Self Fulfillment and

Authentic Maturity

by Jon Mundy

The following is excerpted from the last chapter of my, hopefully soon to be released new book, What is Mysticism?

The vision of truth is not self-denial, but rather self-fulfillment.
Evelyn Underhill

Completeness – Wholeness -- Integration

A mystical experience or even many mystical experiences does not make someone a mystic. Being a mystic requires the integration of experience into an ongoing, deepening, contemplative awareness. Though we may reach a plateau of peace and maintain a high level of stability until we leave the body, there will be more tests ahead. As we go through future trials, will we maintain our peace or will we be pulled off course? It is possible to attain a level where there are no broken relationships; a place of truth and integrity; free of guilt, shame, and fear. We attain this plateau, realizing that we already have what we need and continuing to search is like looking for our glasses while they are resting on our nose.

Enlightenment is not about becoming divine.

 It's about becoming more fully human.

It is the end of ignorance.

Lama Surya Das

What is Enlightenment?

What would it be like to have no worries, no anxiety, no problems – no major concerns? What would it be like to hold no grievance, no hurt feelings, no unforgiveness or condemnation? What would it be like to be forever calm, patient, and serene? What would it be like to be free of judgment? What would it be like to experience the love of God, flowing from the heart, to everyone you meet every day? What if there were no fears of death – no sense of limitation? What if you knew you were not a body? What would it be like to know eternity? What would it be like to know God?

According to Aldous Huxley, the spiritual journey does not consist of arriving at a new destination where we gain something we did not have. It consists in the dissipation of ignorance concerning ourselves. According to Immanuel Kant, enlightenment comes in the emergence from immaturity. Immaturity is the inability to use one's own understanding without guidance. We are not called upon to be angels; we are called upon to be mature human-beings. A Course in Miracles repeatedly refers to us as little children. It never refers to us as adults. Jed McKenna speaks about our moving from Human Childhood, an ego state, to Human Adulthood. According to mystic Bernadette Roberts, author of The Path to No Self, “a mystic is an authentically, mature human being.”

 “Egoless” does not mean “less” than personal

it means “more than personal.”

Ken Wilbur

  The Empty Whole and Still Mind

  John White, author of What Is Enlightenment?, says that “Enlightenment is realization of the truth of Being.” In enlightenment, the path, the goal, the journey, and the teaching become one. Enlightenment is being in a continuous, meditative state. It is living wonderfully, delightful – meaningful. Enlightenment is the surrender of duality. Wei Wu Wei refers to enlightenment as “whole-mind.” Enlightenment is peace of mind; or, as Ramesh Belsekar says, it is an empty mind. Empty mind does not mean there are no thoughts; it means there are no distractions. The empty mind is like a calm body of water reflecting the brilliance of the moon. Nothing can take away our peace of mind. When the mind is empty, it is open. Like a mirror, an empty mind reflects without attachment. Free of the busy mind, we realize the undisturbed mind. Obsessive, compulsive, neurotic thinking no longer is. The world is what it is. An open mind is free. A closed mind lives in a prison. Addictions and grievances are prison houses of the mind. When the mind is still, the universe surrenders.

  All we see in darkness is shadows and illusions. In darkness, we believe there is much to fear. To be enlightened means to see in light. To see in light is to know truth. When we no longer see darkness, we are enlightened. Spiritual sight, or true vision, brings light. The peace of enlightenment comes in letting go – nothing happens. The most profound element of enlightenment is simplicity. We do not have to manipulate anything. We do not have to have anything above and beyond the present.

When peace comes at last to those who wrestle with temptation and fight against the giving in to sin;

when the light comes at last into the mind given to contemplation;

or when the goal is finally achieved by anyone, it always comes with just one happy realization;

"I need do nothing.”
A Course in Miracles

  Chop Wood -- Carry Water

  Or Drive to Work and Type on a Computer

  If we achieve freedom from the ego, what then? As long as the body continues in time, there will be another minute. What do we do in the next minute? Though a mystic might have many occupations, mystics are often multi-talented, autodidacts, and self-taught seekers. They are often polymaths and renaissance-type folk: musicians, poets, artists, writers, teachers, therapists, gardeners, and sculptors – crafts people of all sorts. They are simply folks who have learned how to stop, look, listen, and see deeply. Free from the tyranny of the ego and its “special” needs, we can just love. Enlightenment unfolds as we awaken from unhappy dreams and ego dramas. We can then embrace the world knowing it is only a shadow. Free of judgment, everything has a fresh, “expectant shine.” It’s wonderful just “being.” Vimala Thaker, a contemporary Indian teacher of Mediation says, “As a lover of life, how can I stay out of life.”

