World Faiths spirituality & mysticism
There are several pages on our site that feature content related to Christian mysticism and spirituality, and World Faiths mysticism and spirituality.We have decided to present a series of Comparative Religion quotes pages based on the commonalities of spirituality and mysticism to be found across all the major World Religions.
A brief selection of Comparative Religion quotes about ~ how Christian spirituality and mysticism, and the spirituality and mysticism taught by other World Faiths, tend to recommend a "Distrust" of Intellect; and to "Assert" Possibilities of Enlightenment ~ now follow:
Intellect is to be Distrusted
- Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain
deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the
world, and not after Christ.
St. Paul - If thou reliest more upon thine own reason or industry than
upon the virtue that subjects to Jesus Christ, thou wilt seldom
and hardly become an enlightened man; for God wishes us to be
perfectly subject to Himself, and to transcend all reason by
inflamed love.
Thomas à Kempis
Of the Imitation of Christ - Sell your cleverness and buy bewilderment;
Cleverness is mere opinion, bewilderment intuition.
Rumi ~ Masnavi - (Islam) -
"The wise who knows the Self as bodiless within the bodies, as
unchanging among changing things, as great and omnipresent, does
never grieve". "That self cannot be gained by the Veda, nor by
understanding, nor by much learning. He whom the Self chooses, by
him the Self can be gained. The Self chooses him (his body) as
his own". But he who has not first turned away from his
wickedness, who is not tranquil, and subdued, or whose mind is
not at rest, he can never obtain the Self (even) by knowledge.
Katha Upanishad - (Hinduism aka Vedanta)
Enlightenment is possible
-
Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy
paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.
The Book of Proverbs - This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind. Having the understanding
darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:
St. Paul - To the humble He revealeth His secrets, and sweetly draweth and inviteth him to Himself.
The humble man, having received reproach, maintaineth himself well enough in peace, because he is fixed in God and not in the world. Never think that thou hast made any progress till thou look upon thyself as inferior to all.
Thomas a Kempis
Of the Imitation of Christ -
Little is known by any one but the spiritual man, Who has in
his heart a touchstone of vital truth. The others, hovering
between two opinions, Fly towards their nest on a single wing.
Knowledge has two wings, opinion only one wing; Opinion is weak
and lopsided in its flight. The bird having only but one wing
quickly drops down, And again flies on two steps or more. This
bird of opinion goes on rising and falling On one wing, in hope
to reach his nest. When he escapes from opinion and knowledge is
seen, This bird gains two wings and spreads both of them.
Afterwards he "goes upright on a straight path, Not grovelling on
his face or creeping." He flies up on two wings even as the angel
Gabriel, Free of opinion, of duplicity, and of vain talk.
Rumi ~ Masnavi - (Islam) - Perseverance in (seeking to gain) the knowledge of the Supreme
Spirit, and perception of the gain that comes from knowledge of
the truth: This is called knowledge : all that is contrary to
this is ignorance.
Bhagavad Gita - (Hinduism aka Vedanta)
The World Religions & their spirituality and mysticism
Commonalities as to spirituality and mysticism teachings between Christianity and the other major World Religions are perhaps surprisingly
extensive.
We hope that a demonstration of said extensive commonality will be able to be appreciated by our visitors if they visit our series of Comparative Religion quotes pages.
The following linked pages are intended to more fully demonstrate the degree of
Common Ground between the Inner-most Spiritual Teachings of several major World Religions on Charity, Purity of
Heart, Humility, Meekness, A Disdain for Materialism
(compared to the Spiritual), A Distrust of the Intellect (compared to Divine Inspiration) and A Thirst for Spiritual Enlightenment.
These quotations are presented on a series of very brief pages where each faith is considered individually.
We have
seen it as worthwhile to add
another category of quotation ~ where recognition has been given "by the wise and holy of several faiths" to the possibility of Mystical Communion with God ~ as this
addition may rather directly tend the range of agreement from Comparative Religion studies about "Core Spiritual Truths" already demonstrated
towards actually becoming real evidence
of the existence of "Spiritually Discernible" aspects to the one God or Spirit which is central to Mystical
Faith.
Alongside our efforts to demonstrate extensive profundities in Christian spirituality we also have great respect for the spiritualities that exist at the
cores of the Buddhist, Islamic, Jewish, Sikh, Taoist and Vedic-Hindu faiths and have laid out the above table of links in a manner consistent
with our aspiration towards promoting a mutually respectful co-existence of The Great Faiths of the World.