Opening the Inner Eye:
Looking at Mysticism Today
with Dana Sawyer
In all cultures everywhere, there have been those who, from time immemorial, have had extraordinary experiences they believed to have revealed life’s ultimate purpose. Many of these mystics, including Rumi, Meister Eckhart, Shankara, Teresa of Avila, Shakyamuni Buddha, and Ibn Arabi, are well known to scholars and their teachings continue to inform the lives of millions. However, Cardinal Newman once warned that mysticism “begins in the mist” and “ends in schism,” due to the fact that the often paradoxical teachings of the mystics have sometimes led to breaks from doctrinal faith.
What is the nature of mystical experience? Is it an apprehension of sacred truth, a heresy, an expanded state of consciousness, a paranormal state of psychology, or merely a delusion born of stress or mental illness?
In this short lecture series, we’ll explore answers to all of these questions and more. In the first two series (Asian Mystical Traditions and Abrahamic Mystical Traditions) we will cover how mysticism has been explained, appropriated and sometimes marginalized within six of the world’s religions. In the third series (Looking at Mysticism Today) we’ll cover how mystical states of consciousness are being investigated today, and how they’re increasingly being appropriated by those who identify as “spiritual but not religious.”
Looking at Mysticism Today:
This fascinating three part lecture series will cover:
April 5th, 6:00-7:30 pm: Is mystical experience real? And if it is, what is its nature and significance? This session includes an overview of the perennial philosophy and the theory of a common factor between the mystical traditions.
April 12th, 6:00-7:30 pm: Contemporary techniques of consciousness expansion, including a discussion of sensory deprivation tanks, bio-feedback technologies, brain entrainment devices and psychedelic drugs.
April 19th, 6:00-7:30 pm: Where the discussion stands today and some views of where the discussion is going.
Fee: $50 for the three part lecture series
(Please note all workshops are non-refundable)
Dana Sawyer is professor emeritus of philosophy and world religions at the Maine College of Art, and has studied comparative mysticism for decades. He first began studying mysticism as a student of Hindu swamis and Tibetan Lamas while spending several years in India. He has published articles on Hinduism, Buddhism, mysticism and the Perennial Philosophy in Tricycle: the Buddhist Review, Yoga Journal and Parabola magazine, and has taught regularly at the Esalen Institute, the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health, and other retreat centers.
