aware of all the above can we find a way to re-assess our understanding of our relationship with God, who is Truth and Mystery. To assist us to both recognise and better manage this change, Ishpriya suggested, that it could be very helpful if we were to go for one year WITHOUT the word GOD. This could force us to get to grips with What or Who it is that we want to come Face to Face with. For example we might be guided by Meister Eckhart the great (arguably the greatest) Christian medieval teacher and mystic. He doubtlessly shocked his congregation when he exhorted them ‘You must discover God as God is. You must come upon him naked in His dressing Room’! Eckhart seems to be advising us to drop all the pre-conceived ideas we have of God and be willing to face the 'naked' truth. Whether God is He, She or It, our 1st challenge is to ‘drop the language and images of God ‘and be opened up afresh to the experience of Reality. This requires us to have an unmediated, direct encounter with this Absolute whose various names are Truth, Reality, the One without a Second, and the Source of All Life etc. Daoism, manages this as it calls ‘The Dao, - (the Way) a word for what we cannot name’. Therefore anything we can name cannot be the Absolute Experience’ or the Dao. Ishpriya she reminds us, that there is a SOURCE, an Unchanging Reality – a Mystery, at the heart of everything. This (Mystery) is something ‘we cannot know’ and the question for each us is; ‘Do I have a conviction of the existence of this Source?’ This question requires a personal and not a group or institutional response. We need to remember that ‘Faith comes before belief ‘. Beliefs are very often secondary because ‘faith’ (i.e. a deep understanding and experience of the existence of God, Ultimate Reality) is deeply personal and based on our experience of the ‘presence’ of God. In addition, we are advised by both modern psychology and the mystics to remember that many of our ‘beliefs’ are false or misguided and ‘borrowed’ from others. They are not truly our beliefs. To paraphrase the Greek Philosopher ‘the unexamined belief is a wasted belief’. Thus, faith that is based on lived experience is rooted in truth and therefore not easily tossed and turned around by changes in science or accepted ‘beliefs’. And yet, as Meister Eckhart and all the Mystics remind us, there is an underlying paradox in our relationship to this Mystery or Source. Even though it is a Mystery, paradoxically, it is a Mystery that each of us can experience to some degree or level. The Mystics of all ages have recorded this paradox and this experience and ever person has had moments or glimpses of this experience. She reminded us of St Paul’s prayer that we may be ‘Filled with the absolute fullness of God’. Ishpriya’s reference to St Paul’s prayer in Ephesians, both reminds me of another occasion when she spoke about the In-Filling Presence of God and also how Paul’s great prayer so aptly describes the wonder and awe of the In-Dwelling Presence of the Mystery – or Spirit. The text appears below. St Paul prays:

that [God] may grant you in accord with the riches of his glory to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner self, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the holy ones, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.



Returning to the thread of Ishpriya’s input. She reminded us that we can be assured that the Mystery will reveal ITSELF to us. In other words, the self-revelation of God at a soul-to-soul, spirit-to –spirit can come to each of us and can be known at some level. But this ‘knowing’ IS NOT an intellectual knowing it is experiential revelation of ‘The Mystery’. She challenged each of us to try telling your children ‘that God is that’, whatever ‘that’ is. The pitfalls in this approach; i.e. telling children that ‘God is … ‘is that nobody can define God! God IS NOT a ‘super person hidden in the skies’. God is a Mystery and this Mystery cannot be defined at either the intellectual, emotional or imaginative levels. The Absolute Reality merely IS! Personal experience reveals that our understanding of God (at our fairly simple level) is constantly changing as we grow and experience this ‘revelation’ in life. All Traditions have great respect for those who experience the Mystery and all Faith Traditions accept the existence of this Absolute Reality, this Source, and this Mystery. How can we know of this experience of the Mystery? Now, the mystics of different Traditions can tell us about this. Interestingly, regardless of their cultural or Faith Traditions, all indicate some common aspects. They all seem to talk about, reflect on and record much the same thing. There is One Source, One Mystery, One God and He, She or it can be found in a Face – to face encounter. The next question is this. How do we know and experience this ‘encounter’ and not just at an intellectual level? Well, the first thing to realise is that being a Mystic does not mean having visions. The mystics, even those who had visions will tell us that visions are not the thing. That is not living in the mystery. So if not visions then how can or do we experience the Mystery? This is the subject of the next set of reflections. (To be continued in Theme 3: - Signs of Mysticism) Ishpriya ended this theme by posing some questions to guide our reflections. Readers may find the following questions helpful :

I could take a look at my picture(s) and name(s) for God. What are these?

How many of these have I ever looked at and/or challenged, particularly since childhood?

How can or might some of these get in my way of encountering the Reality ‘Face-to-Face’?

Postscript Our understanding of who or what ‘God’ by whatever name we call it; is extremely important in our efforts to make sense of ourselves, our environment, creation and the cosmos. This then effects how we relate to ourselves, others and our environment.In developing that relationship we need to seek a face-to-face encounter with ‘God. However, this requires much soul searching. Modern humanity is drifting away, both from formal religion and authority but also from themselves and their ‘soul’. The challeange was much greater than previous challenges and the example given was the Reformation struggle in Western Christianity in the 15th to 17th centuries. The next part of this series is Theme 3 :- The Signs of Mysticism .




