Name: Hassan Othman Kitine
ID: 1000044793
Course code: PHL 105Y
Teacher: Jacqueline Brunning
TA: Agnes Bolinska A mystical experience is one which is outside the realm of our normal consciousness. The point of Stacey’s article is that Mysticism does indeed exist. Stacie is trying to prove that the existence of mysticism cannot be denied and that it is not just some worthless delusion. He states that human beings cannot deny the existence of mysticism because it is beyond the confines of human understanding. One of the main concepts is that Mysticism is Independent of all our senses such as our physical senses of hearing, seeing or smelling. It also excludes any concepts or thoughts. Therefore whatever seems to deviate from our normal way of perceiving things such as having precognitions and visions are indeed not mystical occurrences because they still involve the senses. A man may claim to have a precognition of a neighbour’s death but he still pictured in his mind the image of a coffin and therefore this is not a mystical occurrence. Stacey advances several concepts to try and convince us that mysticism exist. One of his underlying arguments is that even though mystical experiences have different interpretations in different parts of the world, they have common characteristics which are agreed upon by those who practice it. One of the most important of these central characteristics is the existence of an ultimate unity in all things which they call a One or oneness and which is beyond our sensory intellectual consciousness. Stace further states that there are two main types of mystical experiences found in all higher cultures Extrovertive Mysticism and Introvertive mysticism. The extrovertive mystic finds the One or oneness as you may call it through his physical senses. In this sense he sees the grass and the tree as one although in a normal sense they are two different things. Stace mentions Meister Eckhart a Catholic Mystic who said that a man stands above mere understanding if he sees all things as one and not separated from the other. However since the idea of extrovertive mysticism involves the senses, it only partially lives up to the core nature of mysticism, and is only a halfway house to introvertive mysticism. Introvertive Mysticism on the other hand involves the shutting down of all of the senses, with the sensory intellectual consciousness being replaced by the mystical consciousness. Since this type of Mysticism involves a shutdown of all the senses it is often very difficult if not impossible to obtain this level of mysticism on will alone. Therefore mystics employ a variety of ways to reach this state as evidenced by the Yogis of India. The Yogis practice breathing exercises in seeking mysticism, the key underlying factor here is to concentrate ones attention on some single point or object so that all other mental content falls away, in the Yogis case ones mental concentration is on the stream of one’s breathing. Stace further supports his argument by stating that the description of what people encounter during this mystic experience has been given by those who have encounterd it, he uses the Upanishad of India as an example. The Upanishad have expressed their introvertive mystical consciousness as something beyond the senses, a pure unitary consciousness. This goes hand in hand with the perception of Mysticism as a unity in which there is no internal division or multiplicity. The fact that one can find this same evidence such as in Christianity only strengthens the idea that the mystic experience is an undifferentiated unity Another of these central characteristics stated is the relationship between Mysticism and religion. It is clear that most writers seem to associate mysticism with religion. According to Stace, mysticism is not associated with religion, it is an undifferentiated unity separate from the concept of religion. However, the fact that mysticism often finds its way into the religious interpretation of different religions is but further proof of its existence. Stacey further supports this by showing why mysticism usually takes on some religious form. For example undifferentiated unity is necessary thought of as beyond time and space because, unlike time, it is without any kind of division whereas the essence of time is its division into an endless number of successive parts. Therefore undifferentiated unity, since it is beyond time, can be said to be eternal and in Christianity eternal is another name for God. Therefore one can see how the concept of undifferentiated unity takes on a religious meaning. Another way mysticism can be associated with religion is by taking into account its emotional side, people who have experienced it usually feel joy and piece such that it can be identified with the peace of God. Stacey however states that mysticism does not favour any religion. Another argument Stacey offers is based on the ethical aspects of mysticism. He states that mysticism actually exist and serves as a way of spreading the message of love and unity among the people. Mystics stress on the importance of people viewing each other as one and therefore the sufferings of another is also one’s own sufferings, others view mysticism as the basis of all morality. The Christian Mystics also emphasize on the importance of self sacrifice, charity and love. They have also particularly condemned those who view mystics as merely and escape from the harsh realities of life and are indifferent to the sufferings of others. Stacy also states other alternative Interpretations of mysticism. Here he seems to disagree with the skeptic who thinks that mysticism is not real and is subjective. He states that even if one choses to be a skeptic he or she cannot dispose mysticism as a delusion because it reveals something which is a great part of human life. He would rather believe the mystic who claims that he is really in touch with something greater than himself than to believe a skeptic. He says that the road towards mysticism although attainable is very difficult to achieve and that is why its truth is neglected by many people