The model that follows is an attempt to depict an ideal “Religious Genius”. While it might never fully correspond to reality, it does allow us to develop a better appreciation for what there is in reality. It allows us to identify aspects for which we might look. It is a theoretical construct that shapes discourse and orients a vision.
1 Fundamental Components of a Model for “Religious Genius”
In what follows are presented key features, by means of which we can construct or identify “Religious Genius”. The list began with my attempt to discern and synthesize the background reading that informs the present essay. The model was expanded upon by project members. As presented here, various additions to the model, suggested by project members, as well as possible additional traits of “Religious Genius”, also mentioned below, are in some way indebted to the core traits suggested at the outset of the project. This raises the possibility of constructing a “grammar” of “Religious Genius”, where originary qualities combine to produce further expressions of “Religious Genius”. Perhaps we might be able to even go as far as speaking of “Religious Genius” in essence and manifestation, where “manifestation” are not only the social expressions of the Religious Genius’ being but the secondary or more visible expressions of these core traits. In what follows, I therefore present the model of “Religious Genius” by distinguishing between an originary group of characteristics that approximate “essence” and a further or broader set of characteristics that may be spoken of as “manifestations”.
With regard to the six “essential” attributes of the model of “Religious Genius”, no claim of hierarchy between the attributes is made. Moreover, the different dimensions also overlap to various degrees. The model thus points to a range, a domain, wherein its different components are interrelated and dependent upon one another.
1.1 Love
Some of the early attempts to develop the image of “Religious Genius” (for a history, see section 7) have already made us aware of the centrality of love to the ideal of the saint and of the Religious Genius. While the resources and theological framework from which this recognition was offered were Christian, it is appropriate to recognize love as a central defining element in any portrait of “Religious Genius” and as a common denominator that emerges from all religious traditions. Love should be understood broadly. Therefore, if a tradition such as Buddhism couches its primary spiritual recognition in terms of compassion, rather than in terms of love, for our purposes it falls within the broader range of spiritual attitudes and perceptions signalled by the term love. Consequently, love is manifest as altruism, the supreme expression of love offered selflessly in service of the other. It is significant that so much of philosophical appeal to saints focuses on their altruism. It suggests how central love is to the extraordinary religious personality and confirms the recognition that love should be considered one of the primary identifying features of true “Religious Genius”. It may be superfluous to add that love is a reality, a state of being, and that therefore the question of its recipient is almost secondary. A loving heart and presence extends to God, to the fellow person, to the entire world. The more expansive the love, the higher the state of being that is manifested, the greater the expression of “Religious Genius”.
1.2 Purity
Purity is the core of the struggle that is common to all who are on the spiritual path. It is born of the recognition of a tension, produced by an awareness of multiple realities in which the aspirant dwells. On the one hand is her daily life, earthly reality, bodily existence. On the other is another dimension of reality, a higher order, a divine realm, a vision of truth understood as absolute reality. These are never mere cognitions. They are ways of being, states of awareness, realms of sensitivity, sensibility and greater energetic subtlety. The aspirant is thus torn between multiple realities, multiple states of being and consciousness. What is perceived as the higher order, the ultimate, beckons and invites the individual toward greater conformity with its perspective, with its way of being. To attain that, purity is required. Without exception, all religious traditions, all saints in all religions, have and must undergo a process of purification in order to be able to enter the domain of their destiny, however it is understood in their tradition. Purity is indispensible for the spiritual life and must therefore occupy a prominent position in any description of “Religious Genius”. “Religious Genius” thrives on, aspires to and is ultimately realized through the increase and assimilation of purity into the life of the Religious Genius.
Purity is not to be understood in light of restrictions, such as those associated with ritual purity. “Purity”, in the Hindu tradition, is connected intimately with freedom from greed and there can be no description of religious genius without giving central importance to this quality. It is important to emphasize that purity is here intended in the sense described above, as an internal disposition of gaining greater perfection and conformity with the higher order, rather than in terms of rules and regulations that govern aspects of daily or social life.
