Let it be stated clearly that mysticism is an a-rational type of experience, and in some degree common to all men. It is an intuitive, self-evident, self-recognized knowledge which comes fitfully to man. It should not be confounded with the instinctive and immediate knowledge possessed by animals and used by them in their adaptations to environment. The average man seldom pays enough attention to his slight mystical experiences to profit or learn from them. Yet his need for them is evidenced by his incessant seeking for the thrills, sensations, uplifts, and so on, which he organizes for himself in so many ways--the religious way being only one of them. In fact, the failure of religion--in the West, at any rate--to teach true mysticism, and its overlaying of the deeply mystic nature of its teachings with a pseudo-rationalism and an unsound historicity may be the root cause for driving people to seek for things greater than they feel their individual selves to be in the many sensation-giving activities in the world today. Paul Brunton
About This Quote

This quote reminds us that in order to find something greater than our selves, it’s important to remember our true nature. True mysticism is something that can be learned in many ways. The best way for us to learn is by experiencing it. We will always need to remember our true nature and it’s important to have a constant reminder of this, whether or not we are using practice.

Source: The Notebooks Of Paul Brunton

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More Quotes By Paul Brunton
  1. The philosophic outlook rises above all sectarian controversy. It finds its own position not only by appreciating and synthesizing what is solidly based in the rival sects but also by capping them all with the keystone of nonduality.
  2. Although the pure truth has never been stated, nevertheless it has never been lost. Its existence does not depend upon human statement but upon human sensitivity. In this it is unlike all other knowledge.
  3. When every situation which life can offer is turned to the profit of spiritual growth, no situation can really be a bad one.
  4. He is beginning to master wisdom when he tries to learn how not to try.
  5. Whoever wants the "I" to yield up its mysterious and tremendous secret must stop it from looking perpetually in the mirror, must stop the little ego's fascination with its own image.
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