Makeup Work

Post 3 - Eastern Mystics

Being an eastern mystic means to be more concerned with ending the cycle of rebirth, to achieve moksha.  One does not simply end the cycle of rebirth though, it is a long processes to throw off one’s karma and gain liberation. An Eastern mystic typically lives the life of an ascetic, although this is not always the case. Mystics give up on worldly things and pleasures in favor of finding out the true self. An eastern mystic is also a guide and a teacher to those who would follow him/her, and these teachers or gurus are a very important part of Eastern thought because it is believed essential that one must learn the secrets of the inner self from one who is already wise and have found the path. There are many different paths and types of teachers to help one gain the full realization. Some of the methods used to gain a true understanding of the world and self is mediatation and yoga. These methods teach self-discipline and help one to remove all worldly distractions and find the inner sound or form that is sacred.

From my understanding of the text, the author does not think the mystics are tapping into a mystical realm but does seem impressed with the knowledge of self and reality that the mystics display. I think that that the mystics are tapping into a mystical realm, if one considers the inner self a mystical realm. It would appear to me that these mystics are able to truly know themselves and reality through an altered state of consciousness that I find to be very profound. The musings of the mystics is attractive to me as a philosophy because it seems to me that the only way to know truth is to search for it within rather than without.

I have a few favorite gurus that I read in the book. I like Sawan Singh because I am very interested in the yoga attributed to him, surat shabad yoga. It is interesting to hear of a sacred sound that flows through all of us and to reach higher planes one only needs to follow the sound. I also liked Archaraya Sushil Kumar because he says we must do away with the other, if we are to be at peace and become whole. I thoroughly agree with this philosophy and I also agree with the idea that we are not separate entities but parts of a whole creation, an indivisible whole. This is why we must respect and not harm any living thing, because it is truly a part of us. The final mystic I Like is Faqir Chand. He is a favorite guru of mine because of his realization that help and enlightenment doesn't come from without but from within. His realization and acceptance that sacred forms and figures are not holy images, but a product of our brains and spirits helping us during times of need, makes eastern mysticism more accessible to my rational thought and also tells me he is not a proud man. Instead he is a wise and honest man.