There does remain, nevertheless, a possible objection to the inclusion of purity in the portrait of “Religious Genius”. Some devotees regard their great religious figures as perfect from birth, as divine incarnations that do not require purification. If we do not want to superimpose the world-view and understanding of one religious system on another, we must deal with this challenge from the resources of those traditions that might raise such objections. Here, it is helpful to realize that those same traditions also consider spiritual evolution and perfection to extend beyond one lifetime. If so, the place of purification in the process of attaining perfection, of becoming a Religious Genius, is the same. It is only conceived of through a different approach to time and process.( The possibility, always present in Hinduism, of the Divine simply taking form and incarnating without having to undertake any human or earthly related process of purification or growth still remains outside our model.)
Asceticism is a method of attaining what aspirants realize is the vital precondition for achieving their goal – purity. Asceticism is almost universal and with that comes the recognition of the universality of the quest for purity as a defining feature of the spiritual life, and an indispensible feature of “Religious Genius”. Thus, anyone who lacks purity, in a meaningful and recognizable fashion, should not be considered a Religious Genius, according to the high benchmark here proposed. He or she may be a leader, teacher, theologian, activist or any other kind of functionary who makes a difference in people’s lives. But he or she would be no different in their spiritual quality than their counterpart who engages in these same activities from a non-religious platform. The uniquely religious dimension of “Religious Genius”, regardless of the form of service or office through which it is expressed, is purity.
1.3 Humility
While purity is constituted by a variety of virtues that may each be singled out, humility is one that deserves special mention and is accordingly presented as a key feature of “Religious Genius.” Humility may be understood as proper recognition of one’s position in the great scheme of things. Such recognition is quite distinct from the ways in which the ego seeks to assert itself in order to boost one’s sense of personal worth. Humility is thus closely related to de-centering of the self, and its reorientation in a larger view. It is also the basis for continuing self-inspection, leading one to identify faults and to become aware of one’s own imperfection. These in turn drive the quest for purity.
Humility is not to be confused with low self-esteem. It is no accident that the Bible presents Moses as the greatest prophet that ever lived and as the most humble person on the face of the earth (Numbers 12,3 and Deut. 34,10). Many of the figures under discussion had a very developed sense of their worth, value, accomplishment and mission. Humility is a way of contextualizing such self-worth within a broader view of reality, leading to the recognition that it is not the ego, the limited self or its particular accomplishments that are the source of individual pride but rather the fullness of divine (or differently understood metaphysical absolute) reality that makes the person what he is.
Many traditions emphasize the importance of annihilation of the ego for the saint. This is another way of stating what is intended by reference to humility. Thus, to take a current example, if the Dalai Lama is an incarnation of Avalokataishwara, this exalted claim of the tradition need not be understood as contrary to humility. On the contrary, it is the grounds for humility, recognizing that one cannot take credit or recognition for oneself. Of course, the potential for abuse or misapplication is always there. But this is precisely where true “Religious Genius” is measured, in the capacity to self-identify or relate to higher reality in ways that transcend the ego and manifest genuine humility.
1.4 Self-Surrender
If humility situates the self in its proper place, self-surrender defines a particular attitude and relationship of the self to the higher reality that it seeks to identify with. This dimension more than any other was appreciated by William James, in his portrayal of saintliness. He described this self- surrender as resulting from awareness of the friendly continuity between the ideal power and our own life. Self-surrender leads to reorientation of the self. The personal ego decreases in significance, as one increasingly is identified with the greater reality or goal towards which one is making one’s way. Self-surrender may thus be considered a systematic means of self-transcendence. It is also closely related to the capacity to serve others, as one’s view of oneself is transformed, and as one increases in loving capacity.
