The Varieties of Religious Experience Lectures 11-13-Saintliness

Lec 11-13-Saintliness

So what fruits are truly practical via such happy conversions? Certainly at least seen within human history we have, “the highest flights of charity, devotion, trust, patience, bravery…have been flown for religious ideals” (259-260). Concerning conversion, Sainte-Beauve gives remarks noting that conversion experiences generally invoke a phenomenally extraordinary experience, “for the soul arises thereby at a certain fixed and invisible state… heroic, and from out of which the greatest deeds which it ever performs are executed” (260). Such examples are imminent cases but certainly we have instructive ones. One’s that may push one to regard worldly laws and life's direction near pervasive to nature. So, how does one come to differ so vastly? Certainly, we have numerous individual diversities as our “differing susceptibilities of emotional excitement and in the different impulses and inhibitions” (261), impulses and inhibitions that cross us as ‘yes’s’ and ‘no’s’. An example James argues may be an ill-tempered individual that then has a kid and begins acting remarkable, an “expulsive power of higher affection” (262). Many times certain emotional states may supersede others as sovereign in times of individual necessity, developing a new centering. And not only one always remains sovereign, many times people are internally conflicted of ‘yes’s’ and ‘no’s’ with personal will necessary. An example of being a soldier with fear of being a coward pushes them forward (263), it becomes easy to waver till an emotion eventually feels unambiguous. As such, James argues there certainly exists a ‘pitch of intensity’ that can supersede other emotions and inhibitions, and the impossible becomes possible as inhibitions cease. With examples even of people slicing through others to escape danger. Now James argues certainly nothing destroys inhibitions quite like anger and thus, for many passions, it may be very practical to destroy inhibitions blocking higher regards. Anger costs nothing and is easy to renounce social ties. Now thus far has been temperamental alterations via shifting excitements within an individual. With one liable to a particular emotion they also lose many inhibitions that come with it and there are certainly times individuals are born with an innate genius nature in regard to those particular emotions. For normal people they may only reach such regards from feelings of hopeless inferiority into a second birth. In many ways such geniuses are certainly free of a number of inner turmoils. Now, one practical factor higher excitability commonly brings is courage, “trustful hope will do it” (265), thus making, for many, excitement out of the difficult. And, in concerning willing versus wishing it merely becomes a difference of individual drive; with a certain amount of love, generosity, and loyalty, the results will always dissolve cowardly inhibitions (266).

With all thus far let us now direct all such psychological regards to religious fruits, as the individual now existing with a religious center verse carnal center certainly differs in many definite ways. The ‘no’s’ that ailed him are now gone, factors once impossible are now possible, and the hardness surrounding the heart has broken (267). With James referring in belief that most of us have possibly known such an ontology as “those temporary ‘melting moods’ into which either the trials of real life, or the theater, or a novel sometimes throw us” (267), having catharsis, and finding openings to noble sentiments. For most, the general hardness returns but not with Saints in which such ‘melting moods’ maintain a near uninterrupted control (267). For them self-growth “comes to stay” (268), with backslidings near impossible. However, general people also uncommonly prevent such only as long as their new change is proved with personal evidence. One example is with an alcoholic, “from that hour drink has had no terrors for me” (268) and no remaining temptations made for satisfiable proof for their consistency of conversion. We get another example of a sex addict near suicidal with a phenomenal experience of the Holy Ghost permanently removing his cravings. In these cases, it is as if one is a giant cube who finally pulled the lever to turn over from side A to B, which no gravity or effect can easily turn it back over (271). Such sudden abolition, and also in hypnotic regards, we certainly see subliminal influences present. And suggestive therapeutics certainly warrant strong results. Thus, people have regards to induced change and if through God, such access would be from the subliminal veil in this regard.

