Expert: Michael Clark, Ph.D. - 3/13/2006

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Is there any possibility of humanity going beyond their opinions and beliefs, or are we destined to fight with each other forever? If God commanded you to come up with something that would satisfy all beliefs, yet enlighten all minds, what would you suggest?
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That's an interesting question. I don't know the answer for sure. Some believe that, as the New Testament suggests, there ultimately will be a period of peace. But in my view it's hard to know if this is just prophetic symbolism or something that will actually happen on Earth. It seems our human personalities inevitably come into conflict with one another. But as free beings we have a choice as to how to deal with that. We can see conflict as an opportunity for mutual understanding and growth. Or we can just react like an animal would. Worse, we can plot and scheme like devils. And don't laugh. Because it's no joke and many people do.

I don't think we can always go beyond our opinions and beliefs. But I think during moments of grace we can. So if we continually turn to God for guidance, we might become better and better servants of the Divine. Some say that too much introspection is a bad thing. But I think that if you don't know your true inner core then you're going to be acting on the basis of some personality fragment or tangent; or perhaps on the basis of a socio-cultural, transpersonal or negative spiritual influence. If you don't act from the center, then whatever bad you do will likely come back on you. If you act from the loving center, informed by Grace (or as Catholics would say, the Holy Spirit), then good will come back.

I hope this helps.

You mention that too much introspection is bad. Could you epand on that a little -- where does that come from?. Perhaps introspection is bad for those who don't want their flock to see too clearly? The contemplative saints regarded contemplative prayer highly, discovering that the state of grace could be enhanced by Orison, similar to Eastern thinking that meditation creates fertile ground for enlightenment.  

Since nothing else has worked down throughtout history (we are still killing ourselves in the name of God!), could it actually be that introspection; Orison, recollection, the dark night and unison, would enlighten our minds? And could it be that the second coming of Christ (Christ translated as enlightened mind) might be a universal enlightening of all people, instead of an individual Christ this time around? Thank you for your answers. I'm trying to find a common denominator among all peoples that would transcend beliefs, yet not disparage them. What other hope do we have? A Muslim will rarely become a Christian; or a Buddhist a Muslim, etc. Perhaps introspection; meditation and contemplative prayer, could be an answer. Perhaps Christ was trying to teach us how to go within, but the original church fathers (no different than today), perhaps stressd the emotional side of Christianity, feeling that the deeper teachings should only be reserved for monks, that the masses weren't ready. Perhaps it was more important to build a religion in those days than free their flock from the fear of God, and themselves, which is laid bare by deep prayer?     
Answer -
Hi… Ah, but I said that “some say” that too much introspection is a bad thing. That's a little trick I learned over the years. It doesn't necessary mean that too much introspection is bad. It's just a useful way to bracket a statement. It means that some people believe that it's bad, those people not necessarily including myself.

However, I do believe that in my own life, anyhow, it's good to keep some kind of working and flexible balance between contemplation and outward activity. Although I tend to be more contemplative and less visibly active than most. I think everyone has to strike their own balance here. And also, to keep renegotiating it.

My feeling on the Christian saints is that most of them reached very high levels of Godly awareness. But it came with such a price. They suffered for every grace received. And of course, their suffering wasn't only for their own purification, but also for the redemption of other souls. St. Faustina Kowalska's Divine Mercy Diary is an excellent book about the power and importance of (contemplative) prayer. If you haven't read it already, I would recommend it.

As for the differences and similarities among world religions when it comes to mysticism, this is a rich and fascinating topic. It's really hard to know for sure what another mystic experiences. Some believe they all come to the same type of “ah-ha” experience. Others stress that the grades and qualities of the numinosities they experience could differ. Myself I find that the most intuitive folks in my home town are scattered across the board. It could be a woman working in a dollar store. It could be the postman. It could be a sharp businessperson with whom I just have a passing conversation. And it could be a priest too. While the vast majority priests adhere to the standardized approach, I sometimes wonder if in private they have their own thoughts on certain issues. Would they be human if they did not?

I think you're right that most people will not convert from their own path. And why should they? These religions, when they work, serve to nurture the soul while keeping the cultural underpinnings in place. I tend to see religions as flowerpots. You need a pot to hold the soil. Every pot is a little different. But each grows a plant (and hopefully a flower). And just as flowers may also differ, so the look and feel of souls in heaven may differ too. Difference isn't a bad thing at all. How boring heaven would be if it contained ten trillion daisies, and daisies only! As one person whom I spoke to once put it—“there are many different flowers in the Garden of Eden.”

And this brings me back to the idea of getting in touch with the core, the center. I believe that it's here that the heavenly flower grows. This isn't necessarily the Jungian self where the self is an aggregate or a totality of all observable elements. I tend to think that ultimately, after all the lesser elements are pruned away through eons of purification, we shine (and mediate grace) in heaven. But I also think this takes a very long time for most of us. Hence the importance of the idea of Purgatory.

