' The Mysterious Void '...

Two things have to be learned in this quest.

The first is the art of mind-stilling, of emptying consciousness of every thought and form whatsoever.

This is mysticism or Yoga.

The disciple's ascent should not stop at the contemplation of anything that has shape or history, name or habitation, however powerfully helpful this may have formerly been to the ascent itself.

Only in the mysterious void of Pure Spirit, in the undifferentiated Mind, lies his last goal as a mystic.

The second is to grasp the essential nature of the ego and of the universe and to obtain direct perception that both are nothing but a series of ideas which unfold themselves within our minds. This is the metaphysics of Truth.

The combination of these two activities brings about the realization of his true Being as the ever beautiful and eternally beneficent Overself. This is philosophy.




-- Notebooks Category 20: What Is Philosophy? >
Chapter 4: Its Realization Beyond Ecstasy > # 134
Paul Brunton