The mystical element

The term mysticism, although not quite a taboo subject for Westerners is not well received in some Buddhist circles including some Zen circles, even though, arguably, Buddhism falls under the category of mysticism along with Zen.  According to Zen Buddhist historian, Heinrich Dumoulin, “The mystical element is an essential part of Buddhism.”  The realization of this ‘mystical element’ is not without the means of dhyâna which in Chinese is Ch’an and in Japanese, Zen.  Dhyâna is what enabled Siddhartha to attain Buddhhahood, who saw this profound mystical element after he gave up his ascetic practices, finding them inadequate.

“The dharma obtained by me is profound, of deep splendor, difficult to see, difficult to understand, incomprehensible, having the incomprehensible as its scope, fine, subtle, the sense of which can only be understood by the wise” (Catusparisat Sûtra).

Why the lingering problem with accepting that Zen Buddhism is straightforward mysticism, is that a number of Western Buddhists have not been sufficiently weaned off of materialism.  They still follow the sulphuric light of materialism which dominates modernity.  This materialism has a subtle dehumanizing effect upon the modern person including their spiritual sensibilities.  Man, it is assumed, is only the sum of his anatomical parts being something akin to a biological machine.  He is not greater than this sum. Hence, any mystical experience, if anything, is a form of autosuggestion!  According to modern thought, the mystic Plotinus surely was deluded when he said:

"This is the soul's true end, to touch that Light and set It by Itself, not by another , by itself, Which gives it sight as well. It must see That Light by which it is enlightened; for we do not see the sun by another light than his own. How then can this happen? Take away everything!"

However, the great mystic Plotinus is not far from Buddhism which speaks of the radiant Mind and clear light Mind, etc.  A beautiful example of such a description appears in the Dashabhumika Sutra. 

“Again, O son of a good family, thou hast now one light, it is the light that sees into the real nature of all things as unborn and beyond discrimination.  But the light of truth possessed by the Tathagatas is as regards its infinite mobility, activity, and manifestation, beyond all measurement, calculation, comparison, and proportion.  Thou shouldest rise thy intention towards it in order to realise it.”

Believe it or not, there are Buddhists who have not only experienced such a light but have taken everything away in order to realize it—everything conditioned, that is, where everything is finally seen as a configuration of this marvelous, eternal light.  But while materialism has taken hold of the modern soul, skepticism has taken a hold of modern reasoning which is skeptical of any claim of transcendence—perhaps the most important part of mysticism.  

 

Comments

[Neti-Neti Yeti]

Methexis, I'm an author and journalist, mainly.

As far as transcending I don't think I've transcended anything. It seems I have not even approached the foot of the mountain, and sometimes I feel like I'm getting nowhere at all.

Then, once in a while, the Buddhas manifest themeselves, they lift the veil of material unreality just a bit, just enough to remind me why it matters, and I keep going.

[Methexis]

Neti-Neti Yeti: I admire your enthusiasm. What do you do when you're not transcending? Do you like Röyksopp?

[Neti-Neti Yeti]

"Because of folly they do not understand that all things are like Maya, like the reflection of the moon in water, that there is no self-substance to be imagined as an ego-soul and its belongings, and that all their definite ideas rise from their false discriminations of what exists only as it is seen of the mind itself."
(Lankavatara sutra)

In classical Advaita, the metaphor commonly used is mistaking a rope for a snake. This is called "superimposition" or adhyasa. In western terms, this is akin to not seeing the forest for the trees.

From this metaphor we see how we are deluded by Maya: this delusion springs from a dialectical root. There is a "veiling power" (avarana) that prevents us from seeing what the rope in fact is, and a "projecting power" (or vikshepa) which is the illusion of a snake superimposed over the rope, and completing our delusion.

The petty suffering ego self is confused with the blissful unconditioned consciousness of all-existence, which is Nirvana. The materialist Buddhist, who delights in all appearances streaming from their thievish minds, which seek to rob them of the meaning of reality, mistakes one for the other.

They see the transient waves of unreal existence but fail to recognize the one undiferentiated ocean of reality which gives rise to them, and which cannot be approached through any concept or rational knowing, but by transcendence of the known in the deepest seat of consciousness.

It is the very content of mind itself which is the primordial problem of rebirth. As long as we dwell in the known, taking comfort from our mind stream of delusion, we will forever be trapped by the known.

The one common Essence of reality is so indefinably vast that no ordinary material mind could ever encompass it.

It is the reckless and aberrant Buddhist indeed who would prefer to dwell with the chimeric demons of the mind system rather than practice to transcend discriminated reality through the "turning about" of self realization of Noble Wisdom, as revealed in the mystical teachings.