Mysticism is an essential element in all religions. However, it can never be the whole content of any religious tradition. This is because religions must be based in a context of history, dogma, and institutions in order to be effective. Religions are a social phenomenon which binds people together in a positive way. However it can often bind them in a way that puts them in opposition to other people. On the other hand, mysticism and mystics transcend all religions. Mysticism is the mystical heart of each religion, and it is something that unites all people regardless of their culture.
Religions that foster transcendent love are potential starting places for a mystic journey. These religious traditions more easily allow for the kind of mystical awakening that is marked by a sense of oneness or communion with everything and everyone, and from that oneness rises a profound sense of love.
Most religions encompass both an exterior and interior or mystical form of worship. The interior, or mystical form, relates to mysticism and the transmission and reception of mystical understanding. The exterior form is the religious framework in which the religion is practiced. It is the vessel which contains the mystical experiences.
Featured in this series: Fr. Richard Rohr, Timothy Freke, Rabbi Aubrey Glazer of Congregation Beth Shalom, Mary Reed, Lama Palden Drolma, Paramacharya Sadasivanathaswami at the Hindu Monastery in Kauai, Dr. Carol Weyland Conner Murshida of Sufism Reoriented, Sufi Hadi Paul Reicherz, Shankina Reinhertz, Pamela Desvernie, Itara O’connell, and Guy Douglas.
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