” At the center of our being is a point of nothingness which is untouched by sin and by illusion, a point of pure truth, a point or spark which belongs entirely to God, which is never at our disposal, from which God disposes of our lives, which is inaccessible to the fantasies of our own mind or the brutalities of our own will.Β – Thomas Merton “
Do you think Merton is talking about the Psychic Being when he refers to the ‘Centre of our Being’? Most Christian saints talk about it in their Prayers. If yes, it is amazing that they are talking about it in almost Vedantic terminology. In the depths, to all of us Truth is so alike.
Yes. It is about the psychic being that he is talking about. Christianity, being based mainly on faith and devotion, has given a number of saints who had the psychic realisation.Β
Not sure if most Vedantins have it. They are too much in the mind and hence end up with the impersonal Brahman. The average bhakta, too, of the typical Vedantic tradition is too busy and satisfied in the mind with learning and reciting stutis rather than seeking the Divine Presence through love, self-giving and service. But that is what happens everywhere. True seekers with genuine aspiration are rare. The typical ‘Vedavadin’ of the Gita treats these truths as a material for cold analysis, as if he were dissecting something dead. Very few are able to ignite their fire through a living contact with these experiences enshrined in these words and hymns.’
Affectionately,
Alok Da
