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Mysticism, Mind, Consciousness
Challenges the prevailing view that mystical experience is shaped by language and culture and argues that mystical experience is a direct encounter with consciousness itself.
In an exploration of mystical texts from ancient India and China to medieval Europe and modern day America, Robert K. C. Forman, one of the leading voices in the study of mystical experiences, argues that the various levels of mysticism may not be shaped by culture, language, and background knowledge, but rather are a direct encounter with our very conscious core itself.
Mysticism, Mind, Consciousness focuses on first-hand accounts of two distinct types of mystical experiences. Through examination of texts, recorded interviews, and courageous autobiographical experiences, the author describes not only the well-known "pure consciousness event" but also a new, hitherto uncharted "dualistic mystical state." He provides a thorough and readable depiction of just what mysticism feels like. These accounts, and the experiences to which they give voice, arise from the heart of living practices and have substance and detail far beyond virtually any others in the literature.
The book also reexamines the philosophical issues that swirl around mysticism. In addition to examining modern day constructivist views, Forman argues that the doctrines of Kant, Husserl, and Brentano cannot be applied to mysticism. Instead he offers new philosophical insights, based on the work of Chinese philosopher of mind Paramartha. The book concludes with an examination of mind and consciousness, which shows that mysticism has a great deal to tell us about human experience and the nature of human knowledge far beyond mysticism itself.
"Forman undermines the accepted view of how humans come to know what has rested virtually unchallenged since Kant." -- Beverly J. Lanzetta, Grinnell College
In an exploration of mystical texts from ancient India and China to medieval Europe and modern day America, Robert K. C. Forman, one of the leading voices in the study of mystical experiences, argues that the various levels of mysticism may not be shaped by culture, language, and background knowledge, but rather are a direct encounter with our very conscious core itself.
Mysticism, Mind, Consciousness focuses on first-hand accounts of two distinct types of mystical experiences. Through examination of texts, recorded interviews, and courageous autobiographical experiences, the author describes not only the well-known "pure consciousness event" but also a new, hitherto uncharted "dualistic mystical state." He provides a thorough and readable depiction of just what mysticism feels like. These accounts, and the experiences to which they give voice, arise from the heart of living practices and have substance and detail far beyond virtually any others in the literature.
The book also reexamines the philosophical issues that swirl around mysticism. In addition to examining modern day constructivist views, Forman argues that the doctrines of Kant, Husserl, and Brentano cannot be applied to mysticism. Instead he offers new philosophical insights, based on the work of Chinese philosopher of mind Paramartha. The book concludes with an examination of mind and consciousness, which shows that mysticism has a great deal to tell us about human experience and the nature of human knowledge far beyond mysticism itself.
"Forman undermines the accepted view of how humans come to know what has rested virtually unchallenged since Kant." -- Beverly J. Lanzetta, Grinnell College
224 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1999
About the author
Robert K.C. Forman
14 books17 followersForty years of daily meditation practice led me to become professor of comparative religions, (CUNY), to found both the Forge Institute & The Journal of Consciousness Studies, and to a rethinking of the spiritual goal in our complex modern lives. That's why I wrote
Enlightenment Ain't What It's Cracked Up to Be: A Journey of Discovery, Snow and Jazz in the Soul
. It answers the question, what if you spent years of your life seeking spiritual enlightenment, but were looking in the wrong place over a long time? It's happening right now to millions of seekers around the world.
Told in often poetic prose, it capitalizes on author's years of scholarly research into and his own 39 year experience of spiritual enlightenment, and uses both as a springboard for exploring new directions for people looking for a sane and healthy spiritual pathway in our increasingly confusing world.
Told in often poetic prose, it capitalizes on author's years of scholarly research into and his own 39 year experience of spiritual enlightenment, and uses both as a springboard for exploring new directions for people looking for a sane and healthy spiritual pathway in our increasingly confusing world.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 14, 2019
A Philosophy Of The Unsayable
In this ambitious study, Professor Robert Forman attempts to provide a philosophical basis for mysticism. He tries to show that mystical experience is not simply a product of the time, place, and background of the individuals claiming such experience. Those holding that mystical experiences are the product of such considerations are called "constructivists". Their philosophical ancestor, for Professor Forman, is Kant. In opposition to constructivism, Professor Forman argues that mysticism in its most basic form is a "pure consciousness event" (PCE) -- the mind knowing itself in a nonlinguistic manner involving pure awareness of mind as such.
Professor Forman relies in large part on reports of the mystical experience from people far removed from each other in terms of time and culture. He discusses his own experiences, those of contemporary Christian, Hindu, and Buddhist mystics, and ancient texts by Buddhist and Hindu contemplatives reporting on the mystical experience. He states that he has been greatly influenced by the transcendental meditation of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Ram Dass, and Meister Eckhart; and the first and third of these are discussed in the book. In addition to Eckhart, Professor Forman's book is also heavily influenced, I find, by William James's "Varieties of Religious Experience" and by Jean Paul Sartre.