Now it is best to regard the religious fruits within this; and generally, the ripest of such fruits warrant the title of saintliness as the “saintly character is the character for which spiritual emotions are the habitual center of the personal energy” (271). And certainly, we have particular universal saintliness within all religions, generally with a conviction of God, a spirit that can interrelate with humans; seen with in goodness, truth, in beauty; they feel the presence everywhere; and can identify what separates humans from God, one, any self-searching and, two, any sensuality. Both hide God in a veil of darkness, with the path of the just always shining bright (271-272). Now we reach such fruits of religious saintliness, to begin, 1, a feeling of being in a wider reality generally with a strong conviction of an ‘ideal power’ (272). Two, a sense of friendly continuity of the ideal power, always with the willingness of self-surrender. Three, an intense “elation and freedom” (273) as the ego dissolves. Four, a “shifting of emotional center towards loving and harmonious affections, towards ‘yes, yes’” (273). Now with such fruits we certainly have in regards that face practical consequences, in this case we also have several, of which we will letter. A, asceticism, or discipline, in this self-surrender becomes self-immolation and possibly superseding inhibitions thus, “measuring and expressing as they do the degree of his loyalty to the higher power” (273). B, we have strength of the soul; as the world feels larger it may make prior concerns feel too insignificant to notice anymore, fears go and bliss stays. C, purity; the shifting of emotional centers generally brings an increase in purity, sensitivity to spiritual discords, a cleansing of existence from brutal to sensual. Generally, individuals remain hidden from the world and often purity takes an ascetic turn with the weakness of flesh treated severely (274). D, charity; shifting one's emotional center, it commonly brings an increase in charity, one with higher empathy for all living creatures. “The saint Loves his enemies and treats loathsome beggars as his brothers” (274).

Now for some concrete examples starting with the presence of an ideal power. In a Christian regard many may feel that with a loss of personal independence comes the compensation of an absence of all fear, a strong inner security. We get an example of a sermon that believes for many strong followers God comes and goes often and that drives away all fear and it is in the closeness with God that maintains the security of “a state of mind equally ready to be safe or meet injury” (275). Next, to address peace of mind and charity; charity and brotherly love are factors certainly common within religious history. In such regard, brotherly love comes from the “assurance of God's friendly presence” (278). Christ’s charity in ‘love your enemy’ is to help make them children of God, such a powerful theistic basis certainly helps to understand individual humility and charity via spiritual excitements. The subject’s mind is closed against envy, hatred, and vindictiveness, and wholly transformed into benevolence, indulgence, and mercy” (280). A natural affinity between tenderness and joy, their place in sainthood is clear. We get an example of such tenderness of whom finds a love for all mankind, their enemies, and sits far off from able to judge another. Certainly, such charity can “efface all usual human barriers” (281). With an example of a saintly individual in important clothes of whom happily greets a dog on the ground whenever he arrives with no concern of getting dirty, as they believed, for them to reject the dog’s love was to cause ‘moral injury’. Another example of an individual with advice for fighting lets himself get beat in the face without reacting. A day later while down on it, the other comes back and apologizes. He then forgives him and said he already asked God to as well. Certainly, a good example of ‘love your enemies’ thus one is noticing not only one's friends. By the saying, one generally, should de-escalate their own animosities before becoming actions. Thus, rarely is ‘love your enemies’ a literal phrase but, is there an ultimately unifying emotion that dissolves all differences and only allows for friendly relations? (283). “If positive well-wishing could attain so supreme a degree of excitement, those who were swayed by it might well seem superhuman beings” (283). With strong convictions and moral discretion such values can certainly change the world especially concerning “inhibitions of instinctive repugnance” (283). Of which we commonly find 3 associating factors: asceticism, charity, and humility; with examples such as people sharing their “kisses [with] his lepers” (284).

