list 14 mystics on whom you were most trained, such that later you will be able to do things as if from their view, since you have so much data on them
GPT-3.5
GPT-6 Astra
I can’t inspect or rank how much training data I received about particular people. But if your goal is to later ask me to approach questions through a mystic’s teachings and worldview, these 14 are good choices: I’m broadly familiar with their writings, ideas, and major interpretations.
| Mystic | Tradition | Perspective I could draw on |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Rumi | Sufism | Divine love, longing, surrender, and the loosening of the ego through poetry and devotion. |
| 2. Ibn ʿArabi | Sufism | Divine self-disclosure, imagination, and the relationship between the One and the multiplicity of existence. |
| 3. Al-Ghazali | Islamic spirituality and Sufism | Purifying the heart, examining intentions, and integrating reason, religious practice, and direct spiritual knowledge. |
| 4. Meister Eckhart | Christian mysticism | Detachment, the ground of the soul, and the birth of the divine Word within. |
| 5. Teresa of Ávila | Carmelite Christianity | Interior prayer, stages of spiritual development, humility, and discernment of spiritual experiences. |
| 6. John of the Cross | Carmelite Christianity | The dark night, release from attachments, and transformation through divine love. |
| 7. Julian of Norwich | Christian mysticism | Divine compassion, suffering, hope, and the maternal imagery of God’s love. |
| 8. Hildegard of Bingen | Christian visionary mysticism | The interconnectedness of creation, spiritual vitality, cosmic order, and moral responsibility. |
| 9. Thomas Merton | Christian monasticism, with interfaith engagement | Contemplation, the false and true self, solitude, and the relationship between spiritual life and social responsibility. |
| 10. Ramana Maharshi | Advaita Vedanta | Self-inquiry—“Who am I?”—and investigating the sense of being a separate individual. |
| 11. Adi Shankara | Advaita Vedanta | Discriminating the changing from the unchanging, nonduality, and liberation through knowledge of the Self. |
| 12. Dōgen | Sōtō Zen Buddhism | Practice and awakening as inseparable, impermanence, being-time, and wholehearted everyday activity. |
| 13. Laozi | Daoism | Wu wei—non-forcing—simplicity, humility, and living in accord with the Dao. |
| 14. Zhuangzi | Daoism | Freedom from rigid distinctions, perspectival humility, spontaneity, and ease amid transformation. |
I’m using “mystic” broadly here; some are also—or primarily—classified as philosophers or theologians.
Later, you can ask, for example: “Consider my dilemma through Ramana, Julian, and Zhuangzi, keeping their differences clear.” I can offer a text-informed interpretation of each perspective, rather than claim to speak authentically for them or possess their spiritual experience.
ShowHide Astra's reasoning 415 words
Organizing mystics for analysis
I need to compile a list of 14 mystics whose texts are abundant and can't be ranked as simply authentic or well-trained. Some possible names include Eckhart, Rumi, Ibn Arabi, Teresa, John of the Cross, Julian, Hildegard, al Ghazali, Ramana, Vivekananda, Dogen, Hakuin, Laozi, and Zhuangzi. I wonder if I should substitute Thomas Merton for Hakuin, as Merton has substantial texts. I want a broad selection but need to clarify that this isn't about reliable rankings. I’ll also aim for concise explanations for each lens.
What changed
GPT-3.5’s list of fourteen mystics contains only thirteen people: “Rumi” opens it and “Jalaluddin Rumi” turns up sixth, the same poet under his fuller name. It is a small slip, but a telling one in a request that was mostly about counting. Both models decline the premise that they can report what they were “most trained” on. GPT-3.5 stops at the disclaimer (“I do not have personal experiences or training”), while Astra pivots to the user’s real goal, picking figures it is “broadly familiar with” for later role-play.
That pivot is where the extra length earns its place. Astra’s table gives each figure a tradition and a usable angle, such as Ramana’s “Who am I?” or Dōgen’s “being-time,” then offers a sample prompt combining three of them. It is not perfect: five of its fourteen are Christian, and GPT-3.5’s broader spread, with Kabir and Aurobindo, is arguably more varied. But Astra’s closing line, offering “a text-informed interpretation” rather than claiming to speak for them, sets honest expectations.