Lost Masters: Rediscovering the Mysticism of the Ancient - Lost Masters

Other Books by Linda Johnsen

Daughters of the Goddess: The Women Saints of India

The Living Goddess: Reclaiming the Tradition of the Mother of the Universe

The Complete Idiots Guide to Hinduism

Copyright 2006, 2016 by Linda Johnsen

Originally published in 2006 by the Himalayan Institute Press.

All rights reserved. This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, or other without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Johnsen, Linda, [date] author.

Title: Lost masters : rediscovering the mysticism of the ancient Greek philosophers / Linda Johnsen ; foreword by Eckhart Tolle.

Description: Novato, California : New World Library, 2016. | An Eckhart Tolle edition. | Originally published in 2006 by Himalayan Institute Press under title: Lost masters : sages of ancient Greece. | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2016021275| ISBN 9781608684380 (paperback) | ISBN 9781608684397 (e-book)

Subjects: LCSH: Philosophy, Ancient. | GreeceReligion. | Yoga. | BISAC: BODY, MIND & SPIRIT / Mysticism. | PHILOSOPHY / History & Surveys / Ancient & Classical. | PHILOSOPHY / Eastern. | SELF-HELP / Personal Growth / General.

Classification: LCC B171 .J58 2016 | DDC 180dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016021275

First New World Library printing, November 2016
ISBN 978-1-60868-438-0
Ebook ISBN 978-1-60868-439-7
Printed in Canada on 100% postconsumer-waste recycled paper

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Contents

ANCIENT GREECE IS RIGHTFULLY REGARDED as the cradle of European civilization. It produced unprecedented creativity and innovation in literature, painting and sculpture, politics, theater, architecture, and so on. The Greeks most important contribution by far, however, consisted in what we might call an expansion of the abilities and scope of the human mind. They were able to free themselves from the constraints of culturally conditioned narratives, which millions of people are still trapped in to this day. These narratives are unquestioned beliefs and assumptions that are taken for reality. They are an intrinsic part of the conditioning of the mind. So one could say that the Greek philosophers taught us how to think. It is generally recognized, and taught at universities, that within the European cultural context, the civilization of ancient Greece gave rise to rational thought and ultimately laid the foundation for the development of science. This is all true, of course, but if that were the whole story, there would be no need for this book. It is not the whole story by any means. It is only one half of the whole. There is a dimension, which we could call spiritual, to these ancient philosophers work that has been not only largely neglected by academic studies but actively suppressed. It is my view that their ability to think creatively and go beyond the confines of their mental conditioning was because they were able to access, to a greater or lesser degree, this dimension within themselves.

Lost Masters is all about this neglected but absolutely essential aspect in the lives and teachings of the great sages of European antiquity. If you are open to that dimension, you will want to read this book more than once. You will be amazed by the profound wisdom of these sages, which has been lost to us for two thousand years, except perhaps for a brief period when it was rediscovered in the Renaissance, only to be forgotten again.

The subject matter of this book is not just of historical interest. It is of vital relevance to our civilization at this time, which needs to rediscover its roots in that spiritual dimension if it is to survive, just as individuals need to discover that dimension within themselves in order to transcend the dysfunctional egoic state of consciousness that is the main source of human suffering.

The ability to think, which finds focused expression in the pursuit and ever-increasing expansion of scientific knowledge, is an amazing evolutionary attainment, but unless it is balanced with awareness, it becomes highly dangerous and destructive. The ego arises when there is complete identification with thinking without any background awareness. A personor even an entire nationthen comes to be virtually possessed by certain patterns within the conditioned mind. When thinking and awareness are in balance, wisdom arises. Thinking then becomes fruitful and creative. The ancient philosophers were interested in knowledge, of course, and through the application of rational thinking, some of them arrived at astonishing insights. Democritus, for example, came to the conclusion (twenty-four hundred years ago!) that everything in the universe is made up of infinitesimally small particles he called atoms, with empty space between them. Yes, the Greeks were undoubtedly interested in knowledge, but more essentially they were interested in wisdom. That is why they called themselves philosophers, which means lovers of wisdom.

Wisdom arises out of awareness. Wisdom can manifest as thought, but the root of wisdom lies in no thought, or freedom from thinking. That is why Socrates said: Wisdom begins in wonder. What is wonder? The dictionary gives various definitions. The one that applies to the saying of Socrates defines wonder as rapt attention or astonishment at something mysterious or new to ones experience. So when he speaks of wonder, Socrates clearly refers to a state of alert inner stillness in which there is no thinking. There is awareness, but no narrative, no interpretation or explanation. This is corroborated by another one of his most famous, but usually misunderstood, sayings. When he was asked why the Oracle at Delphi called him the wisest of all men he replied: I am the wisest man alive, for I know one thing, and that is that I know nothing. This statement is often interpreted as feigned modesty (which, of course, is a form of ego), but I would suggest that he was referring to the state of not knowing that precedes any creative use of the mind. In that state of alert inner stillness we connect with the unconditioned consciousness, so that we are no longer trapped in the conditioned mind. Plotinus puts it like this: Leaving all thought behind, [the soul] releases itself into silence. The mind then becomes the instrument of a higher faculty instead of being self-serving, which is ego.