Religion and Spirituality - Wayne Teasdale

There is a difference between
religion and spirituality.
Spirituality refers to an individual's
solitary search for and discovery of
the Absolute or the Divine...

[however one knows that to be]
It involves direct mystical experience of "God"
[however one knows that to be],
or realization of the vast Awareness.
Spirituality carries with it a conviction
that the transcendent is real...

Religion is more a social organism of
worship and ritual...

We need direct contact with The Divine or Ultimate
Mystery.  The focus of Religion is on worship at a
corporate level - carriers of tradition rather than
the mystical life...

Spirituality can be profoundly transformative when it
inspires in us an attitude of surrender to The Mystery.
Spirituality draws us into the depths of our Being,
where we come face to face with ourselves, our
weaknesses and the Ultimate Mystery.

Religions depend on institutions to make decisions for
us through conformity to external religiosity and the
safe routines of liturgy and ritual.

The necessary shifts in consciousness requires a new
approach to spirituality that transcends past religious
cultures of fragmentation and isolation.
We don't need to go into monasteries to become mystics.
We need only to realize and activate that Essential part
of our Being...

How we make the journey is what spirituality is all
about, using all the resources from all the religious 
traditions available to us...

Finding our own path.

Finding a way to relate to the Divine [however one knows
that to be].  The evolution of an individual's spirituality
is a mysterious and intimate matter.  It originates in the heart,
in deep stirrings that represent an insatiable longing of the 
heart [for Source]...

We are created for the spiritual journey...

Wayne Teasdale
from: Mystic Heart

~

Photo - Mystic Meandering

 

A Mystic's "Spirituality"...

Being an unapologetic "mystic" at Heart, since childhood, means for me experiencing the living Presence of Life that animates all life.  Some call that God, The Divine, The Beloved, The Ineffable, The Mystery, Pure Consciousness, Infinite Being, Spirit, Brahman, the Tao, etc.  It has many names and forms.  It means being able to see and experience "The Mystery" in the every-day-ness of life; something I am still admittedly "working" to try to be more aware of - to be more aware of the Sacred in the entropy of world affairs, in the chaotic mundane personal affairs of life; the requirements of daily living; in the must do's and have-to's that always find their way to the top of my list, and seem to drive my life...

As a "mystic" I long to experience the depths of Ultimate Reality - immersing myself daily in the depths of Meditative Silence, listening to the Hush of "The Mystery."  Some may assume a "mystic" doesn't experience longing, or the darker feelings and frustrations with living the Infinite Cosmic Dance.  That has not been my experience.  A "mystic" just experiences them within the context of the Greater Reality - and learns to embrace them as part of the totality of experience.  Some feel that a "mystic" has special insights or powers, or visions, or is only interested in seeking "mystical experiences."  But for me it is not in "seeking" experiences (I have very few of them), but being aware of and open to the movement of "The Mystery", through its many expressions, living in the intimacy of "The Mystery," and at times experiencing an intimate encounter with what I know to be "The Divine", like my "Epiphany" back in 2013, or through "meditative writings", and celestial songs (poetry) that sometimes just spills out onto the page. Mystical "spirituality" acknowledges the universality of what most have come to call "God", "The Divine", or Buddha Nature (Dharmakaya), not associated with any particular faith, religion, or practice, but a transcendent truth - realizing that humans, at the very core of their being, are both "Divine" and human, formlessness in form, spirit in matter, Timeless in time...

Wayne Teasdale, a 20th century Christian Mystic, and author of A Mystic Heart says: "Mystical spirituality draws us into the depths of our Being, where we come face to face with ourselves, our weakness, AND with the Ultimate Mystery.  Spirituality is not external religiosity, not confined to ritual and liturgy.  It is a way of life that affects and includes every moment of existence...  It is a disposition to a life of depth..."

He goes on - "How we make the journey is what spirituality is really about - finding our own path. This means finding a way to [awareness of] the vast unlimited consciousness of The Divine, The Mystery within.  We are created for this 'spiritual journey' - the direct and immediate experience of Ultimate Reality, which knows everything as ItSelf.  Being infinitely aware, it knows in a unitive and universal fashion through awareness...  The spiritual journey is essentially one of discovering the roots of our true identity.  It is a process of returning to the totality of Consciousness, from which we have arise."

~

We cannot live in a world that is interpreted for us by others.
[We must] take back our own listening,
use our own voice,
see our own Light."

Hildegard of Bingen
12th Century Christian Mystic

_/\_

Namaste

A Mystical Spirituality...

