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Mysticism and Indian spirituality
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of them of the solitary type, known as yrātyas, regarded by Hauer as the original Yogic ( Uryogins )"1o. The tradition of wandering ascetics, later known as śramaņas, outside the Vedic and Brāhmanic establishment continued for centuries in relative obscurity while ceremonial religion flourished, But it was obviously gradually gaining more recognition and power of attraction for those who became weary of Brāhmanic sacrificial ritualism and sought some clearer solution of the riddle of existence. As the Vedic tradition preserved the memory of the accomplished sis of old, so this unorthodox śramaņa movement harboured memories of enlightened munis of the past. It was not, of course, a unitary movement. It was apparently a broad trend manifesting itself in individual truthseekers and teachers with groups of followers around some of them. This trend eventually reached its peak in the great achievement of Buddhism and also of Jainism and other minor schools of Yoga, now mostly forgotten. The memory of two of them has been preserved in the Pali Canon in con. nection with the Buddha's life story.
Some might object to regarding the Buddhist ( and possibly also Jainist ) top achievement of nirvāṇa as mystical whilst admitting to the mystical character of jhānic states of mind. But this is only a terminological problem. May be it is not correct to speak about unio mystica when describing the attainment of pirvāṇa in early Buddhism since the term originated in the context of theistic theology. But both terms to the highest achievement of what is seen as the ultimate reality in the two respective systems. In both cases it is also admitted that the designation of the goal - God, nirvāņa - does not really convey the true nature of the ultimate reality which is felt to be beyond descriptions and, as I tried to explain elsewhereli, beyond the conceptual dichotomy of the personal and the impersonal. If we agree that the goal of mysticism is the final and ultimate truth achieved by direct experience, then the nirvāņa of Buddhism falls within that heading. When Carl A. Keller tried to define mystical writings SP-32
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