Wednesday, 20 July 2011

Mysticism: Pagan versus Christian

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Methods are nearly identical.
Objectives are very different.

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Meditation v Prayer

Immersion in nature v communication with God

Impersonal loss of conscious awareness v Personal communication with God

No extrinsic aim, good in itself v Aiming at communion with God (theosis)

Loss of subjective ego v Becoming true self

Loss of sense of location v Experience of self in divine presence

A particular subjective experience v Conformity with objectivity

Oneness v Duality

Unity in the world v Unity only in the next world

Timelessness v Plan

Becoming undifferentiated v Becoming unique

Indifference to death v Death as transition

Nature as sovereign, eternal v Nature as time-limited, to be remade

Submission, self-sufficiency v Humility, asking for help

We are nothing v We are (potentially) Sons of God

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3 comments:

The Crow said...

Very few people understand what meditation actually is.
Far from being meditation vs. prayer, it is a prerequisite for prayer. How to converse with God when one's mind is full of extraneous noise and babble that never gets turned off?
Silence the mind, empty it of all notions, set the stage, and then one may hear the eternal voice.
The body being a temple, best to tidy it before worship.

Bruce Charlton said...

@Crow - that was what I meant by the first comment - same method, different aims. Agreed?

The Crow said...

I rarely understand you, Bruce. I have to do my best.
I suspect that is how others read my comments, too.
Unsure, but goodwill helps, no end :)