To close, I should add that I haven't died yet, so all this is mostly reasoned speculation. A theory. I don't claim to really know what happens at death. Because other issues come into play, such as the nature of space, time and eternity—both on Earth and within other realms.

Thank you for an interesting question. Feel free to follow up on any of this. I generally enjoy talking about the soul and metaphysics.


Thank you Dr. Clark for your “enlightened” discussion, rare to find these days!

As you renegotiate your inward and outward balance, and venture inwardly a little more, do you find yourself less interested in worldly pleasures? And when you do revisit them, just to test their power over you, do you find that they don't hold the same mystique that they once did? What was it that that famous author once wrote, “You can never go home,” which to me indicates the unrelenting changing nature of things, and how we can't really count on anything in the world. It's confusing, isn't it, that a new reality is developing, but you can't personally grasp it like you have grasped things in the past. Definitely a bitter sweet experience.





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Yes, it can be bittersweet because for everything valuable that we gain it seems we first must lose something. This might be a golden rule. But I find that the gains really do outstrip the losses. And as we mature in the path we, as you say, don't really want those things we once craved. Moreover, they may reappear in subtler ways. With regard to sexuality, for instance, see the Afterword in my article: Celibacy, Sex and Spirituality.

http://ca.geocities.com/earthpages5@rogers.com/articles_css.html

I also believe that most people do revisit past pleasures and interests from time to time for various reasons. Doubtfully does it ever go in a straight line. Some say that the ego dances around the self, that is, it doesn't always rest there nor is it always perfectly aligned with it. Still, most world religions advocate - and this might get back to your initial question about syncretism – that the ego ideally is a servant of the self. But again, the understanding as to just what constitutes the self varies dramatically, I think. So one has to choose the path that's right for them. And also consider the possibility of embracing new paths.



I read a story once about a man entering a creepy house and finding a staircase, which he was compelled to climb. The further he climbed, the more fearful he became until he decided to climb back down – but all the steps had disappeared!

Enjoyed your article – very well thought out and complete. My experience with Catholicism is like yours, but backward. I spent the first 35 years there, and then spent the next 30 meditating! (Southwestfloridainsightcenter.com).  

All religions seem to have their scripture as a basis, accompanied by individual experience, or the deeper side based on that scripture. I am at a point where I'm taking a worldview of it all, and I see that something is amiss. Wars are still being fought over differences in religious beliefs.

My first experience of meditation was in a Zen monastery (where I was hiding out from my creditors many years ago when I was young and foolish!) They didn't teach me any Buddhist scripture, only insisted that I meditate and practice silence most of the day. And because of that simple meditation, my whole life was turned upside down, with no teachings whatsoever. Boy, was I surprised!

Is it possible that contemplative prayer could do the same thing for others? But how do you get people to pray deeply? You would think that many would want to know God first hand. Most of us still stand distant form God. It is the unique individual that dares trespass into the dark night of the soul, the cloud of unknowing.

Is it the fear of God? The fear of seeing themselves lay naked and bare. We cling to our concept of self, I believe, and to open oneself to God is not safe for the self. You will lose everything that you can conceive of, in order to achieve that ineffable that cannot be conceived.

How would you ever sell such a thing to the masses? I don't know, but I will try to find a way into everybody's hearts with contemplation. Not sure how I will do this, and I will keep asking for advice.  

Answer -
You know, I would keep asking God for advice. I'm not sure as a practising Buddhist how you envision the Godhead. Words and concepts can get in the way. But I tend to regard God as the creator, somehow other but immanent.

From my experience Buddhists tend to downplay individuality while Catholics feel that individuality is important. But it seems that you still have some sense of an individual self, yet one which is more fundamental than the intellectual, the conceptual, the desirous and so on. That's the core that I feel is the important commonality among all paths. As to how to get people to meditate, to contemplate, to know the Divine... this is something that I personally don't try to rush. I see the whole spectrum as important to the total picture. So I tend to look at individuals and try to determine where they're at, what external factors are influencing them, and so on. I guess as a doctor and educator that's my role. I don't see myself as a mass preacher or contemplative exemplar! But maybe someone else is! One body.... many different members.

Btw, I like your web site. Nice colors. Perhaps we could continue to dialogue in some other venue? I'm not doing private e-mail chat any more because I'm getting quite busy these days. Maybe you'd like to write an article for Earthpages? Anything goes, really. Your experiences, your views… both.

Think about it. It's a non-denominational site.

Best,

MC

Thanks for all the advice. It was very helpful.

Fondest regards........e


Answer
OK e. I've got to answer this ‘cos Allexperts says “one question pending” and the site requires a reply within a given time period. So I'll close this off by leaving a contact URL in case you or any of your associates become interested in expressing your views at Earthpages. I sincerely hope you do!

http://www.ncf.ca/~dy656/earthpages/contact.html

Peace be with you,

MC