International Interfaith Conference

on

Mysticism East and West

A Search for Meaningful Religious Experience
Henry Martin Institute Hyderabad, India 23 25 January 2012

Indigenous and Dalit Mysticism

A Paper by M C Raj

Preamble
The beauty and glory of mysticism is its ability to defy all attempts at defining it and explaining it. Mysticism is a body experience that loses much of its sheen when it is brought into a process of engineering for sharing and teaching. The more one tries to share the richness of ones mysticism the poorer he/she becomes as a mystic. Going a step further we may take the audacity to assert that mysticism is a whole being experience that remains with the mystic as the unassailable foundation of holistic operation. Mysticism is a permeation into every cell of the organic being that operates as a double edged sword. To the extent one is a true mystic his/her organic cells in the body are emptied of negative energy and are constantly replenished with life-giving creative energy. In its essence mysticism does not seek recognition from the other for its legitimacy. It is deeply internal and personal. However, since the individual does not exist in total isolation as isotopes it becomes inevitable for the mystic to be in intermittent communicative interaction with other organic beings in the cosmos. Organic existence is a complex web of interconnectivity and communicative interactions, both conscious and subconscious. Thus the fuga mundi, flight from the world to become a mystic can turn out to be an ultimate contradiction of mysticism. The phenomenology of the cave or the phenomenology of the pinnacle, as I call them are engineered processes directed towards achievement of a certain design. Such designs can either be spontaneous outbursts of whole body experience or they can be infused in a being from the design, the external. Casual interpolation of the outburst and the design can lead to one

missing out the bliss of mysticism.

Mysticism A Body Phenomenon

A mystic is one who lives in an uninterrupted state of whole body orgasm or bliss as I may call it. Making an attempt to explain whole body orgasm in non-sexist terms will only expose the paucity of my vocabulary. A weak attempt to communicate this will be to say that a Mystic is one who lives in a state of bliss, whatever it may mean. Mysticism as a whole body orgasm and bliss is a body phenomenon. Communicative interaction that is an essential pre-requisite for mysticism is inseparable from other cosmic bodies, not necessarily human bodies. Thus maturity in mysticism based on intense communicative interaction with cosmic bodies often implies a distancing of direct physical touch with other human bodies, not necessarily precluding it. In the indigenous worldview the self ceases to exist when communicative interaction with the cosmos stops. Thus mysticism has the inseparable organic link between the inexplicable reality of the self and the inevitable reality of the other. My attempt to communicate the self of the mystic is only a revelation of the fragility of my being. I pick up the courage to acknowledge it, as at my conscious I am aware of the limitations of defining mysticism and that it can never be done by any human being on earth. As a whole body orgasm and bliss mysticism transcends all boundaries of definitions and explanations. In as much as mysticism is borderless transcendence it will be much constricted if any attempt is made to give to it an identity. Naming mysticism in umpteen numbers of ways becomes highly complex and problematic. However, it is also true that I would burst into millions pieces if I do not give vocabulary, however limited they may be, to the experience of bliss in the depth of my inner being. Being a body phenomenon, mysticism cannot be prevented from communicating itself to the other. It exists in communication. One may make a strenuous endeavour to contain the mystic to oneself at the conscious level. But mysticism belongs much more to the subconscious than to the conscious. Any attempt to contain the mystic to oneself at the realm of the conscious will amount to an implicit engineering. The fullness of mysticism is the fullness of communicative interaction with cosmos. Mysticism is a state of being alive fully. A state of being dead, a state of being vacuum, a state of being completely empty, a state of nirvana can best be described as illusions of mysticism. The height of communicative interaction in the mystic is the flowering of the being into millions of ways of becoming. Where the subconscious and conscious are at 2

loggerheads the becoming of the being is often strenuous. Where both are blended in harmony the being becomes in multiple ways translating the bliss to oneself in actions and communicating it to the other as life giving energy. Thus mysticism can be said to be the beginning and end of being and becoming. The reality of being and becoming is a complex cyclic process. One keeps becoming a mystic and the springboard of becoming a mystic is being a mystic. In as much as one is a mystic one becomes a mystic and in as much as one becomes a mystic one is a mystic. One is a mystic in ones inner being but there are no genetic mystics. Let me make an attempt to explain: The inner being, in the process of its becoming often confronts and is confronted with the other, the external. Becoming can and is often conditioned by the level and quality of communicative interaction that the other sets in motion. The other here will mean ones own conscious, other organic beings and circumstances that are beyond oneself. The mystic transcends all confrontations of the inimical other and keeps constantly becoming the mystic. Multiple encounters with the other leads the mystic to develop mechanisms that will fill the other with creative and life giving energy that is at the root of the inner being. The rock-bed of all such mechanisms is a set of values commonly knows as worldview. The same cyclic process of being and becoming will continue at all levels of the mystic. Worldview can be said to be a manifestation of the mystic and simultaneously it can also be said to be leading the process of becoming mystic.

