Re: Monasticism and Mysticism.

From: Peter Larsen <p3larsen_at_5_bTpep07pPRzDlUmnOGpwPjr-pvQ6-vXTB9Shaa-8pqqoxwpYxSpNecymB5-VgCh-s>
Date: Mon, 14 Dec 2009 10:06:59 -0500

On Mon, Dec 14, 2009 at 5:32 AM, Peter Metcalfe <metcalph_at_8JNhO91QwdpVKXjjm7oD3BunbVjtkrhcyhLxFFPY1sqsA2BvQW2M_X7gV2GOfMxSg5Axxu5mWOyZNIUrmh2rZ1RpT05I.yahoo.invalid
> wrote:

> I don't believe there are three (plus) separate paths to mysticism. For
>
> me, the key feature is practicing austerities. Since mysticism is
> inherently anti-heroic (and even anti-adventurer), I don't see how
> making distinctions between mystics (apart from the obvious
> look-and-feel) can tell us what we don't already know. In story terms,
> mystics are a plot device and can be invincible (as Mashunasan was) or
> easily killable (as Thomas Becket and the Buddha were) as need be for
> the purposes of the story.
>

I don't think austerities is a necessary feature at all (since Buddha rejected extreme austerity as a practice, there's a pretty good precedent for thinking so). I think the point is realizing that the Material (and, in Glorantha, the magical) World is Not The Big Deal, and only by moving beyond that does one do What One Is Supposed To Do. It would be a shame if the only mystics in Glorantha were ascetics. Some should reach the Ultimate via denying the flesh, but some should also reach it via other things:

• A carpenter who focuses on being present in the act of carpentry until she realizes that only the moment matters and the Time and Existence are an illusion created moment by moment.
• A hedonist who, by virtue of will and attention, sees through the drunken haze to realize that the Phenomenal World is just another drunken haze (naturally, this proves a popular, and generally self-destructive path).
• A theist, sorceror, or animist whose spiritual path leads not only to a god, saint, or spirit but beyond, the being acting as a sort of Bodhisattva to guide all beings toward the Ultimate, and so on.

Each of these paths would have its own benefits and pitfalls -- the third example would be one where the "normal" practice of the individual would garner the usual magical benefits, but use of them would risk the error of believing that the magical worlds transcend the physical. The practitioner could get fabulous feats but remain trapped in the cycle of death and rebirth or, worse, become a hero or divine being who can't progress spiritually.

I expect most "failed mystics with cool powers" are like this -- people who have received powers from a practice allied with mysticism. After all, Refute Reality 10W4 might be a trump card kind of ability, but anytime you used it to solve a real-world problem, you are proving the importance of Reality and (I would argue) lose points from it. Even if you used Refute Reality 15W10 to become a god, you will still be a mystic loser.

Peter Larsen

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]