But more is involved in self-surrender than simply transcendence of self. Self-surrender assumes growing in awareness of a larger presence, or a larger reality, of which one is but a part. As awareness shifts, the question of the true author of our actions increasingly comes to the forefront. Is it the self or the greater Self, the divine, the absolute, that is the true actor. And what exactly is the nature of the collaboration, the synergy, between the ordinary self and the greater Self. Self- surrender thus points to a fundamental shift in consciousness, wherein the self, its identity and authorship are all realigned, in view of expanded awareness. “Religious Genius” requires just such a broad awareness. Without it, the virtues practiced are moral exercises, stages on the way to perfection. But the perfection of the Religious Genius only comes with the shift of consciousness, wherein one’s self is redefined in relation to the absolute. Systems may vary with regard to the possibility of absorption in and union with the greater reality. But the capacity to transcend the self and to live from the place to which one is able to surrender would seem to be a universal feature of “Religious Genius”.
Some traditions resort at this point to a notion of grace. It is through grace, an explicit expression of divine activity, that the actions of the person who has attained self-surrender are carried out. While not all traditions share a concept of grace, it is worth asking whether all can share in identifying a stage in which the sense of authorship of action, the definition of who is the actor, is transformed. Time and again, as we studied the lives or writings of various individuals under the rubric of “Religious Genius”, we have come across self- awareness of being a vessel. This self- awareness of passivity and instrumentality may be considered a coming together of humility, self- surrender and a broader view of reality, that leads to the awareness of the Religious Genius being an instrument. Or perhaps we should uphold a typology of traditions, or sub-traditions, according to their ability to accommodate a notion of a radically transformed self, such that no longer operates on its own, but by agency of the higher reality to which it aspires.
1.5 Expanded Awareness of Reality
Reference to self-surrender already implies awareness of the broader reality to which we belong. But more needs to be said of this, and this seems to be a key element in “Religious Genius” and one of the main features that distinguishes it from ordinary piety and even from many expressions of saintliness. A Religious Genius lives in more than one plane of existence. He or she is simultaneously present to the physical order of life and to the alternative order, to which he or she is increasingly drawn. The latter redefines one’s way of being in the physical plane. It establishes priorities, provides meaning and reorients all of one’s actions. The genius of “Religious Genius” comes from the fact that all actions, engagements, teachings and all expressions of the religious life are experienced from an awareness that transcends the physical plane, even as the individual seeks to transcend his or her sense of limited personal self.
What makes “Religious Genius” unique is that it consciously and intentionally seeks to understand and experience this reality in relationship to everyday reality. Whereas other forms of wisdom might postulate what other dimensions of reality might be, “Religious Genius” is founded upon some kind of contact, exposure, and awareness of this other reality. Such awareness may find varying expressions: some intellectual, some visionary, some mystical, some intuitive. What is common to all of them is the conscious recognition of the relationship that exists between these two dimensions of reality. Perhaps a Religious Genius could be presented as someone who aids in constructing a conscious bridge between these two dimensions of reality. Reference to expanded awareness of reality and bridging realities includes faith as a means of reaching out to such reality, even if faith may be less direct a cognition than direct experience, cognition or testimony.
Significantly, all religious traditions express their awareness of reality in terms that are dualistic – this reality, the other. Is this merely a function of how different theological or philosophical systems shape religious thought, or do we have here a fundamental expression of or experience that informs the awareness of the Religious Genius? Does the Religious Genius grasp something beyond, to which he or she seeks to make its way, subjecting all of life as experienced and understood to that quest? Is a sense of an alternate reality thus fundamental to all expressions of “Religious Genius?”
The most common way of describing this alternate dimension of reality is to describe it as the heavenly, supernal, world. The broader view of reality is usually expressed also in cosmological terms, situating the genius and her world within a broader scheme of existence. Such cosmological situatedness is then the foundation for deeper understanding of reality. It consequently provides either new information concerning the heavenly or celestial realm, and the heroes, usually great religious figures, associated with it, or guidance, teaching and information for how to better live on the physical plane.
But broader awareness of reality need not be limited to the celestial sphere. If we consider broadening awareness horizontally, then we can consider the expansion of awareness to others, to the world’s suffering, to the entire world of social relations that cries out for healing. Perhaps herein lies an important key to the altruism of saints. Their altruism is neither a mandate, nor simply an expression of love. Rather, it expresses a broader sense of their identity and their own sense of expanded awareness that includes the other, the world at large, as part of their own awareness. Perhaps, in today’s world the broadening of awareness will find further expansion in the ecological domain, extending the sense of self from society to all of life. The increasing engagement of religious leadership in this direction and the way it harnesses traditional theological resources suggests that this too may be featured as a present or future expression of “Religious Genius”.
