Mystics, Masters, Saints, and Sages by Robert Ullman

Author:Robert Ullman
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781609253158
Publisher: Red Wheel Weiser Conari

1897-1985, UNITED STATES

FRANKLIN MERRELL-WOLFF, a brilliant mathematician, gold miner, philosopher, and mystic, awoke spontaneously in 1936. Born in Pasadena, California, in 1887, the son of a Methodist minister, Franklin studied mathematics, philosophy, and psychology as an undergraduate at Stanford University. He pursued graduate studies in philosophy at Harvard, but returned to teach mathematics at Stanford prior to receiving his degree. His philosophical studies, influenced by Kant, eventually caused him to entirely abandon academia in a successful twenty-year quest for self-realization.

Franklin was influenced by Sufi, Theosophical, and Hindu philosophies, particularly the Advaita Vedanta of the Indian master, Shankara (the founder of Hindu monasticism), whom he considered his guru. He was also guided to clarity by an unnamed sage, who, while helpful, did not claim to be Franklin's guru. Through his own contemplation of Shankara's thoughts on spiritual liberation, Franklin understood that what was to be realized was not experiential, nor did it involve a change in the content of consciousness. Rather it was the realization of a Nothingness that was identical with his own Self. Fourteen years before his final realization, Franklin had realized, “I am Atman” (Self). The year before his complete awakening, he further recognized, “I am identical with Nirvana.” Nevertheless, he had always expected that the final realization would involve some form of experiential happening. As you will read, it was not until he completely dropped any expectations of finding something that could be experienced that the transformation he had long been seeking occurred. As many masters have found, it is often necessary to abandon all seeking, so that finding may happen without interference.

Franklin's account of his enlightenment was discovered by John Lilly, M.D., a researcher in the field of consciousness and interspecies communication, who sought out Franklin in retirement at his remote retreat at Lone Pine, California, in the Sierras. The work was published in 1973 as Pathways Through to Space. Franklin's further description of his enlightenment, The Philosophy of Consciousness Without an Object, is an extraordinary philosophical companion to the original manuscript. The aphorisms in the second book are not to be missed by anyone sincerely interested in self-realization. Both works have been reprinted as Franklin Merrell-Wolff's Experience and Philosophy by the State University of New York Press.

A Western pioneer in the field of mysticism and transcendental awareness, though largely unsung, Franklin produced work that is still appreciated today by sincere seekers of realization. His bodhisattva vow (promise to dedicate oneself, above all else, to spiritual practice until all beings are enlightened), taken before awakening, did not permit him to remain in a state of blissful inactivity. After realization, he continued writing, lecturing, teaching, and working on his land. His close, longterm relationship with his wife and spiritual partner, Sherifa (Sarah), sustained him through the years. He passed away in Lone Pine in 1985, at the age of ninety-eight.

The following account of his 1936 awakening is reprinted from his spiritual autobiography, Pathways Through to Space.

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