Document Type : Original Article

Authors

• Amir Pazhouhandeh ¹
• Davud Fazel Falavarjani ²

¹ Theology and Humanities, The Imam Khomeini Education and Research Institute, Qom, Iran.

² Assistant Professor of the Department of theology and Philosophy of Religion of Imam Khomeini Educational and Research Institute, Qom, Iran

Abstract

One of the contemporary mystical schools categorized under nature-centered mysticisms is Native American mysticism, introduced by Carlos Castaneda through twelve volumes of books. Among the core teachings of this mysticism is the rejection of rational thinking. From Castaneda’s per-spective, reason and logic hinder spiritual progress; therefore, to attain mystical knowledge, one must set aside rational understanding and follow the path of the heart. In this journey, hallucinogenic plants are used to fo-cus the individual’s attention on spirituality and to eliminate preconceived notions, as these plants are believed to possess knowledge-giving proper-ties.
A significant critique of this form of mysticism is the inability to evalu-ate its mystical propositions a priori, as it dismisses the value of rational knowledge. Castaneda, by suspending reason, seeks an alternative that he finds in illusion. In advocating for the acquisition of knowledge through the heart, he does not see it as complementary to reason but as opposing it, asserting a conflict between the two forms of knowledge.
This article seeks, through an analytical method, to examine the role of reason in Castaneda’s mysticism, which is founded not on rational or demonstrative knowledge but on anti-rational propositions. The analysis focuses on Castaneda’s anti-reason stance and its implications for his mystical framework.