1.6 The Logic of Imitation
Awareness of higher or broader reality does not simply provide meaning and reorientation to physical existence. It leads to an inevitable dynamic wherein one seeks to conform the one reality to the standards, vision or perfection of the other. A constitutive tension ensues, wherein one not only lives in two planes of existence, in two parallel realities, but seeks to imitate the higher reality within the confines of ordinary existence. I would like to propose that this is a constitutive dimension of “Religious Genius”. As suggested, a Religious Genius is the bridge between two realities, and the primary means of constructing this bridge is imitation.
In some traditions imitation plays a crucial role; in others it may be less dominant. However, it is worth considering whether the logic of imitation is not itself a fundamental feature of the higher religious life. The Religious Genius is not only in touch with a higher vision of life; he seeks to incorporate and implement it in life, or, from the other end, make life on this plane attuned to, commensurate with, harmonious with, that higher reality. Only those who are aware of the tension implied in living in multiple worlds and the suffering, struggle and continuing effort to harmonize and attune our world to another order of reality truly deserve to be called religious geniuses. Here we have a pinnacle of genius – intuiting another order of reality, seeking to ground it, transforming oneself and the entire world in a movement of totality and harmony toward that higher perceived reality. We go here way beyond faith, understood conventionally, or the practice of virtues. We enter here into a domain that is truly the reserve of the few, even if it be the hope of the many. In light of such precision of definition, religious geniuses will emerge as those individuals who are able to maintain this broader awareness and its resultant mandate to imitate, harmonize and conform different orders of reality. Such efforts both require and are made possible through the purity attained, the love offered and the transcendence of self that make up the character of the Religious Genius. However, those virtues alone do not suffice. They produce excellent spiritually oriented characters, perhaps even saints. But “Religious Genius” requires that additional vision and orienting framework that redefines existence and its meaning, seeking to continually elevate and transform it in light of the higher realization.
1.6.1 The Logic of Emulation
If the “Logic of Imitation” was a way of grasping the interior life of the Religious Genius, lived in relation to a higher ideal recognized within, “The Logic of Emulation” is the outward social manifestation of society’s relationship to the saint or Religious Genius, wherein his or her actions provide a basis for others’ behavior. This is certainly an important aspect in the dynamics of saints and their social environment. Accordingly, I propose the distinction between “The Logic of Imitation”, that relates to the Religious Genius’ interiority and “The Logic of Emulation” that relates to the ways in which others seek to imitate the excellence of the Religious Genius.
1.6.2 Saints and Religious Geniuses as Inspiration for Character Formation
Saints have figured long in discussions that are relevant to the concerns of character formation. As exemplars of virtue, they have provided an example that invites emulation. As we have seen, this dimension of the saints’ lives has led to reflection on the tension between imitability and inimitability in relation to saints. Most discussions have highlighted the fact that saints do things that others would not and should not wish to do. They are extravagant, out of order and not appropriate subjects for emulation. Take St. Francis’ public stripping in the market place in Assisi and you have a perfect example of the inimitability of the saint.
As I have read and reflected on various sources featuring the saints and how they function in different traditions, a suspicion has grown in me as to the centrality of example and imitation in the first place, as a means of capturing the import and function of the saint in traditions other than Christianity. As one who is actually quite close to the strands of Judaism that venerate holy people, I realize that I have never considered the import of zaddikim in terms of emulation or moral example. My impression is that the same is true for Hinduism and Islam. Highlighting example along with fellowship and intercession may be a particularly Christian balance. Fellowship and intercession I certainly do recognize from my encounters with other religions. Emulation may play an important role as well, but it does not necessarily follow from the notion of model or example. And here we come to the challenge of articulating the implication of “Religious Genius” for character formation. Given the suspicion that in traditions other than Christianity example is not the main thrust of the saint’s contribution to character formation, I would like to propose another way of understanding the genius’ contribution to character formation.