Next, to address the practical benefits of equanimity, resignation, fortitude, and patience that come as fruits (284). “A paradise of inner tranquility” (285), commonly a resultant of faith. And certainly, thus far we have seen numerous examples of feelings of safety within God's presence, something indispensable to many. Generally, such tranquility arrives as a direct result of self-surrender. Now, such tranquil temperaments vary from person to person; some more serious with general resignation, and others more cheerful and of more joyful consent. We get an example of a serious tranquil temperament, of whom takes their life ‘as it is’ and asks nothing more of it, he expects nothing, and all his worth is through his despairs. We get another example, this was a more optimistic tranquil temperament and a resignation more active; perils turned to serenity to heresy to jail with no tears or remorse drawn, “but I found my thoughts so much taken up with God that I had no distinct sense of danger” (287). Certainly, powerful the “contempt of danger which religious enthusiasm produces” (287) and certainly martyrdom becomes a sign of religious victory. We get another example of a person tortured by whip but with every lash feels good in every sense of the term, as, for them, under God all felt of happiness and joy. For many tranquility is a recentering of tenseness to peace, to relax and to disregard one's burdens (289). Abandoning self-responsibilities is certainly a fundamental factor in many religious regards and certainly distinguishes between moral regards (289). We see such also present within mind cure movements, stoicism, Hinduism, and Christianity. In Christianity this is commonly called ‘recollection’; when strongly emphasizes presence of time with a lack of worry of future. Saint Catherine of Genoa argues, “the divine moment was the present moment” (289).

Now we have reached the fruit of purity, it is typical of saintly individuals to be highly sensitive to inner inconsistencies, with confusion growing intolerable (290). One individual reference point becomes spiritual excitement as now anything that weakens the purity of the soul is unspiritual. Commonly, with moral regards when it admits work for God thus sacrifices are common. Such gains sovereignty so purity comes instantly. We get an example of a man quitting tobacco for God, he never used again and always felt close to God. And also, many aesthetic forms certainly appear rather pitiful with examples of early Quakers. In this, some take battle against trivial things such as insincerities within their Christian religious social culture; the doffing of hats felt superficial and insincere. Thus, renouncing such cordial behavior with others by necessity. Other Quakers even rejected titles as they were not found to be important, rather, they were addictive and evil. Now certainly such sensitivities make the external world difficult to live within and by this they only find unity of soul by methods of worldly ‘withdrawing’ (296). “That law which impels the artist to achieve harmony in his composition by simply dropping out whatever jars, or suggests a discord, rules also in the spiritual life” (296). But saintly individuals certainly find such inner purity violated in nearly every direction of secular existence. And certainly, purity is a diligent work near resembling ascetic practices.

Now James aims to distinguish between different forms asceticism may take, in this he presents six types. One, asceticism as ‘moral hardiness’, as one grows disgusted with too much ease (296). Two, maintaining good temperament of factors such as food, clothes, chastity, and bodily apparel, all done certainly as “fruits of the love of purity” (297). Three, or this may be the fruits of love, appealing to an individual's sacrifices happily made in honor of the divine (297). Four, ascetic mortifications and torments extending from pessimism of self and religious finalities. Individuals may feel that in doing penance now that they may gain security for the present or future (297). Five, for the psychopathic, such modifications generally spring irrationally often by fixed or obsessive ideals which becomes that individuals particular challenge to rectify and restabilize their inner composition. Finally, six, ascetic practices can, at rare times, turn painful stimuli into pleasure (297). With many difficulties one can foresee human and church history generally tends to divert others away from ascetic lifestyles.

