3.1. Consideration of Mystical Experiences
In this chapter, I would like to take an interfaith look at mystical experiences of God.
We begin with the experience of Gautama Buddha at the moment of his perfect enlightenment. Then, we will compare this with the experiences of Christian mystics.
The focus is not on apparitions, visions, or revelations, but on inner experiences through which people feel the love of God within themselves. For me, this represents the most significant transformation that makes it possible for God to become present in humans.
3.2. Buddha's Path and Experience
In mystical religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism, perfect enlightenment represents the goal of human transformation.
Christian mystics, on the other hand, strive for perfection, being filled with the Holy Spirit, or the deification of the human being.
Sun Myung Moon's perspective on Buddha's complete enlightenment allows us to contextualize this experience from a Christian viewpoint.
In doing so, we recognize how similar human experiences can be, even if the theological approaches may seem completely different. Based on this, we can assess the mystical practices that lead to such experiences and develop a practice that utilizes the resources of both paths.
Let us first consider what Sun Myung Moon says about Buddha.
Once you enter a state of love, you will find that each and every being exists as the only, unique being. When the Buddha said, "In heaven and earth, I alone am the honored one," he was not speaking casually. In a state of unity between his mind and body, he was saying, "As it is now and was in the past, heaven and earth are in harmony. Gazing into myself and at everything in motion, having entered the realm of resonance of true love, I can see that God resides within me, all things of creation are within me, andall things are my friends and brothers and sisters. Since I am the subject partner, I am like their owner. Since I am the subject partner, in the whole cosmos, I alone am the honored one."
After his enlightenment, Buddha was in a state of perfect love and mind-body unity.
He realized that God resides in him and that there is no longer a separation between God, himself, and all beings.
When you achieve the state of unity between your mind and your body, it is the same as what Buddha experienced. It is the state in which you can feel: "In heaven and on earth, I am the only one who is honored." When you are at the center of things, no form of energy in the realm of love can take action without passing through this center.
This quote makes it even more explicit that Buddha entered the state of mind-body unity after his enlightenment.
Moreover, it becomes clear that he has simultaneously reached the realm of true love.
When you enter the realm of the resonance of true love, you will be able to clearly recognize heaven and earth. The Buddha said: "In heaven and on earth, I am the only one who is honored." He said this because when he entered the core of this realm of resonance, he found the entire world in his hands, God dwelled in him, and the heavenly law was connected with him.
This quote makes it clear that God dwelled in Buddha. This shows that Buddha was in a state of unity with God.
Although Buddha himself did not develop a concept of God, he was nonetheless one with God.
We do not necessarily need a concept of God to directly experience God.
The path of inner purification, humility, gratitude, and mindfulness leads us to the experience of God - not the concept.
3.3. All-One Consciousness
Buddha describes the state of enlightenment as a consciousness of being one with everything.
The separation between God and all beings is abolished here.
Let's look once again at the statements of Sun Myung Moon:
Once you enter a state of love, you will find that each and every being exists as the only, unique being... By looking into myself and observing everything in motion, having entered the realm of the resonance of true love, I can see that God dwells within me, all things of creation are within me, and all things are my friends as well as brothers and sisters.
Sun Myung Moon also confirms the all-oneness consciousness as the state of being in resonance with true love, in which God dwells within one.
So it is not merely a Buddhist phenomenon, but an experience that everyone will have in the state of mind-body unity.
Why is it so important to properly understand Buddha's enlightenment?
Sun Myung Moon did not precisely explain how we can achieve the state of mind-body unity, just as Jesus did not detail how we can learn to meditate and pray.
This path was already opened and known by Buddha before the time of Jesus.
Conclusion:
Sun Myung Moon gives us a valuable hint with his statements:
We can learn from Buddha when it comes to the concrete, practical path to mind-body unity.
Parallels in the Practice of Buddhist and Christian Mystics
It is very interesting that the early Christian mystics, who founded Christian monasticism in Egypt, developed a form of prayer and practice that resembles Zen practice in essential points.