Theme 3: – The Signs of Mysticism. In mysticism that love of truth which we saw as the beginning of all philosophy leaves the merely intellectual sphere, and takes on the assured aspect of a personal passion. Where the philosopher guesses and argues, the mystic lives and looks; and speaks consequently, the disconcerting language of first-hand experience, not the neat dialectic of the schools. Hence whilst the Absolute of the metaphysicians remains a diagram — Impersonal and unattainable— The Absolute of the mystics is lovable, attainable, and alive.” Evelyn Underhill, Mysticism

This is the third reflection in this series on Only the Mystics Will Survive. It continues the journey with Sister Ishpriya which started with Listen to the Spirit- A movement into Mystical Consciousness , then looked at our Face to Face Encounter with God and now begins to explore the signs of mysticism that exist in everyday life for every person. But first a simple quote from Sr. Ishpriya which sets this reflection in its context.

‘We need to remember that mystical moments happen every day’

Sister Ishpriya

Before we begin to focus on Signs of Mysticism it is important to return to some aspects of Part 2. Part 2 focused on the natural balance of Chaos and Conservation in Creation. This impacted at all levels and certainly on humans and their Institutions. It focused on the tendency of people, when change occurs, to give way to their fears and to try to cling on like limpets to old and familiar ways. This explains the growth in fundamentalism – not only in Faith Traditions but in Politics, Education and many Institutions. The ensuing struggle leads to a rise in intolerance and a tendency to adopt rigid thinking. In the old days, when the Christian Church had real power, it had a simple way of dealing with ‘maverick’ thinkers. It either declared their ideas ‘heresy’ or used its self- acclaimed power to excommunicate them. There is nothing new in all this and today, many fundamental people in all the Faith Traditions are trying to do the same. The result is they can often 'project' their fear of change and chaos onto the other and in so doing demonise the other.



However, Christians need to hold on to the fact that Jesus the Christ was a maverick preacher. In addition many of the great prophets and founders of other Faith Traditions were radical thinkers. Most advances in human understanding, knowledge and wisdom have come from and through radical thinkers. e. g. Mohammed the Prophet (Peace be upon him), Guru Nanak the founder of Sikhism and of course Gautama the Buddha. This reinforces the need for each and every person to face the challenge of facing their fears and core beliefs and seeking and reclaiming their inherent mystical spirit. Consequently, we need to be on the alert for signs of mysticism in our life. So now to return to Ishpriya and her reflections. Ishpriya opened with an intriguing question when she asked ‘What does the experience of the Mystery do?’ Ishpriya answered this rhetorical question by suggesting that it could help if we ‘looked at some ‘signs’ of being a mystic’. She made it plain that the signs she intended to briefly explore did not constitute a definitive list. However, these were signs to be found for and in all of us. So she suggested that we relax, listen deeply and then reflect on how these could apply to, or be experienced by, each of us. She then began to outline and reflect on some of the signs of Mysticism.

Some Signs of Mysticism The first of these was sense of harmony at certain moments. These moments of harmony resulted in a sense of union, wholeness or completion. Experiences like this begin in childhood. It is an experience that can be likened to and summarised as ‘a sense of being at home with my source’. These experiences both demand and require that we wake up and ‘get rid of our sense of separateness’ She quoted the great Christian Mystic, Lady Juliana of Norwich concerning our failure to realise just how inter-connected we were with the Mystery and all creation. Juliana said, ‘Between God and me there is no between’. She then reminded us of a famous Hindu saying ‘God is closer to me than myself ‘. Both of these quotations, one from a Western and the other from an Eastern Faith Tradition, speak of a sense of oneness, union and completion between human beings and the Mystery or Source. They tell of a relationship of oneness.

This reminds me of the story by Anthony De Mello – an Indian Jesuit from his book One Minute Wisdom The master became a legend in his lifetime. It was said that God once sought his advice: “I want to play a game of hide-and-seek with humankind. I’ve asked my angels what the best place is to hide in. Some say the depth of the ocean. Others say the top of the highest mountain. Others still the far side of the moon or a distant star. What do you suggest?” Said the Master, “Hide in the human heart. That is the last place they will think of!” Each of us could pause and respond to the following question