Let us also say a word here regarding the notion of moral perfection. As already noted, we find in the literature some discussion as to whether saints should be considered morally perfect. Our own discussion of the flawed Religious Genius tackled this issue from another perspective. If they are not perfect morally, they have attained some other kind of perfection, by means of which they are recognized as saints. This is usually related to their relationship to God, rather than to morality. Broadening this discussion to “Religious Genius”, one might ask whether we assume that a Religious Genius is morally perfect. We have already raised the notion of the “flawed Religious Genius” in our discussion and made room for him, at least in the second row of religious geniuses. But whether or not moral perfection is even possible, it seems to me that what is of utmost importance is the being of the Religious Genius, not his or her moral achievements.
If so, what is the testimony that the Religious Genius provides for others? If she is not primarily about providing an example, is there any relevance to the Religious Genius, in terms of character formation? I believe the answer should be positive. The Religious Genius offers us a testimony of what it means to be human. She points to a fullness of humanity, of human potential, that is achieved in relation to a higher order of being. The Religious Genius thus provides a model of being. What is to be emulated are not virtues, actions or qualities, but the very orientation of being in relation to absolute, the larger whole, both horizontal and vertical. But this would seem even more impossible and inimitable than the imitation of actions and virtues. What has been gained by shifting the focus of attention from the genius’ manifestation to the core of his existential orientation?
It is here that the logic of imitation, fundamental to “Religious Genius”, finds its significance. As suggested, imitation happens in successive stages, wherein one level imitates the other, each looking to the next level ahead, and the entire chain looking beyond. A Religious Genius, much like the zaddik or guru, is a model of being, a reminder of a different way of orientating oneself in the world. His overall being is a call to emulate, on a lower level, the composite nature of being that he represents. Clearly, the tension of imitability and inimitability could lead to failure to take the genius as a reminder of a higher way of being, turning to him for other purposes instead. As suggested, the tension may be grounded in the existential paradox of imitating a higher order of being. But from another perspective, imitation is possible. The structures and fundamental orientations can be preserved, as one degree of life opens to another, making some kind of imitation or emulation possible. Thus, built into the reality of the Religious Genius is the possibility of evoking the memory or the aspiration for a higher way of being. Much as the Religious Genius turns towards the ideal reality and seeks to capture it in this world, the follower has the possibility of turning to the Religious Genius and deriving inspiration for how to be. The Religious Genius’ contribution to character formation thus touches the very foundational challenge of how to be in the world.
What the Religious Genius can provide for character formation is the orientating framework for being, in light of which questions of priority, meaning and values of life are determined. These provide a framework for the very viewing of one’s life and its purpose. Purpose thus emerges as a key term designating what the Religious Genius can provide in the life of others – a reorientation of being, in light of his own example, that enables the follower to redefine, reorient and awaken the sense of purpose of his or her being. A narrower approach to saints centers on virtues. The broader approach to religious geniuses and saints provides one with the deep sense of purpose, in light of which to orient life.
2 Manifestations of “Religious Genius’” Core Traits
The spiritual life is complex and multifaceted, its different facets radiating upon one another. The imposition of structure, where one value or dimension of the spiritual life is considered primary and the others its consequences, is of necessity somewhat arbitrary. Granted the tenuousness and arbitrariness of some of the ways in which we impose order on the spiritual life, I would like to look at some aspects of the spiritual life that seem to me important in the framework of understanding or identifying “Religious Genius”. These aspects bring together, draw upon or otherwise relate to the principal dimensions described above. Further aspects have come up in the course of the project and will emerge with future work.
2.1 Altruism
Altruism draws together several key dimensions of “Religious Genius”. It is founded upon love. It manifests awareness of a broader sense of being, wherein the identity of the one offering love or sacrifice is expanded to include the other. It implicates one in transcending the self, and is founded on a higher sense of self-surrender to a goal, a vision, a higher spiritual reality. And more often than not it also exemplifies a logic of imitation. Whether it is the imitation of Christ’s supreme sacrifice or the imitation of the Boddhisatva ideal, altruism grounds in a moment of sacrifice a higher spiritual vision.