  Alive, alert, and attentive, we are free to enjoy whatever presents itself – nature, relationships, exercise, dancing, laughing, playing music, singing, work, food, sexuality, reading, or any creative act. Mysticism includes Stoicism and Epicureanism. Physical appetites may be of little consequence. When it comes to sexuality, for example, the mystic might enjoy sharing life in this way or live without it with equal equanimity. In the same way – an apple eaten in a contemplative state is as delicious and as satisfying as a multi-course meal. A mystic might live alone or with others with equal composure. There is no need to avoid, mitigate, dull, or dilute life. Present in each moment, the mystic delights in the now.

  Pain and Pleasure, Appreciation, and Mindfulness

  According to Franklin-Merrell Wolff, a mystic is anything but an ascetic because “He who has realized Spiritual Gold enjoys more, not less.” Buddhism speaks of mind-fullness or prayer-fullness. Of what are we mind “full?” Mind is full of the present. There is no place else to be. There is no place else to go. There is no fearful dreaming -- no lingering guilt or haunting fear. All we need, we have. Present in the moment, we savor the moment, whatever it is. Mysticism sharpens focus as we do whatever needs doing. We are then attentive drivers -- good typists, cooks, dishwashers, cleaners, mothers, father, brothers, sisters, employers, and employees. 

  A mystic’s life is not free of pain. Events occur in the world which elicit a response. We may receive unwanted news. Though she knows there is no death, because a mystic loves deeply, she will mourn as much as anyone the loss of a parent, spouse, child, friend, or pet. Mourning is a part of spiritual growth. Embrace the pain. If you are going through hell – keep going. Time is a physician and grief is medicine and a necessary part of our letting go of the world. Though the immediacy of our loving is gone, that which is eternal can never be lost. It is natural to weep over that which has been our delight. Mysticism is if anything natural.

  Detached Involvement and a Rest Most Busy

  The mystic mind is calm, detached and involved, relaxed and alert. Relations are harmonious. Why wouldn’t they be? There is no need for projection, re-proof, argumentation, or re-organization.

When faced with the ups and downs of life, still the mind remains unshaken, not lamenting,

not generating defilements, always feeling secure. This is the greatest happiness.

Buddhist Sutra Nipata

  Realizing oneself as the Self, is to become selfless. When there is no ego needing things to happen; when there is no need to change the world, we can love as God does – without conditions. The enlightened mind is a place of peace, and ordered activity. It is, according to Walter Hilton, a rest most busy. The mystic is alive, alert, attentive, yet also passive, quiet, and serene.

Selfishness is of the ego, but Self-fullness is of spirit

because that is how God created it.

A Course in Miracles

  Humility

  Entering into Self is coming home. It is a returning to who we already are in our primordial condition – who we are and have been from time immemorial. Along with the validation of Self, there comes deep humility. In greatness we realize our small wonderful part in the larger scheme of God’s universe.

We come nearest to the great when we are great in humility.
Rabindranath Tagore
 

  Benjamin Franklin once made a list of virtues for himself. He was determined to accomplish each of them. He even felt as though he had done a good job, at which point he found himself lacking in humility. It is an incredible thing to be a human being, and the more awake we are, the more incredible. Humility and grace are natural states for the mystics. If we are not in a state of grace, we are out of our natural environment.

  Wonder, Awe, and Reverence

Concepts create idols. Only wonder comprehends anything.

People kill one another over idols. Wonder makes us fall to our knees.

