S p i r i t ua l i t y S t u d i e s 8 - 2 Fa l l 2 0 2 2 2 9 Diego Pérez Lasserre mystics the main concern is the true reality of the world and how we can have access to it. Simply put, the goal of the mystic is not merely to thematize the conditions of the possibility of human knowledge (as is the case of the hermeneutic), but to use said thematization to disarticulate the projections of the human mind and thus perceive the truth of the world. A common element in the thought of the mystics is that they affirm that to perceive the world as it really is it is necessary for the human mind to be quiet (de Jesús 1902). That is, the human mind mustn’t project anything to the world. Therefore, the individual must have a subjective disposition characterized by a silent openness. The distinction, Alan Watts (2011, 24) makes between belief and faith, will allow us to clarify the meaning of this statement: Belief, as I use the word here, is the insistence that the truth is what one would ‘lief ’ or wish it to be. The believer will open his mind to the truth on condition that it fits in with his preconceived ideas and wishes. Faith, on the other hand, is an unreserved opening of the mind to the truth, whatever it may turn out to be. Faith has no preconceptions; it is a plunge into the unknown. Belief clings, but faith lets go. In this sense of the word, faith is the essential virtue of science, and likewise of any religion that is not self-deception. What Watts is saying is simply a more refined version of the same argument. A belief is merely the projection of a preconceived idea to the world that does not necessarily contain information concerning the world. Faith, on the other hand, is characterized by an openness to otherness without prejudice (previous judgments or concepts). It is a subjective disposition that does not seek to dominate reality through conceptualization, but rather to acquire knowledge of the world by letting it unfold according to its own logic and listening to what it has to say. Therefore, it is an existential positionality that is humble and conscious of human limitations. Silence, then, is the existential condition that allows us to see the world as it is instead of a mere image of it. The first question that arises naturally in light of what has just been said is the following: Why is it desirable to see the world as it really is? It certainly seems easier to remain in the illusory world of human projections. Hawkins (2007, 32) is clear on this matter. It’s a sharper and more accurate perception of reality results in a more gratifying and happier life: The process is an unfolding of discovery resulting in greater happiness and diminution of fear, guilt, and other negative emotions. The motive is inner development, evolution, and fulfillment of potential, which is independent of the external world. Life becomes progressive rather than just repetitive. All experience is of equal value and innately pleasurable so that life stops being an endless sequence of alternating pleasure and displeasure. With inner progress, context expands, resulting in greater awareness of significance and meaning, and therefore, gratification of potential. The path to happiness is thus precisely one in which the human being stops worrying about changing the world and realizes that what he must adjust is his perception of the world. At this point, the philosophical perspective from which we are approaching the topic of happiness comes to light. Hermeneutics, though an autonomous philosophical perspective, approaches the manner through which reality emerges in epistemological and ontological manner. In that sense, the issue of happiness, which is classically dealt with by ethics, seems to be a little far-off topic. For Hawkins, however, epistemology and ontology are suitable candidates (among many others) for setting the stage for the realization of truth (which entails happiness). In Hawkins view (2013b, 64), [t]he Reality of the source of existence is outside time and space, which, in itself, is a limiting intellectual concept. All ‘starts’ and ‘stops’ or ‘beginnings’ and ‘endings’ impute the condition of temporality. By whatever name it is called, the Infinite Source of All Existence is inclusive of existence but not subject to it. It is not subject to limitation as implied by the concepts of beginning or ending. While these same conclusions can be reached through the study of epistemology and then ontology, the actual subjective experience and knowingness of the reality of foreverness is reported equally by sages as well as by people who have had near-death experiences. What Hawkins argues, then, is that epistemology and ontology are the best philosophical gateways for happiness and a fulfilling life to emerge. This because if one understands how human mind works and the errors that it is prone to, then it is easier to remove the blocks that hinder the perception of the world’s inherent beauty and perfection. Philosophical endeavor, then, can set the stage for an experiential awareness of truth. Now, it is easy to understand the reasonableness of the premise on which it is built but putting it into practice seems extremely difficult. Nonetheless, it is imperative to bring this
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