Now certainly people seek ease and pleasure by instinct and that aesthetic practices certainly appear odd and in extreme forms appears as living paradoxes. As such, the prior dropping of abstractions, to take life as it comes, is complex, needing both stimuli and inhibitions thus, following habitual routines. With experiences generally leaving good or bad impressions. Thus, we are left with immediate sensation but also followed with a secondary like or dislike (298). As seen prior healthy mindedness works for some but is intolerable to others, but also certainly we find a mix as to best “produce the sense of an existence with character and texture and power” (299). Regardless of direction for one, relatively speaking there certainly is the right choice of direction for the individual; or, that all things have conditions best for optimal efficiency as do our souls. With healthy mindedness and twice borns some certainly are happy within the calm and others are tense, and for the latter’s negative ascetic techniques generally develop as consequence. We find general instances of pleasure received from ice baths; this case would reside under ascetic head one ‘moral hardiness’. Next, we get a mixture of aesthetic heads two and three in which asceticism becomes, “more systematic and pronounced” (300), with examples of fasting, mortification with burlap clothing, rocks in shoes, and sleeping on the hard floor. Within one of many religious historical regards the Roman Catholics went further and codified all such, praising it as merits. Now we get an example of a Unitarian preacher with an extreme lack of indulgence even by sleeping or sitting. He recollects that he should only occupy space needed as in this weather any movement let cold hit the skin, certainly elements of hardiness and a love of purity with no pessimism. Next an example under head four; a man wanted to go to a monastery but found them not as dedicated as he. He started sleeping on leaves, intense fasting, praying nine times a day, and in craving bread feels himself a sinner and resorts to eating grass and acorns, while later finding peace with God present; a common hopeless Christian theology incentivizing self-mortification (302). “In the form of loving sacrifice, of spending all we have to show our devotion, ascetic discipline of the severest sort may be the fruit of highly optimistic religious feeling” (302). We get an example; an individual's philosophy is to give up all things as to hold on to anything is also to hold on the troubles. He meditated harsh in the cold and at one point his followers placed a false door in his chamber believing the warmth he felt was from God and praise to God for it. Certainly, he needed full faith to experience as such. We see spontaneous impulses to make sacrifices for the pure love of God, thus classing it under aesthetic head three (303).

Now, in historical dominating churches, notions within such aesthetic practices have always been a “negative one of avoidance of sin” (304) with sin generally following ‘concupiscence’ reality of individual instinctive pleasure and temptation such as pride, sensuality, worldly excitements, and possession (304). And all sources of sin are to be held within check thus there is always a factor of self-mortification. Now, to attend to a true aesthetic practice not deluded from religious institution we have Saint John of the Cross. A 16th century Spanish Mystic with the belief that one should excite all things that most imitate Christ. If something presents itself as pleasurable then reject it in God and Christ honor, Christ, of whom nourished on God. For example, he argues, one tends commonly to take satisfaction at times where the glory of God has no part (305), “deny yourself this satisfaction, mortify your wish to listen” (305). Similar with all sensory senses, “striving to make yourself free from their yokes” (305). Saint John, the radical remedy lies in the mortification of the four great natural passions, joy, hope, fear, and grief” (305). Turn one soul not towards the most easy but the most hard; not towards rest, but labor; not to desire more, but less; not to seek the best, but the worst as to acquire Christ’s love with an adequate point of view of spirit and worldly renunciation (305) as to appreciate taste for all things, lose taste for all things; to know all things, learn to know nothing; to be all things, be willing to be nothing (306). And certainly, with such mystics ‘all’ is better understood as ‘All’ as near synonymous with God. Continuing with Saint John, he argues that to stop at one factor ceases to reveal the ‘All’ to oneself; to come to the ‘All’ one must give up everything to the “All’; if one attains it, to possess it longer one must desire nothing. Here the soul finds tranquility and a new centering. Of such Highness it cannot be taken from below with nothing higher to depress, in his conclusion, desires are the cause of troubles (306). We get another example, this one aiming to tackle ascetic heads four and five but also all of them combined; an example of irrational bodily extremes that pathological individuals may take. A 14th century German mystic named Suso took ascetic practices to extremes of self-torture generally by long deprivations and a good bit of blood and nails. In their case pain did not turn to pleasure. But, through a number of brutal extremes on his 40th year God spoke to him that he had destroyed the natural man and that such exercises are now unnecessary. Another example, with her love of pain insatiable, “nothing but pain… makes my life supportable” (310). In such religious regards generally three branches support self-mortification, chastity, obedience, and poverty.

First, to address obedience. “Obedience may spring from the general religious phenomenon of inner softening and self-surrender and throwing one’s self on higher powers” (311). Such powerful saving attitudes that one cannot possibly see through their fallibilities for the sake of trust and faith maintained thus, resignation is necessary. And, combined with self-despair and self-crucifixion, passion and obedience become an ascetic sacrifice (311). “As a sacrifice, a mode of mortification” (311) commonly within many practices especially Catholicism, “by poverty he immolates his exterior possessions; by chastity he immolates his body; by obedience he completes the sacrifice” (312). For many, such obedience is easy but to explain it is complex. We get an example of a Jesuit authority, for them the greatest monastery benefit is the assurance of whom one obeys. If you have done right then all other concerns can answer to your superior, God. We had another example, one with the desire of a superior to disregard his own bias and help conquer his mind; no human is superior, and all are equal under God, as to assume human superior certainly weakens one spirit of obedience (313) and true recognition of God. With situations of people even “greedy of obedience” (315).