Being a “mystic”, for me anyway, means experiencing the living Presence of Life that animates all life.  Some call that God, The Divine, Pure Consciousness, Infinite Beingness, Spirit, Brahman, the Tao, etc.  It has many names and forms. It is being able to see the Sacred in the every-day-ness of life – something I admittedly am still “working” on – meaning - I am trying to be more *aware* of the “Sacred” in the mundane affairs of life, in the requirements of daily living; in the must do’s and have-to’s that always find their way to the top of my list, and drive my life...  Learning to actually *see* that it's all “The Mystery” living ItSelf here - as I believe it is; that it is the play of the Infinite Cosmos.

A Mystical Spirituality pertains to direct communion with this Ultimate Reality.  We are always in communion with Ultimate Reality, whether we recognize it or not.  Some may assume this means that a “mystic” doesn’t experience the darker emotions, or frustrations with life.  Some feel that a “mystic” has special insights or powers, or visions, or is only interested in seeking “mystical experiences.”  But for me it is not in *seeking* experiences, but being open to the movement of “the Mystery” and its expressions, *living* in a sense of mystery, and at times experiencing an intimate encounter with what I know to be “The Divine”, like my “Epiphany” back in November, or through “meditative writings” many years ago, and poetry that sometimes just spills out onto the page.  Mystical spirituality acknowledges the Universality of God/Christ Consciousness, or Buddha Nature within, which is not associated with any particular faith, religion, or practice, but is a transcendent spirituality – realizing that humans are both “Divine” and human, both form and formless, spirit and matter.

Wayne Teasdale, a 20^th century Christian Mystic, and author of A Mystic Heart, says:

 ‘Mystical spirituality draws us into the depths of our Being, where we come face to face with ourselves, our weakness, AND with the Ultimate Mystery.  Spirituality is not external religiosity, not confined to ritual and liturgy.  It is a way of life that affects and includes every moment of existence…  It is a disposition to a life of depth…  Mystical spirituality is profoundly transformative when it inspires in us the attitude of surrender to “The Mystery,” to the spiritual awakening of mankind…” 

“How we make the journey is what spirituality is really about – finding our own path.  This means finding a way to the vast unlimited consciousness of The Divine, to The Mystery, (or Buddha Nature) within.  We are created for this ‘spiritual journey’ – the direct and immediate experience of Ultimate Reality, which knows everything as ItSelf. Being infinitely aware, it knows in a unitive and universal fashion through awareness of non-duality and non-separation, of no distance between ourselves, the Ultimate Mystery, and all other beings…  The spiritual journey is essentially one of discovering the roots of our true identity.  It is a process of returning to the totality of Consciousness, from which we have arisen.” 

 “Everything is part of an undivided wholeness where each being reflects this totality.  Non-duality means ‘not-two’, and yet, ‘not-one.’  That is, in the relationship between Divine Reality and human being there is a subtle distinction, but not a separation.  And so the relationship is said to be non-dual.  Human beings are *essentially* Divine.” [or Buddha Nature, or Pure Consciousness, etc.].

In a sense then, Easter points us, not to “redemption”, but to the “revelation” of our “Divinity”, or True Identity – discovering again what is already here, that which we were never separated from, but have not always recognized:  the Infinite that continually shines in the depths of our being - as our origin. 

~

“We cannot live in a world that is interpreted for us by others.
[We must] take back our own listening,
use our own voice,
see our own Light.”

Hildegard of Bingen.

12^th Century Christian Mystic

~

Photo: a "mistake" :)

Have no clue what this was.
Digitally colored.

Mystic Heart...

"Mystical experience is the awakening
to the Mystery within and without
and beyond us;
happening in the pesent moment
of the eternal now.

Mystical experience is always here,
inviting us on a journey of
ultimate discovery.
How we make the journey
is what spirituality
is all about.

Existence is a
summons
to the
eternal
journey
of the sage...
the sage we all are,
if only we could see.
It is our spiritual nature…”

Wayne Teasdale

Christian Mystic
From: The Mystic Heart

“If you could [look beyond] yourself just once,
the secret of secrets would open to you.

The face of the unknown,
hidden beyond the universe
would appear
 on the mirror
of your
  perception.”

Rumi

”The Mystic’s path takes one into
the
 depths
 of
 the
 Heart…

It leads from the known to
the unknown,
and
 then
 further
into
 the
 unknowable…

Nothing can prepare you for
the Heart’s journey…
It is a mystery
 of the
Heart’s
 awakening…”

Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee
Sufi Mystic
From:
 Fragments of a Love Story

~



Photos:
#1 - Raindrops on Screen
#2 - Shadow on Wall
zoom blurred
#3 - Shadow on Wall