In addition to discussing and attempting to describe the nature of the mystical experience (no small task in itself), Professor Forman takes issue with philosophers such as Kant, Husserl and a contemporary writer on mysticism, Steven Katz, who see the mystical experience as conditioned by language. (The constructivists are juxtaposed against the "perennialists" who, we learn, have no sensitivity to the nuances of language, time, and place.)
The philosophic argument of the book is found in a dense discussion in chapter 4 "Non-Linguistic Mediation" which is a critique of the philosophy of Kant. Although Professor Forman allows the nonphilosophically inclined to skip this chapter it is pivotal to his philosophical argument. I was unable, at any rate, to agree with Professor Forman's description of the Kantian philosophy or with its critique. It turns on an argument that Kant's Transcendental Aesthetic was not intended to apply to mystical experience and that the restrictions it would place on human knowledge do not apply to the mystical experience. Unfortunately, I found that this argument does not meet Kant's argument which was squarely directed against unmediated experience as well as unmediated philosophizing.
Professor Forman also is critical of the arguments of Edmund Husserl on the intentional nature of consciousness, finding in Husserl a restatement of the constructivist claim of Kant. I am not sure if Professor Forman is correct in considering Husserl a constructivist. Much of Husserl's phenomenology, which focuses as I understand it on a description of experience (bracketed to avoid causal questions such as those Professor Forman addresses) is useful in an attempt to understand the nature of the mystical experience -- recognized by Professor Forman in a backhanded way, I think.
As a philosophical critique, the book is less than successful. As a description of the mystical experience and as a statement of why such experiences may be valuable and important it does much better. The subject richly deserves attention, as does the nature of the spiritual life and Professor Forman has much to say.
I think the problem at bottom as the mysticism is not by its nature susceptible to philosophical analysis or justification. As the Buddha for one insisted it is experiential in character and can't be reached by philosophical argument. Again, Husserl and William James are helpful here. One must look and see for oneself If one engages in a contemplative practice and looks and sees, the nature of the path becomes opened by the process and practice. The issue of "constructivism" is irrelevant one way or the other to the nature of the experience. Both the "constructivist" approach and Professor Forman's critique are off the mark in that they both attempt to put in words what is undescribable and experiential.
Robin Friedman
In this ambitious study, Professor Robert Forman attempts to provide a philosophical basis for mysticism. He tries to show that mystical experience is not simply a product of the time, place, and background of the individuals claiming such experience. Those holding that mystical experiences are the product of such considerations are called "constructivists". Their philosophical ancestor, for Professor Forman, is Kant. In opposition to constructivism, Professor Forman argues that mysticism in its most basic form is a "pure consciousness event" (PCE) -- the mind knowing itself in a nonlinguistic manner involving pure awareness of mind as such.
Professor Forman relies in large part on reports of the mystical experience from people far removed from each other in terms of time and culture. He discusses his own experiences, those of contemporary Christian, Hindu, and Buddhist mystics, and ancient texts by Buddhist and Hindu contemplatives reporting on the mystical experience. He states that he has been greatly influenced by the transcendental meditation of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Ram Dass, and Meister Eckhart; and the first and third of these are discussed in the book. In addition to Eckhart, Professor Forman's book is also heavily influenced, I find, by William James's "Varieties of Religious Experience" and by Jean Paul Sartre.
In addition to discussing and attempting to describe the nature of the mystical experience (no small task in itself), Professor Forman takes issue with philosophers such as Kant, Husserl and a contemporary writer on mysticism, Steven Katz, who see the mystical experience as conditioned by language. (The constructivists are juxtaposed against the "perennialists" who, we learn, have no sensitivity to the nuances of language, time, and place.)
The philosophic argument of the book is found in a dense discussion in chapter 4 "Non-Linguistic Mediation" which is a critique of the philosophy of Kant. Although Professor Forman allows the nonphilosophically inclined to skip this chapter it is pivotal to his philosophical argument. I was unable, at any rate, to agree with Professor Forman's description of the Kantian philosophy or with its critique. It turns on an argument that Kant's Transcendental Aesthetic was not intended to apply to mystical experience and that the restrictions it would place on human knowledge do not apply to the mystical experience. Unfortunately, I found that this argument does not meet Kant's argument which was squarely directed against unmediated experience as well as unmediated philosophizing.
Professor Forman also is critical of the arguments of Edmund Husserl on the intentional nature of consciousness, finding in Husserl a restatement of the constructivist claim of Kant. I am not sure if Professor Forman is correct in considering Husserl a constructivist. Much of Husserl's phenomenology, which focuses as I understand it on a description of experience (bracketed to avoid causal questions such as those Professor Forman addresses) is useful in an attempt to understand the nature of the mystical experience -- recognized by Professor Forman in a backhanded way, I think.