Worldview of Indigenous World

It is a fascinating trajectory through which the mystic set up what is known as the world. It is a symphony of the unknown and the known dancing according to a creative rhythm of life. The unknown is the source of whole being orgasm and bliss. The known is the other who has whole being orgasm and bliss and together dares to identify the sources that cause such bliss. The unknown is often the other interacting with the self, the inner being dancing behind the scene. In the whole being orgasm and bliss it is immaterial for the mystic to know where such communicative interaction originates. The urge of the self to becoming leads the mystic to identify specific zones of communicative interaction at the realm of the conscious. The cosmos is the all-embracing theatre of such communicative interaction. The Indigenous worldview embraces the cosmos as an inseparable zone of its life. The mystic is an inseparable part of cosmic movement and change. Cosmos is the master artist who choreographs a synchronized dance of life. The self of the mystic is only a part, a non-essential part of the cosmos. It is however, an

essential ingredient of the cosmic movement and change as long as it lives. The cosmos will live forever. The ingredient, the mystic will disappear. The human is not the master of the cosmos. Man is temporal. Cosmos is eternal. Matter is eternal. The human lives only as long as the body lasts. Cosmos can exist without the human species. But the human cannot live outside the parameters of the cosmos. The becoming of the mystic is wrought in utter simplicity and humility, the hallmarks of the Indigenous mystic.

Zones of Communicative Interaction

The driving of the inner being at the level of the self in communicative interaction is towards the other. The other is outside of the self. It is the cosmos. The self is deeply known and experienced. The self that sets up a communicative interaction seeks to know the other in as much as it can. As there are arenas in the self that keep unfurling till ones death, there are also arenas in the other that are in the realm of the unknown. The mystic is deeply aware of the existence of the unknown both in the self and in the other. Besides the communicative interaction that takes place between the cells in the body and the energy waves of the cosmos the mystic sets out to identify formal zones of communicative interaction between the known self and the known other.

Body The Epicentre

Body is the epicentre of all communicative interaction. It is simultaneously the reception centre and the transmission tower of all communicative interaction with the cosmos. The inner being and the body are inseparable even for the sake of understanding. A mystic has no compulsive need to understand the inner being as separate from the body. The inner being is the body. Without the body there is no inner being. A significant other in communicative interaction is the body of other organic beings. The mystic is a body phenomenon. The significant other is also a body. All those who have bodies are the other in communicative interaction. Cells in the body receive energy waves from cosmos and from cosmic beings. They also transmit waves into the cosmos and to other cosmic beings. Cosmos is sustained by this uninterrupted communication of waves from organic beings. Knowledge is a full body phenomenon. The mystic derives his knowledge from the body of the self and of the other. The final authority for the authenticity of knowledge is the body of the mystic. The axis of organic existence in the cosmos is the body. Waves from the bodies of other cosmic beings enter into a communicative interaction. Waves transmitted from the body of organic beings enter into a process of entropy and become new waves. Entropy is possible only between waves transmitted by harmonizing bodies. Bodies whose worldview is intrinsically intertwined with humility, freedom etc. cannot enter 4

into a process of entropy with waves transmitted from bodies whose worldview comprises of dominance, exploitation and oppression. Such waves are in contradictory trajectories.

Earth Mother of Energy Waves

The body of the mystic is a veritable crucible of energy waves transmitted continuously from the Earth. The mystic lives in complete union with the waves of the Earth. He/she surrenders his/her body to Mother Earths energy waves so that becoming is made feasible in the most meaningful way. The mystic merges with the life giving fertility cycle of Mother Earth just as the bodies of the life giving cycle of women. Both the Earth and the woman bring new life into communicative interaction. Both nourish the body into becoming a crucible of whole body orgasm and bliss. The becoming of the mystic is accomplished without flaw in as much as he/she lives in uninterrupted communication with Mother Earth. Earth is eternal. If earth perishes all cosmic movement and change will stop. This is impossible, as nothing can exist outside of cosmos. The mystic lives in the eternity of the Earth. He/she comes from the earth and goes back to the earth. He/she lives in complete union with Mother earth, draws energy from her and transmits energy back into the cosmos. The mystic also develops the capacity to communicate with Mother earth on specific issues in order to receive guidance and mandates from her. It will be very edifying to note the many instances of Indigenous peoples all over the world consulting Mother earth on the question of constructing their homes in a particular place. The head of the family goes to the spot to spend a whole night and receive communication from Mother earth on her consent. In his/her body he/she receives communication in body cells either to go ahead or not to go ahead with construction. However, communicative interaction of the mystic and Mother earth is not just confined to receiving guidance and mandates. It leads ultimately to whole body orgasm and bliss.

