Hindu Mysticism is the Way of Presence.
Hindus call that ultimate reality, that nameless, formless, beyond definition something, Brahman. As you often hear in Sanskrit names, Brahman is mainly thought of as having three main attributes, Sat, Chit and Ananda: Being, Awareness and Bliss.
For Hindu mystics, everyone is one with Brahman in his or her divine self or soul. Hinduism has kept the vision of God as Divine Mother alive, in her full, richness of both destroyer and Preserver, terrifying and tender.
YOU ARE THAT
This is the teaching of Uddalaka to Shvetaketu, his son:
As by knowing one lump of clay, dear one,
We come to know all things made out of clay–
That tey differ only in name and form,
While the stuff of which all are made is clay;
As by knowing one gold nugget, dear one,
We come to know all things made out of gold–
That they differ only in name and form,
While the stuff of which all are made is gold;
As by knowing one tool of iron, dear one,
We come to know all things made out of iron–
That they differ only in name and form,
While the stuff of which all are made is iron–
So through spiirtual wisdom, dear one,
We come to know that all of life is one.
In the beginning was only Being,
One without a second.
Out of himself he brought forth the cosmos
And entered into everything in it.
There is nothing that does not come from him.
He is the truth; he is the Self supreme.
You are that, Shvetaketu; you are that.
~ From the Chandogya Upanishad
The Self is hidden in the hearts of all,
As butter lies hidden in cream. Realize
The Selkf in the depths of meditation,
The Lord of Love, supreme reality,
Who is the goal of all knowledge.
This is the highest mystical teaching;
This is the highest mystical teaching.
` From the Shveteshvatara Upanishad
TRUTH IS ONE
…Truth is one; only It is called by different names. All people are seeking the same Truth; the variance is due to climate, temperament, and name. A lake has many ghats. From one ghat the Hindus take water in jars and call it jal. From another ghat the Mussulmans take water in leather bags and call it pani. From a third the Christians take the same thing and call it “water.” Suppose someone says that the thing is not jal but pani, or that it is not pani but water, or that it is not water but jal. It would indeed be ridiculous. But this very thing is at the root of the friction among sects, their misunderstandings and quarrels. This is why people injure and kill one another, and shed blood, in the name of religion. But this is not good. Everyone is going toward God. They will all realize Him if they have sincerity and longing of heart.
~ Ramakrishna