Message #48728

[weboflife]

Thanks for your attention to this subject. I have no doubt that there are far more important ingredients that need to be considered in reaching the highest states of spiritual awakening. I've read a good deal of the Christian mystics who didn't know scientific techniques but devotion alone seems to have gotten them there. St Therese of Avila, St Therese of Lisieux, St Francis, Ignatius, St Anthony... the list is prolific.

St Therese of Avila is an interesting case in point. She uses an analogy in her writings that is meant as a guidepost to her fellow nuns on how to talk with God directly. She uses the illustration of the turtle withdrawing its limbs in exactly the same way Krishna does in the Bhagavad Gita in describing how to withdraw the senses inwardly. It's quite amazing because back in the 16th century Indian Holy literature wasn't available in the west. Just shows how the mystics of all paths converge because they have lived the truths directly.