Original Article: http://www.duanetownsend.com/1/post/2014/02/discovering-the-common-thread-of-experiencing.html
Many times simple 'faith' is devoid of a genuine, personal experience. You're accepting the implied experience of the teacher, preacher or author; it becomes an intellectual exercise, a mental pursuit. This cerebral, faith based pseudo-comprehension of the deeper esoteric realities essentially negates a true genuine personal knowing experience.
Even the eastern religions typified by Hinduism and Buddhism have become intellectualized by the demands from it's teachers of an idealized, mental, constricting, sentimental obedience based on faith; not on a direct personal experience.
Love is not of the mind, the mind can not comprehend love and in turn cannot define it. How many times have we heard the maxim "God is Love". Usually the proponents of that dictate then proceed to give you their definition of 'God', while neglecting the 'Love' part. Love, in the terms of language can only be alluded to. Language which is solely of the ego/mind can not properly capture the sweet spot essence of Love. Love can only be experienced...One can only relate that it surely exists, and it is 'God', but one cannot properly describe to someone else the substance of the felt experience.
Trust me...this writing is an intellectual, analytical attempt to relate the un-relatable. To communicate that what we as seekers are searching for, is indeed there and real. I and the multitude of hundreds of millions have directly experienced it. My personal experience comes in instants, not even in minutes. An instant of periodic whole-knowing-ness, being Love. Those instants are enough to fuel my esoteric/spiritual/mystical practices for lifetimes. My desire is to share my experience, even though I know that it is ultimately impossible.
The mystic poets span all religious persuasions, yet their writings all speak of the same common, energetic-conscious origins of Love, the heart. The physical heart that pumps our blood and keeps the cadence of life is the material, corporeal manifestation of the spiritual, energetic power that under girds the biological heart and is the seat of our being and knowing.
The outer edge of each religion says 'fundamentalism'.
All of these mystics have one very critical aspect in common...Moses, Buddha, Jesus and Muhammad all retreated in solitude and discovered the same core essence of living-beingness.
- Jesus to the desert
- Muhammad to a cave
- Moses to the mountaintop
- Buddha under a tree
- They discovered the core essence of their beings in solitude and retreat. The ancient mystics all experienced the core of beingness, Love. Their teaching were called mystical.
The mystic poets celebrate the universality of the mystic's vision. Many times called 'the ground of being, the divine spark, the sacred love, the 'God' within. This is the very fabric of the universe. We are the experiencers of the universe being conscious and loving. The problem is that we think we're something else, that we're something 'special' in our individuality, that our uniqueness of expression makes others less or more than we are. We have allowed our divine connection to all 'things ' to become an outward experience, where the sacred substance is lost, and we experience fear. We have adopted the tragic belief that unless others reflect our beliefs and myopic vision, then they're not deserving of our love and in turn respect and they are to be shunned, dishonored or mocked.
The grievous irony of all of this is that Moses, Muhammad, Buddha or Jesus or any other mystic never taught any such thing.
They prophetic mystics knew and taught that the nucleus, the core being-ness of us all is a heart based Love. Cultures and the religions and governments that spring from them teach otherwise. They teach obedience over Loving, conformity over integrity, that 'God' is this and not that.
Chemistry gives us a great understanding of what this love may look like mechanically. Some elements always have electrons (energy) to give, some elements bond easily by adopting the 'extra' electrons of other elements, and some elements known as 'the noble gases' are always balanced and neither give nor take up 'free' electrons. All of the elements of the Periodic table are at their source physical manifestations of energy, energy that has consolidated into their expression as matter, which is simply densely compacted energy . Once these elements 'decay', they return to their energetic origin. That is infinity...that is eternal. That is us.
So I invite you to read and ponder the mystic poets. I am relatively new to their brilliance myself. However, I do know that no matter what religious/cultural tradition they emerge from, they all communicate the exact same experience. Terrence McKenna communicates this concept so well.
If you seek to explore the mystic poets I highly recommend Dr. Alexander Riegal's mystic poets circle.
Relating my experience...reporting my experience along the path...
Love,
Duane Townsend
Original Article: http://www.duanetownsend.com/1/post/2014/02/discovering-the-common-thread-of-experiencing.html
