Exploring Mysticism: A Methodological EssayUntil less than a century ago, the two prevailing views of dreams as well as of souls were that they are inconsequential (the scientific view) or of divine origin (the religious view). In either case it was assumed that they cannot be objects of rational inquiry. Similar views still prevail regarding mystical experiences and mysticism in general. Modern Western opinion, whether friendly or hostile, holds that the mystical falls squarely within the domain of the irrational. Mr. Staal argues that mysticism can be studied rationally, and that without such study no theory of mind is complete. He exposes the grounds for the belief that mysticism cannot be studied, and shows them to be prejudices issuing from a particular historical development. While his contention has unflattering implications for the contemporary study of the humanities in general, it reveals in particular that existing academic approaches to the study of mysticism, even those that appear sound, are in fact inadequate. This conclusion applies to a variety of dogmatic inquiries and, as becomes clear in these pages, to philological, historical, phenomenological, sociological, physiological, and psychological ones as well. The illustrations in Exploring Mysticism are drawn mainly from Indian forms of mysticism such as Yoga, supplemented with Buddhist, Taoist, Muslim and Christian examples. Until less than a century ago, the two prevailing views of dreams as well as of souls were that they are inconsequential (the scientific view) or of divine origin (the religious view). In either case it was assumed that they cannot be objects of rational |
Contents
| 3 | |
The Alleged Irrationality of Mysticism | 17 |
How Not to Study Mysticism | 59 |
Phenomenology of Mysticism 92 2 Sociology of Mysticism | 98 |
How to Study Mysticism | 121 |
HALLUCINOGENS IN THE Rgveda AND OTHER | 201 |
GLOSSARY | 209 |
| 215 | |
| 225 | |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
Abhidharmakośa Advaita Vedānta analysis appears approach ascetic Bhagavad Gītā bhakti brahman Buddha Buddhist called Castaneda chap Christian cism claim context contradictions Conze critical Deikman deity developed dhyāna distinction divine doctrines domain dreaming drugs effects Eliade established evaluation example Exploring Mysticism expressions fact forms of mysticism Gītā guru hallucinogen Hindu Hinduism human hypnosis Indian religions interpretation irrational irrationalism Islam Jayavarman VII jñāna karman kind knowledge language later linguistics logic Madhyamika Mahāyāna mantras Massignon means meditation mental methods Mīmāmsā mind Muslim mystical experience Nāgārjuna negation notion object Patañjali person phenomena philosophers physiological plate prajñā principle of noncontradiction Rāmānuja rational refer regarded religious Ṛgveda ritual samādhi Sankara Sanskrit scholars sciences sense similar Śiva sleep Soma Staal statements student of mysticism study of mysticism subjective superstructures sūtra Taoism tapas teacher texts theory tion tradition transcendental meditation Upanisads Veda Vedic vicāra Wasson Western Yoga Yogasūtra yogin Zaehner