St. Gregory of Nyssa

   Wonder is evoked by the experience of an event inexplicable by the laws of the world. Confronted with the divine, we can only say, "Awe" like Amen or Om; it is the most basic of sounds and a deep release. In moments of awe, there are feelings of respect and veneration, honesty, and gratitude. In awe, we behold what is and, like God after creation, say “How very good it is.” In wonder, we praise God without words. It is said of the shepherds on the hillside, at the time of the birth of Jesus, that when the angels appeared to them, they were filled with awe. All they could do was look!

No one has ever been a lukewarm, indifferent, or unhappy mystic.

C.F. E. Spurgeon

  Freedom, Joy, Happiness, and Bliss

  Nothing makes us happier than doing God’s will. We want to do God’s will because it is our own. Casting off the shackles of the ego, we live with what is. Realizing identity with Reality brings freedom from suffering and death. St. Francis of Assisi embodied joy, as did Mother Theresa, Rumi, Kabir, and Whitman. Words cannot express the jubilation of the mystic. Nothing is more exciting than “being.” It is okay to have a good time in the universe. Salvation is a joyful event. The world is a playground, Lila in Hinduism. As Katherine Hepburn once observed, “I never lose sight of the fact that just being is fun.” It is possible in every moment to be "in love." Mysticism leaves us happy and free. Responsibility is not a burden. Enlightenment exists only in freedom. We are all eternal.

We are born to be happy, to be abundantly supplied with every good thing,

to have fun in living, to consciously unite with the Divine Power

that is around us and with us, and to grow and expand forever.

Earnest Holmes

  Enthusiasm

  Enthusiasm means "to be inspired” – the quality of having God within. It comes from the Greek en and Theos, or God. Enthusiasm is being in God. Being in God is the opposite of being in ego. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, enthusiasm was religion experienced through an opening to the Divine.  From this perspective, creed and dogmas are traps and restraints.

Why wait for Heaven?

 Those who seek the light are merely covering their eyes.

 The light is in them now.

Enlightenment is but a recognition, not a change at all.

A Course in Miracles

  We can barely see the ego by ourselves and we need the honest critique of friends. Listen to them! Freedom from ego requires perseverance and a readiness to stay awake and attentive. Actually, no one can say “I am enlightened” because there is no “I” to be enlightened. According to Bernadette Roberts, someone without a self is not likely to stand up and say, “I have no sin,” as the truth of the matter is, he has no “I.”

  While there is no “I” to be enlightened, it is fair to say that here, at the beginning of the twenty-first century, there are a growing number of mystics. Mysticism is becoming main stream. Being the perennial philosophy, it always has been its time has come round again. The more I travel, the more folks I meet, the more it seems clear that many people are ready for the undiluted truth of God. Every now and then someone will claim enlightenment. You may think you are the Christ – because you are but don’t let it go to your head. When that happens, the ego can take over and what was blissful becomes a downer. Perhaps someone is enlightened, who am I to judge? As we have seen, judging is not the province of the mystic. Knowledge, fame, and power, however, are powerful intoxicants. Intoxicants can make people feel invincible. As contemporary author, Steven King says, “When beer takes over, people do bad things.” Intoxicants are toxic, and history shows that intoxication with power, or thinking that one is right can easily usurp wisdom, derail sanity, and the potential for enlightenment. This often happens in hero mythology as it does, for example, with the villain, Darth Vader of Star Wars.

If you think you are enlightened,

go and spend a week with your parents.

Ram Dass

  The Brighter the Light, the Darker the Shadow

  You may achieve a profound insight into the nature of the psyche. Some are called to share this information. Some of them are brilliant. Specialness – “thinking that we are someone” – takes us off track. Start believing your own press release and you’re in trouble. Feeling we are blessed; feeling we know what “Christ Consciousness” or “Buddahood” is all about, can also bring omnipotence, and with it, the subtle slip-shod thought that we no longer have a shadow. If everything is working just right and you think you cannot make a mistake -- beware. 

To exist is to change, to change is to mature,

to mature is to go on creating oneself endlessly.

 Henri Bergson

  Characteristics of a Mystic and a Mystical Path

  Whatever discipline or path we choose: Sufism, A Course in Miracles, Buddhism, Taoism, Gnosticism, Yoga, Mystical Christianity, the Kabala, any of the thousands of forms, or simply our own unique inner paths – all mystical paths reflect one universal, perennial path. This path has certain characteristics.