Elements of Nature
The five elements of nature, namely Earth, Water, Air, Fire, Space play crucial roles in the becoming of a mystic. He/she is in uninterrupted communicative interaction with these elements of nature. The intensity of this communicative interaction is often not realized in the conscious. The mystics body is always open to receive energy waves from the life giving elements of nature. However, communicative interaction with the elements of nature at different phases of everyday life can be so powerful that the mystic becomes aware of the advent of such life giving energy waves in his/her body cells.

Cosmic Bodies
Cosmic Bodies such as Mother Earth, Grandmother Moon, Brother Sun, Ancestors perched in the sky as Stars, Sisters Trees and Plants, the Reindeer, the Buffalo, the Salmon, the many rivers etc. become much cherished centres of communicative interaction in the life cycle of a mystic. They strengthen the mystic in being what she/he is and enhance the transition to becoming a subsidiary of communicative interaction with the rest of the cosmos. Communication from cosmic bodies twists and twirls the body of the mystic in different directions. In an uncontrollable bliss of receiving and transmitting life giving energy waves from Cosmic Bodies the mystic turns in eight different directions, in a cyclic movement.

Ancestors
In the Indigenous worldview the departed ancestors are back into the community in a transcendental mode of existence. While living, the body of the ancestor is limited by its identity, belonging and bindings. After death the ancestors come back into the community to belong to all. Death in indigenous world is a journey back to fulfil the many unachieved aspirations for posterity, through intensive communicative interaction. From bodily existence the ancestor assumes a wavial existence as I may call it, to replenish the body cells of the mystic with life giving energy waves. Death of elders calls for spontaneous celebration in Indigenous communities. The mystic is touched by the waves of the ancestors who remain in constant communication with his/her body. Through the process of entropy, waves of many ancestors converge and set up communicative interaction with the mystic.

The Persona of the Mystic

As one who lives in uninterrupted whole body orgasm and bliss the mystic of the Indigenous world is one of the most privileged one. Such a state of being naturally implies that the mystic is free from all compulsions and the spring of his existence is not mired in negative energy waves. He/she almost loses the capacity to communicate with the negative energy waves that may fill the universe from dominant forces. Cells in the body of the mystic that are capable of receiving negative energy waves go into a dormant state as he/she does not nurture them. It is the positive life giving energy cells in the body of the mystic that are constantly awake and keep dancing in gay abandon. The body of the mystic thus is always celebratory. He/she is seldom tired, exhausted or depressed. If any of these are found to be a recurring phenomenon in the mystic it may be an indication that he/she is engineering mysticism in the self. Engineered mysticism can be highly problematic, as becoming sets the tone for being instead of the 6

being bursting forth into becoming. In the latter the bursting forth leads to multiple communication of life giving energy waves and the self operates as a springboard. In the former, the becoming leading the way to being can easily end up with more and more accumulation (figuratively speaking) and the self may be highly bloated. Often it is such engineered mystics who take recourse to communicative interaction with negative energy waves and perverted manifestations of what is mistakenly perceived as mysticism. Such negative phenomenon is often witnessed in some practices of Tantric Hinduism, Vajrayana Buddhism and Shamanism. The dominant world often engineers mysticism in order to serve certain dominantly designed schemes. Unfortunately some of the Shamans in the Indigenous world have also gone on a mission of blind imitation of such designed mysticism in an effort to satiate themselves with bloated self. Thirst for power of the self can easily lead to illusions of bliss though it can never lead to whole body orgasm. The hallmark of the mystic in the Indigenous world will be the bursting forth into a sequence of song and dance of freedom. While the dominant other is incessantly transmitting waves of hegemony, exploitation and oppression into the cosmos in order to overpower, the mystic wards himself/herself off such negative waves and enjoys a freedom that spontaneously arises from the being, the self. The whole body orgasm and bliss then pushes the being of the mystic into a communicative interaction with all those who have a thirst for freedom. Communities of people that have been compulsively pushed into situations of exploitation, oppression and discrimination have an unquenchable thirst for freedom and dignity. That is where the positive energy waves of the mystic can naturally flow. The becoming of the mystic will be more and more fulfilled in as much as he/she replenishes the empty pockets of freedom and dignity. If there is any attempt at the realm of the conscious of the mystic to contain this communicative interaction he/she will end up with bloated self. The thirst for freedom and dignity serves as a pull factor in the cosmos of life giving energy waves. The mystic then is not a static machine of transmission of energy waves but is a singer, a dancer, the poet, the author, the philosopher, and often the leader of the liberation of his/her people. His/her being matures into a becoming gradually paving the way for the ultimate liberation of his/her people. Whole body orgasm and bliss of the mystic cannot be contained within the self of the mystic.