What is our chosen or favourite ending to the game of Hide and Seek we too can play with God? It can help if we use immediacy and respond to the question quickly and write down our response. This can often lead to intriguing, surprising and challenging responses. This question is not designed to imply that we deliberately avoid the Oneness that is the Mystery – although it is a common and shared universal response. No, it is to encourage us to face our fears about being too intimate with God the Mystery. The Jewish Scriptures have this wonderful phrase ‘ It is terrible ( awesome) to fall into the hands of the living God’ As in many human relationships, we can all struggle with the issues and dilemma of the intimacy and its ‘dangers’ or ‘anxieties’ regarding its restriction on our sense of independence. Permanence – Non- permanence. The second of these signs required us to look at our experiences of permanence. She reminded us that we needed to avoid the mistake of ‘looking for the permanent amongst the non-permanent’. We all too often place our trust and energy in the wrong places. We are on a journey back to the Source and if we cling onto earthly and ego-centred things they can so often turn to dust in our hands. Students of either Hinduism or Buddhism will readily recognise the importance of the teaching about permanence and non-permanence. Certainly this is a central teaching of Buddhism, where the Buddha taught that ‘all is Dukka (suffering)’ and that seeing life and ‘things’ as permanent was essentially a poison. Although we can intellectually accept that nothing in life is ‘permanent’ the truth is we can so easily live our life as if it is permanent. He Buddha was wise when he suggested that we could all benefit from reflecting on our own death. Then there is the experience of relaxing into loving others This is that the experience and result of true love is one that enables us to bond with others but NOT try to possess them. This is not an easy thing because love takes us out of the ego and encourages us to think of the other and not just our own selfish needs or wants. In my work as a Relationship Therapist I often am guided by and also use this lovely quote on love by Kahil Gibran – author of The Prophet.

Love possesses not Nor would it be possessed;

For love is sufficient unto love.

And think not you can direct the course of love, If it finds you worthy, It directs your course.

Love has no other desire but to fulfil itself."

A further sign was a keen awareness of the inter-dependence of all things. Both the Mystics and modern science have revealed both the wonder of the on-going creation and the inter-connectedness of all things. Everything has come out of star dust and our understanding of DNA etc reveals that we share more than we realise with everything in



creation. As humans we are all Inter-related and come from a common source. This challenges and reduces to insignificance all the ‘barriers’ we erect of culture, creed, ethnicity and even gender. This returns us to the wisdom and truth of the Triple Commitment of the Satsang. In addition, I am reminded of the famous quote from Hinduism ‘He, who sees only the diversity and not the underlying Unity, wanders on from death to death’ Ishpriya reflected on how Buddhism recognises the underlying unity and calls this ability compassion ( karuna). She pointed to the Buddhist example of the Boddhi Satva (this is one who has achieved enlightenment but remains to help others on their way). This was an excellent example of this sense of inter-connectedness and oneness with all. This sense of Oneness at the Heart of Creation is at the heart of spirituality and every major Faith Tradition. In Hinduism it is seen as the central concept and pillar of the Vedas and particularly the Upanishads and that wonderful Scripture the Bhagavad-Gita (The Song of the Lord). Throughout these scriptures the underlying theme of Unity at the heart of Diversity is propounded. A famous quote from the Kena Upanishad outlines this clearly. Who sees all beings in his own Self, and his own Self in all beings, loses all fears This clearly shows that having the courage to face ones fears will lead to a state of awareness where we see the underlying unity of the self in all beings. This is the real state of inter-connectedness humanity requires if it is to survive, live in harmony with self, others and the environment and safely navigate the quantum leap of change in consciousness. This led to the realisation that my choices affect others. We are part of the on-going evolutionary journey of creation. Our current knowledge, technology and understanding gives us answers that suggest our Universe is 13.5 billion years plus or minus 2 billion years. This puts things in perspective. We as a species are, at the most 7 million years and homo sapiens – sapiens , modern humanity which is part of a long line of descendants of Homo Erectus, is a mere 350 - 500 thousand. With this in mind we return to Ishpriya’s reflections.

Our Universe She suggested we pause and reflect on what is our, around, 85 years of existing in this body-psyche compared to the 15 billion or so years of this Universe . And yet in this vastness of creation and time-space, each of us are unique, we will never occur again. Consequently, it gives rise to the importance of my choices.

All this should ‘reduce us to silence’. Bearing in mind all the preceding signs, she moved on to a further sign – a growing sense or need for solitude and silence. This also led to reluctance to even attempt to describe our experience of the Mystery. She quoted Theresa of Avila, who in commenting upon her mystical



experiences merely said ‘I can’t describe this’. Theresa also used the ‘butterfly’ as the symbol of mysticism; this is also used in other Traditions. Ishpriya then, focusing on all her points suggested that this combination of signs inevitably leads us to a realisation that ‘Silence is the fullness of all; it is not the emptiness’.

The fruit of Silence is prayer. The fruit of Prayer is faith. The fruit of Faith is love.

The fruit of Love is service. The fruit of Service is peace.

Silence of the eyes; Silence of the ears;

Silence of our mouths; Silence of our minds.

In the silence of the heart God will speak.

