The Inner Treasure

Mystics -- Past and Present | Non-dual Spirituality | A Small Point of Interest

A fundamental teaching of the world's religious and mystical traditions is that the source of love, the fulfillment of life, and the treasure of heaven are found within. This is the discovery made by all those who have realized the highest truth of each tradition.

We hear this message reflected in Jesus' words: "The kingdom of heaven is within"; in the poems of Kabir: "Listen, the Lord of all plays his song within you"; and in the teachings of great masters who say: "God dwells in the human heart," or "The God you seek is your true Self."

In each tradition there have been those who have followed the path to the end, and who have come to know that the God they sought was in no way separate from their own essence.

Each tradition remains alive through the wisdom and experience of these great beings who live from the pure spirit of God and who have known the divine grace that allows a human being to become aware of his or her oneness with the Absolute.

The Sufi Master Ibn al Arabi writes, "When the mysterious unity between the soul and the Divine becomes clear, you will realize that you are none other than God. You will see all your actions as His actions; all your features as His features; all your breaths as His breath."

Although these enlightened souls have the same essential experience -- of being one with the Absolute -- they are described by various names. The Taoists call them Sheng Jen, "those who hear the voice of the Absolute"; the yogis call them Siddhas, "perfect beings"; the Buddhists call them Buddhas, "the awakened ones." To the Sufis they are Shaykh, Murshid, or Pir, "Master"; to the Christians they are Saints.

An Indian sage, Ramdasa, writes: "That which is impossible to attain by men becomes possible only through contact with saints. Saints indeed are truly rich, for they possess in their hands the keys of the spiritual treasure ... There is no limit to the greatness of the saints, for it is on account of them that God is revealed."

.... Each word uttered by an enlightened soul is infused with divinity and the power of direct experience; and their words have the ability to bring us into their world, put us into their company, and coax us inward so that we may experience our own greatness.

Their words guide us to a magical place within -- a world of pulsating consciousness, supreme peace, unbounded love, infinite beauty; a world where all the universe is united in a grand fellowship of bliss. So come, enter this wonder, and let these divine words reveal to us the truth that is forever our own.

From the Preface to: The Inner Treasure: An Introduction to the World's Sacred and Mystical Writings, by Jonathan Star. Published by: Jeramy P. Tarcher/Putnam, Los Angeles 1999. ISBN: 0874779715

back to top

Mystics -- Past and Present

mystic, noun; Date: 1679; 1 : a follower of a mystical way of life 2 : an advocate of a theory of mysticism.

mystical, adjective; Date: 15th century; 1 a: having a spiritual meaning or reality that is neither apparent to the senses nor obvious to the intelligence b: involving or having the nature of an individual's direct subjective communion with God or ultimate reality

mysticism, noun; Date: 1735; 1: the experience of mystical union or direct communion with ultimate reality reported by mystics 2: the belief that direct knowledge of God, spiritual truth, or ultimate reality can be attained through subjective experience (as intuition or insight) 3 a: vague speculation : a belief without sound basis b: a theory postulating the possibility of direct and intuitive acquisition of ineffable knowledge or power..

~Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary

back to top 

Non-dual Spirituality

Reviewing the history of our sacred traditions, it's clear that non-dual spirituality is the highest form of mystical religion.

Non-duality holds that ultimately there is only the Reality of God-Brahman-Buddhata-Tao-Awareness, with no separation between God-and-world, God-and-soul, soul-and-world, or soul-and-soul. In other words, it's all God.

There is one non-dual Reality, Pure Awareness, with no "rival reality" that can compete or interfere with or occlude this supreme Truth.

Hence, anyone who sincerely invokes the timeless self-inquiry, "Who or What am I?" -- will discover the unspeakable wonder and beauty of Who is really here and What we really are: infinite spiritual Awareness poignantly associated with (not trapped inside) a finite body-mind-soul or limited personality.

By Divine Grace, we find, as all true mystics worldwide have found in opening up to non-dual spirituality, that Pure Awareness or Spirit, prior to the rise of the egocentric "me," is the transpersonal One transcending yet permeating this personality.

This is to awaken from the plight of selfishness to the living God's Self-Fullness. It is to "lose one's life" for Eternal Life, as Jesus invited. Or, as Paul said, to recognize that "in Him we live, move and have our being."

by Timothy Conway

back to top

A Small Point of Interest

Colors, like numbers and certain geometric shapes, have their own vibrational qualities. Springing from the natural world, color has its origin in the Ground of Being Itself.

Like a limitless azure sky that contains and is inseparable from the passing clouds, blue represents the Noumenon or formless Essence containing and pervading all phenomena.

Since antiquity, blue has been used by the world's spiritual traditions in its iconography to represent a deep understanding of Truth or the consciousness awareness of Reality.

Traditionally, the field of the mystical third eye is blue. In Biblical times, the Jewish high priest wore a seamless robe of blue and since then, Mary's outer garment has been depicted as blue

The stained glass windows of European Christian cathedrals have the same hue of deep blue as tiles seen in Islamic mosques of the Orient. In temples and shrines further East, Lord Krishna is portrayed with blue skin, as are some Buddha images.