Franklin Merrell-Wolff

[Jhanananda]

I bumped into some followers of Franklin Merrell-Wolff on my retreat in 2004.  I keep meaning to investigate him.  Has anyone here heard of him?

Franklin Merrell-Wolff
Franklin Merrell-Wolff (1887–1985) was an American philosopher. After formal education in philosophy and mathematics at Stanford and Harvard, Wolff devoted himself to the goal of transcending the normal limits of human consciousness. After exploring various mystical teachings and paths, he dedicated himself to the path of jnana yoga and the writings of Shankara, the most influential expounder of the Advaita Vedanta school of Hindu philosophy.

Philosophy

In 1936, Wolff experienced a profound spiritual liberation and awakening which provided the basis for his transcendental philosophy. Wolff's published books detailing his experience and philosophy include Pathways Through to Space, The Philosophy of Consciousness Without an Object (both of which were re-published in a single volume entitled Franklin Merrell-Wolff's Experience and Philosophy), and Transformations in Consciousness: The Metaphysics and Epistemology (originally published under the title Introceptualism).

Selected works

    Merrell-Wolff, Franklin (1973). Pathways Through To Space (New York : Julian Press). ISBN 0-517-54961-1.
    Merrell-Wolff, Franklin (1973). The Philosophy of Consciousness Without an Object (New York : Julian Press). ISBN 0-517-54949-2.
    Merrell-Wolff, Franklin (1994). Franklin Merrell-Wolff's Experience and Philosophy: a personal record of transformation and a discussion of transcendental consciousness: containing his Philosophy of Consciousness Without An Object and his Pathways Through To Space (Albany : SUNY Press). ISBN 0-7914-1964-9
    Merrell-Wolff, Franklin (1995). Transformations in Consciousness: The Metaphysics and Epistemology, edited by Ron Leonard (Albany : SUNY Press). ISBN 0-7914-2676-9.

Further reading

    Leonard, Ron (1999). The Transcendental Philosophy of Franklin Merrell-Wolff (Albany : SUNY Press). ISBN 0-7914-4216-0.

External links

    Franklin Merrell-Wolff :: Philosopher. Mathematician. Mystic. Spiritual Teacher.
    The Transcendental Philosophy of Franklin Merrell-Wolff
    The Franklin Merrell-Wolff Fellowship

[Jhanananda]

The things about Franklin Merrell-Wolff that suggest to me that he may have been a mystics, and suggest that his work deserves investigation by anyone interested in mysticism, are as follows:

1] A formal education in philosophy and mathematics at Stanford and Harvard suggest that he was not just a genius, but very possibly a poly-math.
2] After his advanced education he devoted himself to the goal of transcending the normal limits of human consciousness.
3] He explored various mystical teachings and paths
4] He dedicated himself to the path of jnana yoga and the writings of Shankara and Advaita Vedanta philosophy, which suggests non-dualism, which is a characteristic of the mystic's experience.
5] In 1936, Wolff experienced a profound spiritual liberation and awakening.
6] He subscribed to a transcendental philosophy.
7] He expressed himself in terms of a Philosophy of Consciousness Without an Object.  The experience of deep meditation requires objectlessness.

[Alexander]

Never heard of him. Looking at his essays he fits neatly in the R. M. Bucke school, though, with all those 19th century intellectual-mystics. It appears that Merrell-Wolff was on the right track, whether he was self-realized or not.

[Jhanananda]

Thanks, Alexander, for responding.  I thought you would take an interest in him.  Yes, I agree, he was right in there with all of those 19th century intellectual-mystics. 

I am not familiar with R. M. Bucke, so I will have to investigate him.  Since you know more about him, than I do, then you are welcome to start a thread on him. 

I am not sure where to put all of these western lay mystics.  I thought maybe Research into meditation, but perhaps it would be better to put them into Western Occult traditions.  Or perhaps start a new thread.  What do you think?

[Alexander]

I remember one of the first books I read on spirituality was called The Highest State of Consciousness. It was a compilation of essays by all those intellectuals - i.e., R. M. Bucke, Alan Watts, Aldous Huxley, P. D. Ouspensky, Joseph Campbell, etc. - who developed an interest in consciousness/drugs/spirituality in the 19th-20th centuries. I think Aldous Huxley was the one who talked about a perennial philosophy: that all religions have an essential truth to them that can be unpacked, and that on close study they are not at all different. That book was what led me - though it was a long journey - to becoming a scholar of religions.

There are quite a few subforums: though they do make navigating the forum easy. Maybe create one on scholars of religion? Or, put these threads into Research into Meditation.