Teresa of Calcutta

These signs are always full of paradox and this is a comment often made by those mystics who have entered into the Mystery. In fact ‘paradox’ is at the heart of spiritual life and experience. Ishpriya then recounted the story of Swami Chidananda and Swami Abishtiktananda, the first a Hindu Master, the second a Christian Monk, both renowned humble and holy people. At their infrequent meetings, they would look in silence at each other and there in that silence, they could sense ‘the Joy which mystics have encountered’. This led to both laughing with each other. Because both had tasted in the silence, the unity, the compassion of that Face-to-Face encounter with the Mystery and this led to pure joy, or the ananda, which is Sanskrit for bliss. ‘For God is joy’ Mystics are people who are not at war with anybody, they live in peace, justice and respect for others. They are prophets, who do not set about forecasting the future, but can ‘read the signs of the times’. In addition they possess great humility and this leads to great wisdom. Ishpriya reminded us that,’there is a tendency (certainly in Christianity) to be more concerned with the doing than the being’ … and also ‘It’s not what I have done but how I have lived’. She reminded us of the richness of Buddhism and its Universal Wisdom and how Zen Buddhists have an approach which starts with the basic ethos that it is a mistake to try to do something with our life instead of living it. ‘Life is for living’ is a well known Zen saying. Raymundo Pannikar (a renowned Christian Theologian) suggests that some signs of the mystic are ‘that they are people who make ineffective administrators, impossible ecclesiastics, unpredictable leaders and unreliable followers’. In short, they are mavericks, at peace with themselves and more fully focused on the Mystery.



In conclusion, if we can recognise any of the above in us then we have reached the beginning of wisdom. Ishpriya ended this theme by posing some questions to guide our reflections. Readers may find the following questions helpful :

How alive have I been minute by minute in my life? How do I respond to the idea that mystics are counter-culture and are willing to take responsibility for their choices? Which are and were the mystical moments of my life & do I recognise them? What are the experiences in my life that I never have to make an effort to remember? Postscript Both accepting and recognising that every individual has a mystical capacity is extremely important. Only then can we remain open to those mystical moments which as Ishpriya suggests happen every day (‘We need to remember that mystical moments happen every day ’Ishpriya) . These moments can be recognised by various signs of mysticism which present themselves in our daily lives. We need to beware of ‘false humility’ that suggests that only special and holy people can be mystics. This is a lie and one that can prevent us from remaining open to the gift of mystical moments. The next part of this series is Theme 4 :- Our Common and Universal Heritage. This fourth part will appear shortly on our Satsang Blog http://midlands-satsang.blogspot.co.uk/ . Meanwhile, if you are interested in the Spirituality of the Satsang then visit the following websites: www.international-satsang.org





Theme 4: – Our Common and Universal Spiritual Inheritance.

‘To have seen me is to have seen the Father (The Source of all life)’

An important Pre-Amble This topic and its conference talks were delivered to, and focused mainly on, a Christian audience. Consequently, the following theme draws mainly from the Christian Tradition and focuses on some of the reasons that the formal Christian Churches are struggling to retain members in the West and that many are either losing all contact or looking for spiritual wisdom in the East... Another point about these reflections is that they are the author’s response to Ishpriya’s words. It is a well known fact, that if 30 people attend a talk, there are at least 30 different interpretations. These reflections are honestly made and directly connected with Ishpriya’s theme. However, they are filtered through the ‘cultural eyes and ears’ of the author. Where reflections are not directly rooted in Ishpriya’s talks, these are shown in brown type. Finally, although these brief reflections focus on Christianity, readers from other Faith Traditions could find many of its points familiar with their lived experience and certainly the overall conclusions apply to all. For what is Mysticism? It is not the attempt to draw near to God, not by rites or ceremonies, but by inward disposition? Is it not merely a hard word for 'The Kingdom of Heaven is within'? Heaven is neither a place nor a time. Florence Nightingale

Humankind has not woven the web of life; we are but one thread in it. What we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect. –Chief Seattle a Native American 1780-1866

In this part of her reflections, Ishpriya addresses some of the issues and reasons surrounding the fact that many Christians, and those from a Christian Culture, have turned to the East when searching for a spiritual path. She began by re-examining our common (Christian) Western spiritual inheritance, an inheritance which is very often unknown or forgotten. She provided a ‘sketch’ of the growth in western spirituality and reminded us that (initially) it grew out of its Palestinian context, where ideas from both Eastern and Middle Eastern mysticism were well known. Jesus was an itinerant Teacher who, like the Gurus of India, attracted the marginalised of society with his deeply spiritual, yet radical, teachings on love and a way of being.



