It is a unique experience of which the overwhelming impact has been described by mystics in diverse ways. The Cloud of Unknowing, a well known classic of spiritual life, compares it to a beam of ghostly light, piercing the cloud of unknowing that interposes between men and God. Augustine, quoted by Eckhart, likens it to being struck by lightning, when one hears inwardly the affirmation, Truth, to put a seal of authenticity on the experience. St. Paul fell in a swoon on the road to Damascus and Moses experienced it as a fire in the bush. Mohammed saw himself carried on a winged horse, called Buraq, to the near Presence of God, and the experience had an overwhelming effect on his whole life. In one instant of grace, Buddha realized that he was enlightened. A long period of life spent before that in austerity and religious practices brought forth no result comparable to this flash. According to the papyri found in Egypt, Jesus is reported to have said, Let him not who seeks cease until he finds, and when he finds he shall be astonished. Astonished he shall reach the Kingdom, and having reached the Kingdom he shall rest. One of the Upanishads compares Brahman to a thunderbolt upraised, ruling all the elements of creation. The Sufi Bullah Shah, sings, To ascend the gallows is the pathway that leads to the love of the Lord. If you desire to have His vision, be ever prepared to wager your life for His sight. The Bhagavad Gita graphically describes the impact: If the splendor of a thousand suns were to blaze out together, in the sky, that might resemble the glory of the Mahatman. There Pandava (Arjuna) beheld the whole universe divided into manifold parts, standing in one in the body of the Deity of Deities. Then he, Arjuna, overwhelmed with astonishment, his hair standing on end, bowed down his head to the Shining One, and with joined palms spoke. In every case of illumination, mere visionary experience is not sufficient. Illumination must be attended by certain objective signs to confirm it. Why has mystical vision such a powerful impact on the mind of the beholder that he or she often becomes intoxicated with the love of God? Why does he prefer solitude to even the most joyous company and renounce the ordinary pleasures of life to revel in a delight before which all the pleasures of the earth seem stale? What is there in this experience that it often overcomes earthly desires and ambitions and transmutes an individual into a passionate lover, prepared to face the severest trials and tribulations, torture, and even death, cheerfully for the sake of the beloved? How can we explain the amazing psychological transformation that brings unity in the multiplicity of the universe, shows One in All and All in One, or, in other words, the whole universe contained in the One Almighty Source of all? No rational explanation has been provided for this vision, covering all the facets of the experience. It has to be remembered that in mystical ecstasy the intellect remains active. There is no blunting of the rational faculty. This is repeatedly mentioned in the Upanishads. Reason has to be satisfied that the experience is not a delusion. This means that the vision is real. But, then, how can we account for it?
Posted on: Sat, 24 Jan 2015 13:10:36 +0000