2.2 Intention
Looking at the core features of our proposed model of “Religious Genius”, they are closely related to concern for intention. The life of a Religious Genius is not a casual life. It is a life lived with full intentionality, seeking to integrate all of life’s manifold details into a focused drive for coherence and integration. The very shift of emphasis beyond the self is an act of intention. Moving from caring for the self to caring for others requires, for the most part, some intentional shift of orientation. Reorienting all of life towards a higher vision requires a transformation of the will, and an intentional orientation toward the alternative, absolute reality. Purification is not possible without proper intention. Attention to motivation, to the quiet and hidden desires of the heart, in an attempt to purify them, requires great intentionality. Intention also defines altruism. Were it not for the orientation of intention, we would have no way of knowing whether an act is altruistic or selfish. The epitome of such orienting intention is perhaps the image of the Bodhisattva, whose entire being depends on his intention to live for the sake of others.
2.3 Excellence in the Form of the Discipline Practiced
As further extension of this discussion of intentionality we note the following trait, relating to the spiritual path and to the practices that govern the life of the Religious Genius and his relationship to others. We recognize that spiritual cultivation and discipline play an important role in many traditions in leading to an expanded sense of reality. Discipline is fundamental to all forms of genius and is a helpful dimension in thinking of “Religious Genius” as a constructed category. In some cases such discipline is integrated into trackable spiritual evolution, such as in various itineraries and ladders of spiritual progression. But achieving some kind of excellence, either in the process or as a consequence of having reached the goal (sainthood; Religious Genius), is very common. Forms of discipline may vary according to the type of religion practiced. In some it might be more like emptying oneself of intentions and agencies and being open to spontaneous filling (some eastern traditions). Spontaneity itself may function both as a critique of a certain kind of discipline and as a kind of discipline in and of itself. In any event, these various forms may be considered expressions of intentionality, manifesting in a focused process and in some expression of discipline. Even if the notion of grace or gift is recognized as a factor in saint-making, the application of the insight and the practice in the saint’s life that follow require some aspect of discipline.
There is, however, one class of individuals in relation to whom some might object when it comes to the criterion of discipline. I refer to figures taken as divine (incarnations, avataras, etc.) within their traditions. While “Religious Genius” allows us to engage these figures from a broader, non-faith-committed perspective, for their believers and followers, these individuals are beyond the typical human categories and processes associated with genius. In the context of the present trait, these figures present us with a challenge, as in many instances their lives are not portrayed as the consequence of the application of discipline. Consequently, they are less imitable, inasmuch as imitability relies heavily on the disciplinary dimension of the lives of saints. They represent what we can’t even aspire to become through our disciplined efforts. Nevertheless, even if their lives are not understood by the faithful to be the outcome of the practice of discipline, they typically exhibit a disciplined way f life in their actual lives, thereby making the present question less weighty.
2.4 The Totality of Demand, the Quest for Integration
- Swetenham has reminded us that there are no part time saints. “Religious Genius” as well cannot be thought of as a part time vocation. Religious geniuses are individuals for whom the alternative reality, which they share alongside common reality, places a total claim, a claim for conforming their entire life, and reality itself, to what has become known to them. With it often comes a demand for full self-control, in the service of the larger goal. The broader consciousness of which they partake redefines life and radiates to all its expressions. Hence the radicality of the life of the Religious Genius. Nothing is simply permissible, optional. Things and situations either do or do not serve the claims made by the ultimate for a totally dedicated, focused, intentional and sanctified life. This total claim is a powerful unifying force. What this means is that “Religious Genius” is not simply a capacity; it is a way of being.