However, after 2 or 3 centuries the scriptures of the Christian Tradition were chosen, settled and closed. This led to what Christians now call the Bible, with its Old Testament, which is the heart of the Jewish Scripture and the New Testament which portrays the accepted ‘norms’ of the Early Christian Church. By this time, the followers of Jesus, who were first called ‘Followers of the Way had grown into a series of communities which together formed a recognisable ‘Church’. This Church had its hierarchy and a set of sacraments, rites and rituals but with the Bible a central platform for teaching and spreading the ‘faith’. All other books or scriptures, some reputedly written by disciples who knew Jesus were literally ‘suppressed’. The Council of Nicea in 325 a.d, convened to provide the Emperor Constantine which a formal Church doctrine, finally decided the books that were to be included or excluded. Thus the modern Bible was formed. At the time of the Reformation, Protestant Churches refused to accept the Apocrypha and thus the Protestant Bible was formulated. Only fairly recently with the discovery of the Qumran ( Dead Sea) Scrolls , a collection of 972 texts discovered in the mid 20th Century, which amongst other things , contain a series of alternative texts from the Jewish Scriptures ( Old Testament), have offered some new interpretations which are now widely published on the Internet. Another significant find was that of ancient Coptic Scrolls. These were found in 1945 in the Nile Valley and are known as the Nag Hammadi Documents. These contain four Gnostic Gospels, plus other Christian writings, which throw a more ‘mystical’ light of the life, teachings and life of Jesus. In addition, the ‘revelation’ of the Mystery, which can never be fully known by mere humans, is ongoing. Each generation is best advised to understand that much of Scripture is written in mythical language. Now a ‘myth’ is not a fairy tale, it is a mystical, symbolic, metaphorical form of writing about deep truths that need careful reading, contemplation and reflection. In every generation, each individual has to take the ‘text’ of the Scriptures and apply 4 modes of reading it. These are to first read the literal text and then to test it out by ‘reading’ it through three further ‘lens’ These ‘lens’ are the spiritual message of the text, then the moral ( present day) message and finally the mystical message. This method of examining Scripture is very ancient and certainly goes back almost 2000 years. Unfortunately, many modern day readers of Scripture have lost this and rely solely on a literal reading of the text. It is advisable to be aware that Scripture merely gives guidelines and these guidelines have to be interpreted in the light of other aspects of the unfolding revelation. For those who believe in Creation and the Mystery behind it, then we know that no words can fully describe this Mystery and that all revelation from whatever profession is part of the unfolding of Creation and the on-going revelation. Therefore, Science and Cosmology have a part to play in humanities understanding of the Mystery and therefore, they too are part of revelation. In short, modern science is re-telling the Creation story and adding to our understanding and awareness of the Mystery or Source of Creation. In addition, like love, spiritual wisdom is a universal quality. The Scriptures and writings from other cultures and traditions form a vast reservoir of wisdom. They are a Universal Heritage. They form part of the vast banquet of spirituality which each culture and tradition offers. Christianity has its offerings to make but we need to feel free to make use of texts and teachings from this vast reservoir and so we return to Ishpriya’s theme.



All this led to two reasonably unique aspects which underpin the Christian approach to mysticism. The first are its heavy reliance on Scripture, and acceptable Scripture at that. The second is its ecclesiastic tradition, which is one of structure, hierarchy, central control, sacraments and its sacraments and rituals which only the hierarchical priests can perform. NB This is not an exclusively Christian trait but is part of all the mainstream ‘patriarchal’ religions.

These two ways or two main pillars are seen as the almost exclusive means of accessing the mystical. Historically, other approaches were, and are, frowned upon or discouraged. This differs from the Eastern Tradition, with its emphasis on the relationship between the Guru and the disciple and its emphasis on the experiential nature of mysticism. In the Christian Tradition access to the immediate experience of God is through the two main doors of Scripture and the Ecclesiastical. In addition, Christianity has always been cautious and wary of an individual’s ‘mystical experiences’ and frowned upon individuals experimenting in mysticism. It has, in this way, blocked this avenue of access to the Mystery, albeit at times unconsciously. Therefore, unlike the East, we have not developed a tradition of spiritual guides and gurus and this may explain why westerners who are seeking guidance look to the Eastern Faith Traditions. Note: - There is exceptions in Western Christianity. This spring from Celtic Spirituality (Which is my cultural root). Celtic Christianity, which retained many of its pre- Christian roots, was less influenced by mainstream Roman Christianity. It retained the practice of encouraging the Spiritual Aspirant to find an Anam Cara ( Soul Friend). These were people of wisdom and not necessarily members of the established Ecclesiastical order. Many from the East feel that Christianity is merely involved and pre-occupied with ‘Sin and Social Work’ and less interested in how individuals can be guided and supported on and in their own unique spiritual journey. Increasingly, with the growth in our multi cultural society, Christians are being both challenged and enriched by their contact with other traditions. Part of this challenge is to find the roots of our own Christian mysticism and its tradition. This requires us to revisit Scripture and to realise that ‘ We find God in the life of Jesus the Christ.’ There are numerous examples of this tendency of the Institutional Church opposing and persecuting Mystics. Two famous ones are St John of the Cross and St Teresa of Avila. John of the Cross, a great Spiritual Master, was tortured and persecuted by his own Religious Order, because of his ‘mystical’ writings and teachings. Teresa, who recognised the great need for ‘reformation’ in both the Church and her Order, she too faced great opposition. Another example is that of Meister Eckhart. He is arguably the greatest mystic of the Medieval Christian Church. He was persecuted and threatened with excommunication because of his radical teaching on the nature of the Mystery and how we can relate to and with this Mystery. Eckhart preached about the paradox of the Mystery, there is nothing we can really say that defines the Mystery, his teachings have some resonance with those of Daoism, and one of its great Teachers Lau Tzu wrote this ‘The Dao (the Way) that can be named cannot be the Dao Two of Eckhart’s quotes are shown below. These demonstrate his ‘radical’ theology and why many conservative and fundamental Christians, both in his time and now, find him challenging.