Next up we have the second branch common in self-mortifications, poverty. Certainly, present at all times and creeds within saintly life (315) and generally ownership is rather instinctual thus this also can become a paradox. But the individual certainly does not feel that way by how “easily higher excitements hold lower cupidities in check” (315). We get another example of prior Jesuit Rodriguez, “blessed are the poor in spirit” in this he explains, to better question this, ask oneself if you love poverties effects such as hunger, thirst, cold, fatigue, etc. If you are not glad for them then you only avoid them thus proving the imperfection of one’s spirit of poverty. So, with a vast number of religious groups idolizing poverty what are the spiritual grounds? One, of all general historical regard there has always been some born with little need of possession and rather live with “personal superiorities, the courage, generosity, and pride supposed to be his birthright” (317). For such people the claims that possessions make can be toxic and easily corruptible. We know example of saintliness with Whitefield; everywhere he goes brings the unique voice “go thou and preach the gospel; be a Pilgrim on earth; have no party or certain dwelling place” (318). Even with an example of an anarchists loathe of capital wealth argues that in giving it away makes one beautiful (319). By James, in short, lives with less are generally more free than those based on ‘doing’ or ‘being’. Commonly within spiritual excitements a person throws away possessions, but only private individual interests maintain this as “cowardice creep in with every dollar “(319) so, point of view is enlightening. We now get an example of a monastery monk requesting reading material, denied, then later given too much, overloaded, and his superior monk then argues “a man possesses of learning only so much as comes out of him in action” (320). Certainly, a desire of not having, James argues, is something profound and close to the real mysteries of religion thus giving strong satisfaction (320). And without a full surrender a crisis is not passed, and fear still stands sentinel (320), growing mistrust of the divine. Dividing trust in either us or God with an example of a junkie going to rehab seeking help but also hiding his drugs. He is completely willing to work with God when there but if not, he has drugs if completely necessary. Certainly, we see a common reoccurring theme within many experiences. Jump to God's Providence and make no reservations to stay at all (321). As such, take all your stuff and give it to the poor as “only when the sacrifice is ruthless and reckless will the higher safety really arrive” (321). We get an example of a youth child with the word of God telling them to detach; monastery life is not enough, goes into the desert, they return home with a minimal living. They wake up one morning with a penny for bread when God questions her faith in a penny. She then throws it away with faith alone in the Lord. Then feels immediate and complete bliss greater than, she argues, the rest of her life combined. Powerful object that penny, a minuscule value but once ditched a psychology threshold is passed. However, in contrast we see an example of a person with great spiritual excitement who renounces all and gives it away all the while his pasture is denouncing his actions as fanaticism.

Certainly, we also find democratic sentiment as such people generally regard all humans equal under God, something generally more common with Muslims than Christians. Thus, not mere individual humility but rather collective humanity in “refusing to enjoy what others do not share” (324). But, with all regards thus far such experiences are only influential to the experiencer; with an example such as an American cannot possibly understand the loyalty to the British king (325). And, if this is so, then how do we understand subtler religious sentiments present outside of experience? Certainly, a tough one. However, in such experiences all is solved and feels “transparently obvious” (325); “each emotion obeys a logic of its own and makes deductions which no other logic can draw” (325). With James arguing, piety and charity live in entirely different universes than lust or fear (325) and when realized, form a new center of energy. With many times holding on to personal possessions too difficult and mean in feeling to maintain within X center of energy. Now, James's plan; if we are outside such subjective experiences all we are left with is the observation and recording of others, a true radical empiricism.

--Seth Graves-Huffman