  Mysticism has no requirements. Mysticism makes no demands. There is no pledge to sign. There are no rules or regulations. There is no organization for mystics, no pledges, no dues. There are no magic formulas, no mysteries, no secrets, no oaths, no rites, no rituals, no dogmas, and no creeds. Relax, take a deep breath. God makes no demands.

  Mysticism does not proselytize. Mysticism is not about converting or being in competition with any thought system. There is no missionary effort and no saving of lost souls because there are no lost souls. There are those who know and those who have temporarily forgotten. Some folks remember God now, and others will be remembering. For the enlightened few – God’s kingdom has come. For the seeker it’s – Thy Kingdom Come.

  Mysticism brings purpose and meaning and enables the completion of our destiny. Mysticism does not have an agenda. Mysticism is a matter of “listening” and doing God’s will without demanding that our will be done. The world, as constructed by the ego, is a massive, multiple personality disorder. The mystic sees the insanity of the world, and then chooses not to play the game. Truth is truth and needs no proof. Truth does not cause anything. Truth is everything. Revelation replaces the illusion of a separate, individual ego.

  A Mystic is happy to help. Having much, it is easy to share. The mystic lives for, and with God and neighbor. When God loves us, God loves God. The mystic gains everything and loses nothing. It is one of the pleasant obligations of the awakened to help awaken those who sleep. If someone asks for help, the mystic helps. See a need, respond to the need. Mysticism is a place of “balance,” so one also learns to help without being taken advantage of.

  Mysticism is inclusive. Mysticism is interfaith and not against anything. There are no opposites and no enemies. There is no need to castigate or make wrong. This does not mean that others might not behave in hurtful ways. There is no reason, however, to attack those who see differently than we do. Mysticism identifies with the all -- mankind, nature, animals, the earth, music, the mind, the heart.

  Mysticism attracts without persuasiveness. Mysticism disregards glamorization. There is no hierarchy in mysticism. No one is special. We are all equal here. There is no pomp and pageantry. Though a mystic might be a monk or brother, a priest or minister, mystics on the whole, do not wear special clothing. Everyone is respected. We are all just people here.

  There is no guilt in mysticism and no fear. Life is eternal, and there is nothing to be afraid of. At death, only the illusory shell, the body and the false ego self is lost. In this loss, there is freedom. The best thing about dying is that prison doors are open and the body no longer places a hold on spirit. This is the message of resurrection.

  Mystics appreciate silence and autonomy. Mystics are not loners, yet it is easy to be alone. They also mix well with others. They want to know how others are doing and their appreciation of people and things are fresh. They often have strong, intimate relationships that are profound, deeply loving, and long-lasting.

  Mysticism is realistic and responsible. Mystics accept themselves, other people, and the natural world for what it is. They get on with life and "let others be.'' Mystics are good time managers, preferring to do it now, rather than delaying, tabling, or waiting. Living in the now also enables focus and flow.

   Mysticism is simple. It is so simple that it is easily missed, misinterpreted or misunderstood. The mystical lies hidden in most “ordinary” experiences and the most obvious of spots. It lies quietly in the heart.

  Mysticism is a fund of creativity. Mysticism finds creative expression in a myriad of forms. Even ordinary things are interesting, including that which others might pass over as commonplace.

  Mysticism is fun. Mystics are spontaneous. Mystics like to play easily see irony, and laugh frequently. In possession of the moment -- the moment is everything.

  Mysticism is an affirmation of life and a denial of death. All there is, is life. Mysticism is thus appreciative and compassionate and aware of an intrinsic beauty.

  Mysticism is grateful. Gratitude is a fundamental quality of mysticism. What an incredible thing it is to be a child of God. What an incredible thing it is to be!

  Mysticism is patient. Mysticism is tolerant, uncomplaining, tranquil, and serene.

  Mystics are not special. Everyone is ordained by God and everyone will one day realize the truth of God.

  Mysticism is free. As a dew-drop slips from the leaf into the river, and the river slips into the ocean, so the mystic slips into the All. Now the mystic is the ocean.

  Mysticism just is.  Isness is wonderful.