“My Lord told me a joke. And seeing Him laugh has done more for me than any scripture I will ever read.”

God cannot be referred to as "good", "better", or “best” because He is above all things. If a man says that God is “wise”, the man is lying because anything that is wise can become wiser. Anything that a man might say about God is incorrect, even calling Him by the name of God. God is "superessential nothingness" and "transcendent Being"..."beyond all words and beyond all understanding.

The best a man can do is remain silent, because anytime he prates on about God, he is committing the sin of lying. The true master knows that if he had a God he could understand, He would never hold Him to be God.' Now to return to further points from Ishpriya. Ishpriya suggested that we could begin this by examining three texts from Scripture. These were from the New Testament and St John’s Gospel, namely John 10:30, John 14:9 and John 16:7. These, she contended, were ‘great sentences’ similar to the great sentences and sutras of Hinduism, Buddhism and Taoism. Sentences that required study, reflection and contemplation, because they contained great truths and were examples of a mystical experience. She then focused on each of these in turn and examined them and their mystical meaning and context. She then both reminded and emphasised to listeners that in John’s Gospel the Source is referred to as Abba the Father. But first the three texts which reveal great truths that are at the heart of revelation about the Mystery.

‘I and the Father (The Source of all life) are one’ John 10:30 ‘To have seen me is to have seen the Father (The Source of all

life)’ John 14:9 ‘I must go (disappear) otherwise the Spirit will not come to you’

John 16:7

Ishpriya explored these and suggested that they were deep and great mystical sayings. They demonstrated the mystical experiences of Jesus the Christ who felt an oneness with the Source (Abba – the Father). A potential problem for Christians is that they could be so ‘blown away’ by Jesus and thus become too pre-occupied with Him and his earthly life. This could result in our failure to both realise and thus fail to see a mystical and deeply helpful and wonderful truth. This was, that through the life of Jesus and His way of Being we could find a medium through which we can see the Source, the Mystery, the God Jesus referred to as Abba ( Daddy).



Ishpriya then looked at some of the signs and qualities of Jesus and His teaching; she particularly focused on compassion, hope and joy. She remarked on how, in their anxiety to find answers to the critical challenges facing them, Church Authorities and Leaders were frantically into re-organisation and trying to find more resources. She ended we a reflection on what was really needed for ourselves, our world and our spiritual future. What the world needed was people of compassion, hope, joy and understanding. It did not need re-organising or more resources etc. It merely required each of us to develop our holiness (wholeness) and mystical awareness.

How aware am I of my own spiritual inheritance and do or could I make use of this? How helpful could I find spiritual inheritance from other Traditions i.e. Universal Wisdom? What else struck me about the concept/idea of the phrase ‘Our Common Inheritance’? If I could only do one thing different in my spiritual practice, what ONE THING would I choose? Postscript Our understanding of who or what ‘God’ by whatever name we call it; 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. Ultimately, 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 is Theme 5 :- Responses to Questions Part 1 - Developing a Mystical Consciousness This fifth (5th) part will appear shortly on the Satsang Blog http://midlands-satsang.blogspot.co.uk/ . Meanwhile, if you are interested in the Spirituality of the Satsang then visit the following websites: www.international-satsang.org





Theme 5 Responses to Question Part One - Developing a Mystical Consciousness

“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 are 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 quotes 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 2nd 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.

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, and then this provides a ‘breeding ground’ for meaningless or 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 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 ..

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 ?

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 (6th) part will appear shortly on the Satsang Blog http://midlands-satsang.blogspot.co.uk/ . Meanwhile, if you are interested in the Spirituality of the Satsang then visit the following websites:

www.international-satsang.org





Theme 6 Responses to Question Part Two - Developing a Mystical Consciousness

The Importance of Meditation

Preamble. This reflection opens with the following quote concerning the state of Meditation.

‘We cannot wake up (mystically) by ourselves. God has to wake us up from within’ What is Meditation? In this talk, which was Part 2 of audience questions; Ishpriya carried on the theme of Mystical Consciousness but focused particularly on Meditation and Meditation Practice. She reminded us that ‘We cannot wake up (mystically) by ourselves. God has to wake us up from within’. However, as in any relationship, we too need to play our part in this ‘awakening’. She then reminded us that meditation practice IS Not the same as the actual state of mystical consciousness called meditation. However, our meditation practice can lead to this state of transcendence. – But it is ultimately gift or grace. In our Meditation Practice we are invited into a deeper relationship with God, Ultimate Reality. We enter a period of practice (or silent prayer) which involves us in reaching deeper levels or states of silence. Ishpriya often reminds us that our meditation practice is ‘an invitation to follow the sounds of our life into the inner silence’.



