The Philosophy of the Poet Seers
Western philosophy seeks to use the highest pinnacle of mental reasoning to expound various arguments. For example Descartes sought to prove the existence of God through a series of logical arguments. Fortunately or unfortunately I can’t remember them, although it did include his famous quote “I think therefore I am”. However although Descartes may have cleverly proved the existence of God he could not give even a glimpse of a higher consciousness. The philosophy always remained limited by the constraints of the intellectual mind
On the other hand, the great Vedic Seers and their spiritual descendents take a completely different approach. They do not seek to explain, they do not seek to convince, they merely state the divine truths that they have experienced for themselves. In the writings and poetry of a great Seers we feel that they are offering more than intellectual discussion. It is as if their words are surcharged with a tangible spiritual consciousness, which elevates the reader out of his intellectual mind and touch our aspiring hearts.
“Him I have know, the Being Supreme,
Refulgent, luminous as the Sun beyond darkness,
Far beyond the embrace of devouring gloom.”
From: The Upanishads
An authentic spiritual master is consciously at one with the source of the inexpressible divine mystery.. He writes not with conventional formality but with a poetic, mantic power; his philosophy thus becomes an invocation to the transcendental beyond.
"Drunk deep of Immortality
I am the root and boughs of a teeming vast.
My Form I have known and realised.
The Supreme and I are one; all we outlast."
The philosophy of the Seer Poets is unexpectedly straightforward. Sri Chinmoy says the mind has many questions it would like to ask, but ultimately there is only one question worth asking. “Who am I?”
"If you have millions of questions about God and about yourself, you will be able to get most adequate answers to all of them by getting the proper answer to this one question: "Who am I?" All the other questions revolve around this question. When you know the answer to this question, your life's problems are solved. You enter into liberation, salvation, Self-realisation. You become totally and consciously one with God the Omnipotent, God the Omniscient, and God the All-Perfect."
From: Sri Chinmoy Library
Thus the philosophy of mysticism is the philosophy of experience. Our real existence is not in the mind but in the heart and soul the real Truths of the world can only be experience if we dive deep within. As Sri Aurobindo said:
“They proved to me by convincing reasons that God does not exist, and I believed them. Afterwards I saw God, for He came and embraced me. And now which am I to believe, the reasoning of others or my own experience?”
The poetry of Sri Chinmoy is wide ranging and prolific, in many ways it is an ideal way to express his philosophy. This is because the philosophy of Sri Chinmoy does not require complex intellectual arguments, in essence it retains a divine simplicity. Primarily Sri Chinmoy advises seekers to use their hearts, the spiritual heart. It is through the heart and not the intellectual mind that we can achieve spiritual realisation. Thus many of Sri Chinmoy's recent poems are very short and simple aphorisms which encourage us to use the capacities of our heart.
See: More on the poetry of Sri Chinmoy
by: R.Pettinger 13/01/06
Photo: By Richard (Radcliffe Sq, Oxford)