Thus, there is a close parallel between Zen meditation and Koan contemplation on the one hand and the Jesus Prayer as Christian contemplation on the other.
Similarly, the practice of mindfulness from Buddhism is reflected in the constant vigilance of the Christian monks.
3.4. A Comparison of Mystical States
When we consider the mystical states of people from various religions, we recognize great similarities.
There are only differences in the designation and interpretation of these states, as the respective concepts and terms of each teaching are used.
In the following, I would like to contrast the mystical experience referred to in Christianity as being "filled with the Holy Spirit" with the concept of perfect enlightenment in Buddhism.
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The State of Being Filled with the Holy Spirit
For the examination of the experiences of Christian mystics, I had a description generated by an AI. Here is the full version of the result:
Being Filled with the Holy Spirit: Experiences of Christian Mystics
When looking at the experiences described there, the following aspects can be discerned:
• Inner insights and enlightenment
• Closeness to God
• Direct experience of God's presence
• Being filled with divine love
• Peace and joy
• Unity with creation
However, how Christian mystics recognize that this experience concretely comes from the Holy Spirit is never clearly described.
We could also refer to it as a mystical experience of God that originates from the spiritual realm. In such an experience, something occurs that comes neither from ourselves nor from the physical environment.
A spiritual force influences us, allowing us to experience God.
In the Divine Principle, the Holy Spirit is understood as the manifestation of the feminine spirit of God. The love of God, which we experience in a mystical state, resembles a maternal love that spiritually grants us a new birth.
Similarities with Buddhist Enlightenment
Similarities between the Christian mystical experience and Buddhist enlightenment are found in the aspects of:
- Insights
- Enlightenment
- Love
- Peace
- Joy
- Oneness with creation or with everything
Unity with God is not defined in Buddhism, as Buddha did not perceive a personal God.
Rather, he described the experience of oneness with everything. Nevertheless, Sun Myung Moon declared that God dwelt in Buddha.
The Three Central Outcomes of Mystical Experiences
The three most important aspects of various mystical experiences are:
- Enlightenment through spiritual truth
- Fulfillment with divine love
- The dissolution of individual consciousness and the experience of unity with God and all beings
This experience brings profound inner peace and greatest joy.
It is considered the pinnacle of human existence and the goal of one's personal spiritual path.
What is the purpose of human life?
Deification.
The unification of man with God, not in an external or sentimental way, but existentially and actually.
After this experience, the practice of love for one's neighbor follows.
Let us consider some testimonies that show how the effect of enlightenment, as experienced by Buddhists, leads to the practice of love for others.
A famous koan describes a student who had attained enlightenment and was asked:
"What do you do now, after you have seen the truth?"
He replied:
"I heal the sick and feed the hungry."
Aspects of Love in Buddhist Enlightenment:
Buddha himself developed immeasurable compassion for all beings after his enlightenment. Therefore, he remained in the world and taught for 45 years, even though he could have entered Nirvana.
Huineng said, "By nature, all beings are Buddha. They are only trapped by their thoughts." This realization brought forth a deep love for all sentient beings in him.
Hakuin experienced a second crisis after his enlightenment, in which he realized that true liberation is only complete when it is associated with immeasurable love.
Conclusion:
We attempted to differentiate the description of human experience from interpretation.
This enabled us to recognize that people who follow a mystical path - whether in the context of Buddhist or Christian faith—have similar mystical experiences.
God leads religious people to fulfillment with True Love and to unity with Him.
Unity with God simultaneously means unity with His creation and with all beings.
This was discussed using the example of Buddhists and Christians, but it also applies to Hindu mystics, Sufis of Islam, and all people who seek the path to God.
Sun Myung Moon's perspective helps us to look beyond the walls between religions.
This interfaith perspective is invaluable, as it allows us to connect religions in their deepest essence.
Furthermore, we learn to understand others better and begin to learn from one another.