The Mystic as Liberator

The mission of liberation organically springs from the cosmic communicative interaction of the mystic. It springs organically from the liberation that the mystic realizes in his/her inner being. It

is not an addition from the external as a task to be fulfilled. It is often the way the mystic translates his/her bliss in the self as a communicative interaction with the other. Bliss in this context takes the mystic through the trajectories of liberty, freedom, peace, joy, confusion, agony, anger, resistance and revolution. The core essence of the mystic in the Indigenous world is the harmonious synchronization of what is normally described as deeply the personal and the societal. The mystic is not the one who enjoys the cool of the cocoon that he/she has weaved around himself/herself, often through illusions of the divine. The human and cosmic are the driving forces of what is deeply mystic in the Indigenous world. Therefore, the mystic of the Indigenous world is on a permanent mission to break out the fringes of self-made illusions as well as to break down the walls that are constructed with a design to deny access and inclusion to his/her people. The mystic is always on an urge to flow with and into spaces that legitimately belong to all organic beings. The mystic as liberator is the cyclic movement of being and becoming that predominantly also signifies change. The mystic as liberator is consequently called to fulfil multiple missions as a natural consequence of the whole body orgasm and bliss. He/she cannot run away into a hut, a cave, the peak or the tower of a skyscraper to enjoy the bliss of secluded mysticism. The call is not from any illusionary divine, but it is from deep within, from the inner being where bliss is rooted. It is a call of freedom and not of compulsion. This sets the mystic aside from those who operationalize certain activist or political missions in the best interest of their people. The distinguishing mark of the mystic as liberator is that his/her call does not arise from compulsive anger, nor from any inspiration from dogmas. All calls come in complete freedom, from the deep interior recesses of the being. The final authority and authentication of such calls is the inner being, the self that remains in perpetual communicative interaction with the cosmos.

The Mystic Call

1. Integrity of Planet Earth Dominant forces that are not in tune with the cosmic movement and change, of which Mother Earth is a part, have arrogantly appropriated to themselves the right to master the universe. This has set them against the rhythm of the earth as well as of the cosmos. They have been guided by an insatiable thirst and hunger of accumulation of wealth and mindless amassment of profit. In this process they have simultaneously deprived simple and unassuming children of Mother earth of even basic needs for survival and sustenance. The consequences of their unlimited greed and avarice have reached the ozone layer. Mother earth is seething with anger

at the way dominant forces have increased global warming through unmitigated Green House Gas emissions. The mystic of the Indigenous world is called to wage an unrelenting battle against such negative forces of savage destruction so that cosmic order can be restored. 2. Restoration of Land It is a travesty of the cosmic order that people who worship earth as mother do not even have a place to have their home or to bury their dead. Indigenous peoples have been systematically deprived of their land by imperialistic designs. Modernity is a manifestation of the disruption of the cosmic movement and change and is taking the peoples of the world to the brink of disaster. The creative dance of the mystic has to become intensive to ceaselessly restore the balance of belonging to earth of all peoples. The bliss of the mystic is that people belong to the earth and that the earth does not belong to the people. The bliss of the mystic is that the earth will continue to exist in eternity even if peoples of the earth disappear. Organic existence on the lap of Mother Earth is not confined only to human beings. Land needs to be restored into the hands of the indigenous peoples to arrest the onslaught on the integrity of Mother earth and her peoples. The mystic is at the centre of the restoration of the essential relationship that people have to Mother Earth. The mystic is also at the centre of reclaiming land, the symbol of Mother Earth that legitimately has to belong to the people. 3. Dignity of Labour Indigenous people all over the world have been communicating to their Mother through their body labour. The irreversible relationship between them and earth has been marked by the indigenous peoples getting involved in a mutual process of enhancing the fertility of Mother Earth. In turn she has been providing sustenance for them and has been protecting them. This communicative interaction between Mother Earth and her people has called for celebration of the productivity of the earth in fertility cult. Indigenous people have been an integral part of the being and becoming of Mother Earth. The being and becoming of the indigenous people on the other hand is inextricably intertwined with the becoming of Mother Earth. Dominant forces that violate the being and becoming of the Earth through cutting deep wounds in the womb of Mother earth have simultaneously deprived the dignity of the labour of the indigenous peoples. Slavery, bonded labour, free caste labour etc. have caused deep wounds in the being of indigenous peoples. The mystic is called to restore the integrity of the communicative interaction between Mother Earth and her children by upholding the dignity of labour. In a society that has