As a philosophical critique, the book is less than successful. As a description of the mystical experience and as a statement of why such experiences may be valuable and important it does much better. The subject richly deserves attention, as does the nature of the spiritual life and Professor Forman has much to say.
I think the problem at bottom as the mysticism is not by its nature susceptible to philosophical analysis or justification. As the Buddha for one insisted it is experiential in character and can't be reached by philosophical argument. Again, Husserl and William James are helpful here. One must look and see for oneself If one engages in a contemplative practice and looks and sees, the nature of the path becomes opened by the process and practice. The issue of "constructivism" is irrelevant one way or the other to the nature of the experience. Both the "constructivist" approach and Professor Forman's critique are off the mark in that they both attempt to put in words what is undescribable and experiential.
Robin Friedman
Read
August 5, 2011This is largely a refutation of the constructivist position regarding mysticism, namely that not only is the content of the mystical experience determined by the mystic's religious and cultural background, but that the experience is also caused by it. To argue his case, Forman focuses on the Pure Consciousness Experience which would be consciousness without content, but fully aware of itself. His argument is a strong one, though I need to re-read it to get some of the finer points, especially those about Kant and Hursserl. Forman also includes autobiographical experiences which I think help his case. A good book for the religious scholar, though not really intended for the average person interested in mysticism.
June 2, 2014
just finished reading this inter-library loan book that's due back in a day or so, so I read it fast. and I wrote this review even faster, like 10 minutes...
MYSTICISM MIND CONSCIOUSNESS
Robert K.C. Forman
Are all experiences intentional? One of the questions posed early on in Forman’s 1999 book, which reads like a PhD thesis and invokes everyone from Kant to Sartre with Wittgenstein thrown in for good measure. It claims at the outset there is a "constructivist" nature into consciousness and all experience, actually. This intentionality recalls the "ask and it shall be given unto you" adage, although Forman doesn't say so.
You can’t know enlightenment, but you can be it. This seems to be the stated basis of the book. That thought is derived from Zen scholars and mystics. I was particularly taken by the division of mystical consciousness into two large categories, the PCE (Pure Consciousness Event) which Forman uses to open the book and the DMS (Dualistic Mystical State), which is a permanent thing and which, in the final chapter, Forman confesses to possess.
The PCE is relatively common occurrence, the lightening bolt, the temporary awareness/mindlessness. How do people know they had an event? he asks. "I cannot say how I know any of this" is quoted when language and linguistics are brought into the mix, along with Wittgenstein. Then there is something called Knowledge-by-identity, which I can’t say I quite grasped.
The PCE is what the Grateful Dead might have been singing about in "Ripple" when they spoke of "such a long, long time to be gone, but a short time to be there." While Country Joe and the Fish – to enlist the whole 1960s counterculture obsession with enlightenment – used to sing, "Just one more trip now and I’ll never come down, never come down." The song was "Bass Strings" and here are the entire lyrics:
Hey partner, won't you pass that reefer round,
My world is spinnin', yeah, just got to slow it down.
Oh, yes you know I've sure got to slow it down.
Get so high this time that you know
I'll never come down, I'll never come down.
I believe I'll go out to the seashore, let the waves wash my mind,
Open up my head now just to see what I can find.
Oh, yes you know I'm gonna see what I can find,
Just one more trip now, you know I'll stay high
All the time, all the time.
Yes, I'll go out to the desert just to try and find my past.
Truth lives all around me, but it's just beyond my grasp.
Oh, yes you know it's just beyond my grasp.
I'll let the sand and the stars and the wind
Carry me back, oh carry me back.
L.S.D.
L.S.D.
L.S.D.
So, got a little carried away there. The DMS, according to Forman, is a permanent mystical state that is attainable. He lists several people who attained this state of empty mind and were still capable of cutting carrots and so forth. He lists Buddha’s Nirvana as that type of enlightenment as well as mentioning the Cosmic Consciousness claimed by the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Forman himself practiced a form of meditation twice a day for 29 years and gives an account of his own DSM state. Then, to wrap up on the academic note that permeates the book, he talks about Sartre’s ideas of consciousness and the Other etc etc etc.
Time for my daily meditation
just finished reading this inter-library loan book that's due back in a day or so, so I read it fast. and I wrote this review even faster, like 10 minutes...
MYSTICISM MIND CONSCIOUSNESS
Robert K.C. Forman
Are all experiences intentional? One of the questions posed early on in Forman’s 1999 book, which reads like a PhD thesis and invokes everyone from Kant to Sartre with Wittgenstein thrown in for good measure. It claims at the outset there is a "constructivist" nature into consciousness and all experience, actually. This intentionality recalls the "ask and it shall be given unto you" adage, although Forman doesn't say so.