A dictionary definition of “meditation” states that it means ‘to reflect upon, ponder, or contemplate’. It can also mean a devotional exercise of contemplation in either a religious or philosophical context. The word meditate comes from the Latin meditari, which means to think about or consider. Our meditation practice is a gateway into the actual meditative state. In both Hindu and Buddhist spirituality, these two states have distinctive names and outcomes. Whilst I am not an expert in either Tradition, I am a little more familiar with Hinduism. Let us look at Hinduism and the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Here we find the two stages or states more clearly outlined. The quote below gives us some ‘clues’ to both Meditation and Meditation Practice. Let us start with the latter.

Even as fire without fuel

Finds peace in its resting-place, When thoughts become silence

The soul finds peace in its own source. Maitri Upanishad

Dharana – Concentration Patanjali’s 2nd Sutra suggests that our practice is meant to lead us to a quiet or still point. When that point is reached then the mind becomes quiet. This mental stillness is created by bringing the body, mind, and senses into balance. This process or state is referred to as dharana, the art of concentration and precedes the actual meditative state. Meditation - dhyana, The actual meditative state is Dyana . This is defined more specifically as a state of pure consciousness. It can also be referred to as a state of transcendental bliss. The quote at the beginning of these reflections is one used by Ishpriya to introduce her CD of Meditation (see the ISA Website for further details). Its words are a classic definition of both stages – firstly Dharana – concentration and then Dyan – Meditation.

How can we best prepare for Meditation Practice? To prepare ourselves we need to prepare at the physical and psychological levels. The body position or posture does not matter. Although it is helpful to sit with a straight back, as this assists regular and deep breathing, the most important thing is to feel comfortable. The practice can be done in a variety of ways. It can be Zen Walking or Kinhin, Sufi dancing or the classic Hindu, Buddhist or Christian sitting meditation. But, whatever method or practice we intend to do then we have to prepare ourselves for this. Ishpriya, commenting on the classic ‘sitting meditation’ remarked that ‘We cannot simply park our bodies like we park a car’. We need to find a way to be still and to bring the body and mind to an attentive inner stillness. Then through our meditation practice we can open ourselves up to developing our mystical consciousness.



The above is not merely a matter of (necessarily) changing our lifestyle but it demands we change the way we are alive. In the speed of today’s changing world – any practice that helps us to come back to the Unchanging Reality helps us and all those whom we meet and relate to. This requires us to learn to live with the sense of an Unchanging Security. In this way we can remain firmly rooted in today’s rapidly changing world. This is not just a matter of physical and psychological awareness of our environment, us and others. It requires us to access our own sense of the Mystery and our own mystical quality. The mystic feels totally at one with nature, the environment and all creation. So therefore, mystics care for the environment because ‘God’s life is there in the environment’ and they also care for all of creation because they are more fully aware of the role as a co-creator. Ishpriya warns us that our society is losing touch with its mystical inheritance and is being destroyed by intolerance, fear, greed and panic. It is important that we regain a sense of dignity for what it means to be human. The dignity of the ordinary and unique human being is paramount and we need to re-discover this. The only way this can occur is if we discover this sense of unique dignity in ourselves. Meditation practice is one way of creating an opportunity to do this.

‘The world does not need more oil, it needs more wisdom’

Ishpriya spoke about the rapid increasing globalisation of Industry, Finance and Commerce. This was driven primarily by a focus on accumulating wealth and power. This ‘drive’ has led many on to a path which involves the incessant pursuit of wealth. This has resulted in ‘work’ being seen by many as the most important aspect of life. Using the example of the globalisation of the oil industry, its importance for almost every aspect of modern daily life and our frantic search for more oil, she reminded us that ‘The

world does not need more oil, it needs more wisdom’. Now wisdom is the ability to read the signs of the times and use discernment to make wise choices and ‘reading the signs of the times’ is a central aspect of Sister Ishpriya’s teachings. Therefore we all need to develop our capacity for mystical consciousness which alone can lead to wisdom. It has long been known, that one good way of achieving this is through meditation practice (dharana - concentration) which can lead to the state of meditation (Dyana). We all have a responsibility to prepare for this and this alone highlights the importance of each opportunity for meditation practice. She suggested we approach each meditation practice with the above in mind.



These series of reflections have focused on some of Sister Ishpriya’s teaching and on her reflections concerning the importance of developing a mystical consciousness. The following reflections will attempt to draw together the main strands of Ishpriya’s teachings.

Seeing Life in Two- Dimensions

In life we gather information in many ways through pictures, TV, the Internet, newspapers, magazines and books. We are also aware of how pictures, books etc merely present a 2-D image of life. They are not the reality. They are helpful and a very good guide and a useful, and sometimes necessary, 1st step in getting to know something. However, they are not essentially ‘real’. In order to more fully experience life we need to add an additional dimension and we call this the 3rd dimension. Furthermore, the spiritual journey leads us into a spiritual dimension – in other words a 4 D ‘world’.

However, very often people can fall into a ‘trap’ whereby the place too great a store in 2 D knowledge and ignore their own real experience in our 3 D world and sometimes are seemingly unaware of the true nature of the spiritual dimension. This has implications for many aspects of life and particularly for those who follow the spiritual path. There is a danger of becoming and 2D or Armchair spiritual seeker. The following story illustrates this ‘danger’.