divided labourers in the name of division of labour he/she is called to become the bridge among labourers. 4. Inclusive Space The being and becoming of the mystic has an inextricable communicative interaction with space. Cosmic balance is maintained by space as much as by the cosmic order. Space is eternal. It can neither be reduced nor be expanded. The creative dance of the mystic is splashed out in space. Freedom expands itself into space. Space belongs to everyone. Everything in the cosmos belongs to the space. The nobility of space has been fundamentally violated by some dominant forces who have claimed exclusive right over specific spaces and have denied access and inclusion to people. Racial discrimination, caste discrimination, untouchability, apartheid have brought untold shame to human race over the past millennia. The mystic does not allow such waves to remain in the cosmos through his/her uncompromising position on the availability of inclusive space for all organic beings of the universe. 5. Democracy and Governance The mystic is called to make political space available to all peoples in the instruments and mechanisms of governance. Governance in the indigenous communities is distribution of values, both material and spiritual. Distribution of values was effectively executed in Indigenous communities through direct democracy. Dominant world has subverted distribution of values into accumulation and amassment in the hands of a powerful few in the name of democracy. Intruding into the spaces of indigenous peoples all over the world the dominant world has transgressed the boundaries of sovereignties and has sought to establish democracy at gunpoint and by mindless use of weapons of mass destruction. Restoration of governance as distribution of values is a non-negotiable call to the mystic from cosmic communicative interaction. Cosmic balance is best maintained when resources are distributed equitably so that waves of compulsive negative anger are minimized. Enhancement of creative waves of happiness and fulfilment will enhance the maintenance of cosmic balance. The worlds journey towards violence and war can be minimized by the mystic, taking a revolutionary and non-violent translation of bliss. In as much as governance of the world is transferred into the hands of Indigenous peoples with their values of inclusive and equal spaces for all peoples the world will move towards lasting peace. 6. Primacy of Women The ultimate mystic is an Indigenous woman. History bears ample

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evidence that she has the most peace loving body that nurtures, provides and protects all cosmic beings. She has the best openness in her cells to be incessantly involved in communicative interaction with cosmic waves that give life and energy. Governance as distribution of values is best executed by Indigenous women. Preservation of the integrity of the cosmos is a natural characteristic of women. Inclusive space is made available to all by women. The body of woman is cosmic. Woman represents all that can give, preserve and protect life. However, the dominant world has come to the brink of disaster mainly because it has violated the body of woman and enslaved her wholesomely. Woman has the body that can get angry without leading to compulsive and designed violence and war. The womans body resonates well with the earth that is resilient and bounces back to life again and again. Governance in the hands of Indigenous women can be an appropriate way forward in taking the world to be a creative platform of life giving energy. The ultimate blessing and grace for human race will be when governance is transferred into the hands of women in general and Indigenous women in particular.

Conclusion
I have been deeply aware of the limitations of giving words to mysticism while writing this paper. The whole body orgasm and bliss still remains largely unexpressed. The beauty of mysticism is that it does not call for sharing through a paper. It only calls for communicative interaction with cosmic beings and revolutionary action. I feel sorry to have attempted to write a paper on mysticism. Simultaneously I have opted to write this paper because I do not want to disappoint friends who want to listen to the inadequate expressions of a deep experience in the depth of the being. In doing so I am also conscious that I have idealized certain aspects. Perhaps these are limitations of language. I can probably never end speaking of mysticism. I am also conscious that any level of listening does not make a mystic. A mystic is self-actualized from the very depth of ones inner being.

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