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| 161 7 Mystical Experiences Diane first learned Transcendental Meditation during her freshman year of college. She was not expecting the experience she had. In her words, I sat down to receive instruction, and then the teacher let me sit to meditate for awhile. I was just in the middle of light. It was very powerful. My physiology was subtler than it had ever been in my life. It was very powerful . There was just lots of light. Unbelievable! I didn’t want it to end. The light was radiant, and this was with my eyes closed. It was internal, not external. Mark’s experience upon beginning TM was similar: My first experience meditating was profound. It was like finding a method to come home. During the process I was able to transcend completely. Immediately my mind became silent, and I had the experience of pure awareness. There was a softness, a feeling of mother being at home. Then I experienced light. It was an inner light. It was inside, not visual. It was me. I was light inside, and I was aware of that for the first time. It was a very nice experience. The mystical experience of inner light has been recorded in religious traditions around the world and throughout history. We could call it a perennial experience—one that is not bound by culture or time frame. The way a person describes the experience of inner light is bound by culture—in this case, the culture created within the HIMM of the TM movement. When people begin the practice of Transcendental Meditation, they are given some hints of what to expect during introductory lectures. Instructors emphasize the physiological correlate to the meditative experience, which in TM parlance is called “subtle physiology.” This is probably why Diane described her experience by saying, “My physiology was subtler than it had ever been in my 162 | In Their Own Words life.” And Maharishi used to say that TM makes people feel safe, just like a child feels when he knows that “mother is at home.” Thus Mark described his first meditation as “a feeling of mother being at home.” The fact that Diane and Mark clothed their experiences in familiar language gives credence to “constructivist” or “cultural-linguistic” theories about the source of mystical experiences. These theories argue that mystical experience does not derive from an ontological reality, but occurs as a result of expectations due to the person’s cultural and linguistic milieu. On the other hand, nowhere in introductory lectures do TM instructors mention that the meditator will experience light. Yet both Diane and Mark had very distinct experiences of inner illumination, which seemed to take them by surprise. The fact that they experienced something for which they were unprepared supports another theory regarding the source of mystical experience, commonly called the “perennialist” view. According to this theory, mystical experiences occur at a level beyond language and therefore similarities can be found across cultures. Whether mystical experiences are the result of culture and language or come from a transcendent realm beyond language has been debated vigorously among scholars of mysticism.1 Diane’s and Mark’s descriptions offer support for both sides of the debate. HIMMs’ emphasis on inner spiritual attainment makes them strongly mystical in nature. The word “mysticism” derives from the mystery cults of ancient Hellenic culture in which aspirants gained spiritual knowledge through studying with an adept. The knowledge and experiences that transpired between the master and disciple were kept secret from the general public . The wisdom contained in the Hindu scriptural corpus of the Upanishads is likely to have been shared in the same way. According to one etymology, the word “upanishad” means secret doctrine or instruction (rahasya), but it can also mean to sit near the spiritual teacher (from verb root sad=to sit and upa=near). Cultivation of mystical experiences through specific training might be called “institutional mysticism.” Ancient Roman mystery cults, Hindu Tantric cults, Muslim Sufi orders, and Roman Catholic monastic orders, among other religious groups, have cultivated systems of thought and training that are disseminated by a master or precept for the purpose of attaining higher knowledge. Institutional mysticism occurs as well in the training offered through HIMMs. Prospective students enter the contemplative path through initiation that is guided by the guru. Those who follow the path “sit close” to the guru—if not literally, then metaphorically. Varying degrees of [18.118.145.114] Project MUSE (2024-04-23 18:36...

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