“Sometimes in meditation I experience deep silence, being in an unbounded empty space. Sometimes I see light in that empty space like the sun.”
Ann Purcell relates the following short account from U. in Mongolia:
“Sometimes in meditation I experience deep silence, being in an unbounded empty space. Sometimes I see light in that empty space like the sun.”
[in Ann Purcell, The Transcendental Meditation Technique and the Journey of Enlightenment, (Green Dragon Publishing Group: 2015).]
Some similarities to Joseph Smith’s First Vision seem to include:
- Being in a silent place
- Feeling that one has been taken to a different heavenly space
- Seeing a light, like the sun
Transcendental Meditation (TM) is one of many different forms and techniques of meditation. It focuses on mantras. Another well known method is vipassana meditation, which often focuses on one’s own breath.
If you would like to submit a “First Vision” account, either personal or found, for inclusion on this website, please click here.
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Bryce, this troubles me. It seems like your turning sacred experience into a product of practicable steps — a technology, as it were — rather than the result of faith, virtue, and devotion to God.
I don’t want to be a thorn in your side, but there you have it: my honest opinion.
OK. I agree that meditation can be a tool, even a gift of the spirit. (‘Don’t know if you got my email where I talk about my own appreciation for meditation.) And I certainly am of a mind that God will influence anyone of his children by any means (within the scope of His virtue) be they members of the church or not. I think what I’m sensing, though, as I read through your blog — and I could be wrong — is a dependency on one’s own wits with regard to unlocking the heavens. The goal of connecting with God seems to be based more in nailing down methodologies having to do with navigating the psyche than with faith in God and a willingness to follow Him through a covenantal process.
Bryce, I like the new direction you’ve taken. It seems like quite a departure from Temple Study, Interpreter, and apologetics in general. Was the experience you describe in the introduction the catalyst?
I think perhaps the reason we may not be experiencing some of the blessings we could be enjoying is because we’re not looking at the steps the Lord has given us. He is to be sought out diligently, and He hasn’t left us in the dark with regard to how it is to be done.
All this reminds me of Section 84, specifically where the Lord is telling us what He was trying to do through Moses and the blessings available to the Israelites had they decided to comply with those steps. In the end, it all comes back to that one goal–being redeemed from the fall and coming back into the presence of God. The temple and the scriptures teach those steps if we have eyes to see and ears to hear.
I pretty-much agree with your take on John 17. The problem is, for me and many others, when these things are spoken of too openly it is a tell tale sign that something is off.
I think some folks believe that because these things aren’t spoken of very often in the church that the members must be out of touch with the truth. My sense, though, is that while there are certainly differing levels of preparation among the saints, and varying challenges and trials, there are many who know their God or who are, at least, well on the path to knowing him. But! They also have a sense of the sacred boundaries of that kind of knowledge and are, therefore, mostly silent about it.
Please tread carefully on this sacred ground.
I think this is one of the biggest challenges that we face today–the most fundamental doctrines of the gospel are being diluted. They slowly become less significant with time and are taught less, remembered less, and eventually disappear from the scriptures (Compare footnotes of John 14:16 in previous editions to 2013 edition). Then when they are spoken of, the reaction is a warning that you’re going down the dark road of apostasy.
Patrick, for me it’s an argument about sovereignty. It’s not that people don’t know these things. It has more to do with when they should know them and to what degree. That’s why when we cross the line from the gospel of repentance into the mysteries it’s a whole different ball game. Only God can know what an individual is prepared to receive beyond the preparatory aspects of His word. And, therefore, it becomes a duty to those who know of the mysteries to measure them with great care; by constraint of the spirit. Otherwise, great damage can be done — not only to the individual seeker, but to the mysteries themselves — if we are not vigilant enough in protecting them. The Father will teach His covenant to all those who are prepared to receive it.
Bryce, here’s that email I (though I) sent you:
Bryce,
I come to you as a friend. I love you for everything you’ve done to move the Kingdom forward. And I am most intrigued by your particular focus, at present, on the Mind. I’m writing to you via email because what I have to say may be too sensitive for the comments section on your blog. First, let me say that I have a gift for meditation. It is so stated in my patriarchal blessing. I can meditate for hours on a particular subject. I believe the Lord has taught me many things through this gift. I have also learned things about the mind itself that have been very useful to me as an individual–though I’m not exactly sure how transferable those particular insights may be. Even so, without being too presumptuous, I would like to offer you a couple of things to think about as you move forward in your quest for enlightenment.
First, I believe that the human mind is equipped with, shall we say, a Faith Support System. The mind is designed, with its powerful, creative apparatus, to embolden faith. And as such, as we search into the mind for answers and meaning, it is of paramount importance that we do not confuse the apparatus itself with the real substance of faith.
Second, as we are created in the image of God, it most certainly follows that our design allows us to taste of the potential to become like God. In other words, there are godlike gifts available to us simply because of our design. However, as we become aware of these gifts, it is important that we also maintain an awareness of the sacred Other. Ultimately, we cannot learn all that we might about the economy of God’s Kingdom without being taught by Him. We, therefore, must allow Him, as the greater Mind, to come to us from the “outside.” I give it to you as my opinion that we first must learn of our separateness before we can comprehend the kind of oneness that God offers us. This is the pattern of the Endowment. And, then, over time, moving from grace to grace, we will experience an increase of joy as we learn how to comprehend the mind of God.
Third, you probably already understand this so forgive my patronizing tone. Neal A. Maxwell spoke of knowledge traveling in a caravan of other virtues. So, as we grow in knowledge — the knowledge of God — we will also grow in other godlike virtues.
And this brings me to the fourth–The mind is “total.” It is more than the brain. It includes the heart and other “centers” of reception pertaining to the body. We must search in the totality of the mind in order to grow in the knowledge of God, which ultimately will lead us to become like Him in a “total” sense.
Well, I hope I haven’t laid it on too thick. Maybe you’re already well aware of these things and are far beyond me in your quest. Even so, I hope that some of what I’ve said may be of use to you.
Jack