The Armchair Explorer

"The explorer returned to his people, who were eager to know about the Amazon. But how could he ever put into words the feelings that flooded his heart when he saw exotic flowers and heard the night-sounds of the forests; when he sensed the danger of wild beasts or paddled his canoe over treacherous rapids? He said, "Go and find out for yourselves." To guide them he drew a map of the river. They pounced upon the map. They framed it in their town hall. They made copies of it for themselves. And all who had a copy considered themselves experts on the river, for did they not know it’s every turn and bend, how broad it was and how deep, where the rapids were and where the falls?" It is said that the Buddha refused to be drawn into talking about God. He was probably familiar

with the dangers of drawing maps for armchair explorers.

Anthony De Mello, in 'The Song of the Bird'



We are all part of this Evolutionary Journey of the Cosmos and a journey in search of the Mystery. We are all spiritual pilgrims and explorers and we are co-creators of this ever evolving and expanding creation. Our species is neurologically hard wired to search, to seek and to relate with each other, our environment and our own self. It is our spiritual centre – the Indwelling Presence that draws us in a life long quest towards the Mystery we call God. It is this inherent curiosity, this deep longing to know more about our environment along with our capacity for self-reflection ; that has led us on our long evolutionary journey. This journey has taken us physically from Africa to populate the whole of our planet. We have even begun to travel off our planet and to seek other places to live. Along with our physical journey, there has been a journey into consciousness . This latter journey , which I n reality is the spiritual journey, has taken us into the heart of the self and ultimately had led us to seek an ever closer relationship with the Self- the Absolute Reality at the heart of creation However, in our spiritual journey or quest, we do not need search blindly; we have our own in built quest for this Mystery. We have our own experiences, the experience of other seekers we meet and of those seekers and mystics who have gone before us. We also have the Sacred Texts and Scriptures of our common Universal Inheritance and a large amount of literature from a variety of experts. Finally, we have the guidance of the Indwelling Spirit. Hence these enigmatic words of God the Mystery: ‘I let you find Me so that you might seek Me’ Spiritual Mystics are those who have had the courage *, tenacity to answer the inner call and thus have touched the 4th dimension and experienced something of the Fullness of the

Mystery.

• Courage comes from the French for heart; those who possess courage have an open heart. And being openhearted is an essential quality for the Spiritual Explorer (Travellor) as they journey into the inner self that can be accessed in many ways, including meditation.

Concluding notes overleaf



Conclusions Finally, we leave these reflections with some comments from Sister Ishpriya and some key extracts from each theme: The first challenge was and is our need to acknowledge and recognise the challenge and risk facing our human family and the world. Will we survive the global change – the greed and destruction facing our Planet and necessary the quantum leap is our awareness and consciousness ? Physically the quantum leap has happened. We, as a species, have left this planet and looked back. We have 'left our house and walked out into the garden of space'. We are watching creation unfold as science discovers more about our cosmos , its make-up, its beginnings and its unfolding evolution. Ishpriya suggests that in this search for the Reality, for a different relationship at every level of being, the word ‘GOD’ could be a block. This was certainly true for many of the young generation, who were inclined to reject the ‘God Concept’ as it was being presented by both the formal Religions and the older generation. This was also true for many of us. Many of us have become too used to the God word. As we journey and mature it is inevitable that the answer to that 1st question (Who or What is God) will keep changing because the ‘entity’ we so glibly refer to as God is so immense and unknowable, that our sense and vision of this entity changes. Similarly, it is hardly surprising that our 'image' of and our answer to the Who and What of God will grow and shift as they are informed by our direct experiences of the Ultimate Reality. Mystics are people who are not at war with anybody, they live in peace, justice and respect for others. They are prophets, who do not set about forecasting the future, but can ‘read the signs of the times’. In addition they possess great humility and this leads to great wisdom. Ishpriya reminded us that,’there is a tendency (certainly in Christianity) to be more concerned with the doing than the being’ … and also ‘It’s not what I have done but how I have lived’. She reminded us of the richness of Buddhism and its Universal Wisdom and how Zen Buddhists have an approach which starts with the basic ethos that it is a mistake to try to do something with our life instead of living it. ‘Life is for living’ is a well known Zen saying.

Our understanding of who or what ‘God’ by whatever name we call it; 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. Ultimately, 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.

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.



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.

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 ‘connectednesses 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 warns us that our society is losing touch with its mystical inheritance and is being destroyed by intolerance, fear, greed and panic. It is important that we regain a sense of dignity for what it means to be human. The dignity of the ordinary and unique human being is paramount and we need to re-discover this. The only way this can occur is if we discover this sense of unique dignity in ourselves. Meditation practice is one way of creating an opportunity to do this. If you are interested in the spiritual teachings of Sister Ishpriya and the spirituality of the International Satsang Association then visit these websites. www.international-satsang.org and www.satsang-companionship.org.uk

“The eye through which I see God is the same eye through which God sees me;

My eye and God's eye are one eye, one seeing, one knowing, and one love.”

Meister Eckhart (13thCentury Christian Mystic)

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