You can’t know enlightenment, but you can be it. This seems to be the stated basis of the book. That thought is derived from Zen scholars and mystics. I was particularly taken by the division of mystical consciousness into two large categories, the PCE (Pure Consciousness Event) which Forman uses to open the book and the DMS (Dualistic Mystical State), which is a permanent thing and which, in the final chapter, Forman confesses to possess.
The PCE is relatively common occurrence, the lightening bolt, the temporary awareness/mindlessness. How do people know they had an event? he asks. "I cannot say how I know any of this" is quoted when language and linguistics are brought into the mix, along with Wittgenstein. Then there is something called Knowledge-by-identity, which I can’t say I quite grasped.
The PCE is what the Grateful Dead might have been singing about in "Ripple" when they spoke of "such a long, long time to be gone, but a short time to be there." While Country Joe and the Fish – to enlist the whole 1960s counterculture obsession with enlightenment – used to sing, "Just one more trip now and I’ll never come down, never come down." The song was "Bass Strings" and here are the entire lyrics:
Hey partner, won't you pass that reefer round,
My world is spinnin', yeah, just got to slow it down.
Oh, yes you know I've sure got to slow it down.
Get so high this time that you know
I'll never come down, I'll never come down.
I believe I'll go out to the seashore, let the waves wash my mind,
Open up my head now just to see what I can find.
Oh, yes you know I'm gonna see what I can find,
Just one more trip now, you know I'll stay high
All the time, all the time.
Yes, I'll go out to the desert just to try and find my past.
Truth lives all around me, but it's just beyond my grasp.
Oh, yes you know it's just beyond my grasp.
I'll let the sand and the stars and the wind
Carry me back, oh carry me back.
L.S.D.
L.S.D.
L.S.D.
So, got a little carried away there. The DMS, according to Forman, is a permanent mystical state that is attainable. He lists several people who attained this state of empty mind and were still capable of cutting carrots and so forth. He lists Buddha’s Nirvana as that type of enlightenment as well as mentioning the Cosmic Consciousness claimed by the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Forman himself practiced a form of meditation twice a day for 29 years and gives an account of his own DSM state. Then, to wrap up on the academic note that permeates the book, he talks about Sartre’s ideas of consciousness and the Other etc etc etc.
Time for my daily meditation
February 12, 2017
This book was a mixed bag but well worth reading. Forman’s critique of constructivism’s ability to explain specific nonconceptual mystical states was very good. This takes up 70% of the book, and if that was all there was I might give it 5 stars.
I actually thought his limiting the critique to a very specific mental state was too narrow. In many ways constructivism was ascendant and powerful in the humanities in the 1980's and 90's, which is where Forman is coming from. In the last 15 year its power has weakened as continual limiting critiques have come from both science (Searle) and philosophy [Habermas). I found Forman accepted too many of constructivism's assumptions in relation to everyday experience.
Interestingly his interpretations of his own experiences were unconvincing to me. Even if cognitive[linguistic and pre-linguistic] interpretations aren't epistemologically causatively constructive of mystical experience, interpretive choices can be limiting or enchasing to the future unfolding of experience.
His collapsing of all nonconeptual experience into two types of experience[PCE, DMS] leads to many problems.
From his descriptions of his experience he seems to be interpreting what Tibetan Buddhist call the substrate consciousness that can be realized through training attention with emptiness, primordial consciousness, and enlightenment. In this case his interpretation appears to be limiting the future deepening of his experience.
Notwithstanding these small criticisms, the book was enjoyable to read (rare for an academic book) and very clear in it's arguments.
Highly recommended for anyone interested in the philosophy and academic study of mystical experiences.
I actually thought his limiting the critique to a very specific mental state was too narrow. In many ways constructivism was ascendant and powerful in the humanities in the 1980's and 90's, which is where Forman is coming from. In the last 15 year its power has weakened as continual limiting critiques have come from both science (Searle) and philosophy [Habermas). I found Forman accepted too many of constructivism's assumptions in relation to everyday experience.
Interestingly his interpretations of his own experiences were unconvincing to me. Even if cognitive[linguistic and pre-linguistic] interpretations aren't epistemologically causatively constructive of mystical experience, interpretive choices can be limiting or enchasing to the future unfolding of experience.
His collapsing of all nonconeptual experience into two types of experience[PCE, DMS] leads to many problems.
From his descriptions of his experience he seems to be interpreting what Tibetan Buddhist call the substrate consciousness that can be realized through training attention with emptiness, primordial consciousness, and enlightenment. In this case his interpretation appears to be limiting the future deepening of his experience.
Notwithstanding these small criticisms, the book was enjoyable to read (rare for an academic book) and very clear in it's arguments.
Highly recommended for anyone interested in the philosophy and academic study of mystical experiences.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews