The Path of the Mystic

There are perhaps mystics in all peoples, and there is a mystic side to all religions. This shows that mysticism does not come from the East or from the West, it is a human inheritance and belongs to the soul. Every religion–Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Judaism–has a mystic aspect, and this shows that mysticism belongs to every religion, and it also shows that religion needs a mystical aspect to manifest in its fullness.

In its latest stages the world has passed through so much, so many centuries of materialism, that when one nowadays speaks of mysticism, it is looked upon as something vague and incomprehensible. Mysticism has always existed as a human inheritance, but the waves of materialism have effaced it. We should understand the difference between religion, morality, mysticism and philosophy.

Religion is a law of beauty given to humanity by the masters of life.…
Mysticism is a way of getting to the center of things.

Religion is a law of beauty given to humanity by the masters of life. Morality is a prescription of principles adopted by a number of persons at a given period. Philosophy is an explication of names, forms, conditions and circumstances which are known by logic and knowledge. Mysticism is a way that is incomprehensible to most people, because it is a way of getting to the center of life and things, which the other ways take centuries to get to. The source where mystics get their knowledge from is the Divine Source, of which Christ says, “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and all things shall be added unto you.” The ordinary person cannot understand that by sitting down and closing his eyes a man can get knowledge. He also cannot see how one can get knowledge without learning from exterior sources, because all his life he has been accustomed to that.

And so it is that no religious man or philosopher, however good and pure, can get at the knowledge of the mystic, because the mystic’s knowledge is the greatest of all, just as a man standing on the mountain sees more than he who stands at the bottom. Or, can a man who wants to see the moon see it by looking on the ground? The words of Christ, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God,” are so simple, and yet understood by so few. The Christ-spirit is the mystic spirit. Even before Christ, mysticism has always existed. Buddha, Krishna, Moses and Muhammad, all walked the path of the mystic. Can you tell me of Krishna going to an academy to learn? Or Christ or any other teacher learning from outer sources? No, their knowledge came from the Divine Source.

To be continued…