Ecstasy

It makes me wonder why in almost all religious practices ecstasy or ecstatic awareness gets so much priorities.

I think man cannot live without ecstasy.In the matters of love to a beloved or to God or the natural phenomena or any matters of passion the final stage is ecstasy. In the matters of sexual union ecstasy comes naturally and one tends to live in a kind of temporary alteration of mental state. One it seems is in a kind of meditation where one forgets of his physical existence. He it seems is in a trance or ecstasy.

In religious practices this sort of ecstasy is so very common throughout the world in almost all religious groups . By religious groups I mean a kind of lifestyle a group of people believe to be worthwhile for whichever ends they consider important in life.

For Hindus ( Vaishnav shakto, vedantic etc ) For Buddhists ,for christians specially catholics,the sufis , the Shamans ,the moslem etc union with the God finally is a matter of goal to all. This union with the god occurs only when one discards the rationality taught by cognitive science. To achieve the union with God one has to be ecstatic about the intense desire to be one with the Lover ( God) This state of mind is sometimes in a trance. Sometimes hallucinogenic drugs are used to get the ecstatic feelings but that is looked down upon by the purists. Its the pure unification of two mind and soul as in the lover's case where no external agencies are required.

Sufi saints and shamans sometimes are considered Lunatic as the sayings go: All saints are lunatic and all lunatics are saints. perpetual ecstasy converts them to be lunatic in the rational world.