The consequence of totality is that everything is included. The life of the Religious Genius is therefore a life of integration, or at least it strives to be. Swetenham spoke of the integrative power of love. I would like to suggest that one of the marks of “Religious Genius” is its integrative power. Not only their lives are integrated, bringing together their various aspects under the sign of a unifying spiritual vision; they offer a vision of integration to society. Consider the examples brought by Sir John Templeton, in a later part of the present study. The figures of whom he speaks are models of integration, integrating distinct social groups and segments of society within a total spiritual view of society and of reality. Consider further the work of the saints of India, who integrate various dimensions of life, in the pursuit of advancing a spiritual vision in society – integrating languages, caste differences and cultural differences. Consider the power of such religious geniuses as Rabbi Kook, whose entire being of love leads to one dimension of integration after another, integrating law and spirit, philosophy and mysticism, secular and religious, and more.
Jerome Gellman, in his response to the present essay, highlights the sense of integrated personality in his construction of “Religious Genius”. Such integration can include integration of thoughts, actions, feelings and intentions. It does not assume that the person is always perfect, only that the deeper motivation and orientation of the Religious Genius’ entire life is in accordance with the higher goals.
If “Religious Genius” is a way of being, rather than a set of capacities or achievements, this would also lead to a specific approach to him or her. Being radiates, and the recognition that someone’s being represents another order and offers a harmonious integrative vision for life, will do more than inspire people to accept the vision. It will draw people to that individual’s being, seeking his company, presence and radiation.
2.5 The Power of Intuition
Our working definition of “Religious Genius” refers to the application of the power of intuition. As noted, the creative drive that galvanizes the vision of the Religious Genius into a new statement of how to be in the here and now draws upon intuition and inspiration, which may take the form of revelations and prophecies, leading to the founding of a new religion or the revelation of a new scripture, or to the expression of a spiritual vision that redefines the meaning of past tradition and present day living. Here I would like to suggest how the power of intuition relates to the core characteristics offered in the model. Intuition and imagination are significant bridges between the Religious Genius’ interiority and the novel outward transformative vision or contribution made by the genius.
Implementing the logic of imitation is an act of intuition. The higher reality cannot be implemented in a facile way in the physical reality. Even something seemingly straightforward like the centrality of love must undergo some translation as it is extended from the region of divine love and its tenderness to the complexities and mandates of human relationships. Such translation processes may have to be reasoned, but before they are reasoned, they are intuited. Religious geniuses are masters of higher intuition.
Closely related to intuition is the power of imagination. It is interesting to consider Huston Smith’s description of religious geniuses and their capacity to shape the imagination. Let us also recall how central a role the imagination has played in the lives of mystics and prophets. Purification of the imagination is part of the overall purification of the person, but its fruits in the Religious Genius are such that they serve as a means of revealing the higher order in everyday consciousness, that of the genius or of his community. The capacity to contemplate a higher world, as well as the ability to bring its fruits and testament to the ordinary plane of existence, involve the imagination and the intuition, as these produce creative bridges, through which religious geniuses bridge heaven and earth.
2.6 Freedom from Greed
Freedom is suggested as a significant aspect of the Religious Genius’ internal orientation and freedom from greed as a primary expression of such freedom. Considering greed a fundamental expression of desire, that in turn leads to manifold expressions of activity and that interacts with various aspects of the person, freedom from greed emerges as an important attribute of the Religious Genisus. Greed includes greed for fame and power. Flawed genius is related to failure to check greed, hence corruption. Expanded awareness is also centerdness in satisfaction, hence overcoming the various forms of greed. Thus, freedom from greed is a hallmark of the Religious Genius, bringing together the traits of purity and expanded awareness.
2.7 The Quality of Heart
Different traditions have a way of expressing a particular quality of the saint’s heart. A saint’s heart is like butter (Tulasidasa), liquid (Cure of Ars), open to others, responsive to their suffering, capable of transforming others through the quality of a heart that has transformed a natural hardness, associated with ego boundaries. The deeply cultivated heart is a nurturing presence for others. Here, an interior aspect of the saint or the Religious Genius’ life is viewed as it interacts with others, giving external expression to the unique individual’s interiority. Needless to say, the quality of heart of the saint is a direct expression of the saint’s love, as well as of the impact of the broader existential situatedness captured by the model.
