Im/practical Mysticism

Never mind for a moment that everything in contemplative spirituality is beyond words to begin with. At times, one must try to say something semi-intelligible about deep spiritual experiences or about the topography of the contemplative spiritual journey. To do so, we resort to using whatever words are available, and then poetically do our best to arrange them in a way that communicates a reflection of the truth.

I've been thinking about this a lot lately, because I am writing a glossary of contemplative terms to go with some courses I'm developing. What I notice is that I can seldom use the primary dictionary meaning of the words. Instead I must use a minority definition -- third or fourth down the list. Often, I must resort to a specialized religious or theological dictionary to find a definition that fits the nuances I seek.

The word "contemplation" itself is a good example. The dictionary just says things like "long thoughtful observation", while I'm looking for something more like "nonconceptual nondual awareness".

It reminds me of a favorite passage from the Diamond Sutra:

That which words express is not Truth. Truth is undeclarable. Therefore, we call it "Truth".

The realm of contemplative spirituality is a linguistic twilight zone!

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