Seek answers in philosophical mysticism

By Pieta Woolley

Leonard Angel doesn’t mind if his “religion”, philosophical mysticism, never takes off. As the director of Douglas College’s Wisdom Institute, he is pioneering a practice that unifies his two lifelong interests: seeking to understand the universe in a rational and scientific way, and mysticism, an ancient tradition of connecting with the ultimate reality. To him, it’s personal, but he also thinks he might be on to something bigger.

“It’s popular with me, that’s good enough,” the philosophy and humanities professor said in an interview. “I’ve always been interested in philosophy, trying to figure things out. And, I’ve always been curious about the mystics. I wondered if there would be something to it, even if it came with other views that would have to be reformed.”

Angel came of age in Montreal, learning Judaism and Hebrew at school from rabbis. As a teen, though, he was attracted to “things that sounded exotic and unusual” at the time: Buddhism, Hinduism, and later, meditation at McGill University, where he studied philosophy. For 15 years afterward, he practised Zen Buddhism, meditating each day. Of all the mystic traditions, he said, Zen Buddhism was the most relevant to him as it didn’t seem to come with any doctrinal baggage.

“Later, I started thinking about how to put together philosophy and meditation,” he recalled, noting it has taken 20 years to transform philosophical mysticism into a practice. “Now, Douglas College is important in world culture. We’re doing meditation and philosophy, and it’s supported by a secular institution. It’s the first of its kind in the world.”

In other words, Angel is articulating through the institute a very Vancouver groundswell. It’s the urge of rational people to seek meaning and connection—the old deliverables of religion—without irrational gobbledygook. The popularity of yoga, he noted, is one manifestation of the trend. But philosophical mysticism essentially comes from a more complicated place.

Angel explained that for about 40 years, science has been replacing faith in explaining how the universe works to those few who really understand science. These people have internalized the idea of an explainable universe. How do humans reproduce? Once considered a divine blessing, reproduction was explained by the discovery of DNA in 1953. Why do plants reach for the sun? Once awe-inspiring, it’s now just simple chemistry. Through biology, chemistry, and physics, scientists have nearly nailed down the universe.

To philosophers, the concept is called “physical completeness”, Angel said. He believes that for those who take the time to understand science and ponder the meaning of a rational universe, the supernatural aspect of religions must become moot. What is left of the world’s great religions then? To Angel, quite a lot.

He breaks down traditional religions into three parts. Firstly, direct experiences of love and mystery and awe. To the religious, he said, these are ascribed to God. But they are as readily experienced by antireligion humanists. Secondly, a belief in a superior being that should be worshipped, as well as afterlives, reincarnation, psychic phenomena, and ghosts—everything that’s paranormal and can’t be explained by science. Thirdly, the realization of oneness with the universe, and bliss.

Of the three, he said, only the second part, the paranormal, must be abandoned by reasonable people. The other two are ripe for a reinvigoration of both religion and humanism. Philosophical mysticism is the bridge.

Although Angel isn’t evangelizing, he emphasized that the Wisdom Institute also offers hope, just as traditional religions do: “Do I think the world will be a better place when everyone is happy? Absolutely.”