Mysticism, Thick and Thin

Summary

The chapter argues that everyone has the potential to experience a mystical vision or sense of the divine, which is often thought to be reserved for a select few. It discusses various aspects of mystical experiences, such as feelings of meaninglessness, patterns emerging in thought, and moments of joy and satisfaction, suggesting that these experiences are not exclusive but rather common to many people.

Study at a glance

Abstract

This chapter suggests that we are all mystics nowadays but we need not be contentiously so. It queries the mystic vision, asking if it is conceivable that just this, allegedly the greatest prize of all, is denied to the vast majority of mankind. The chapter suggests is that it is not so denied — everyone can, in some way, sense the divine. The chapter brings up other concepts related to the subject: the empty void of seeming meaninglessness; the emergence of rightness or pattern and the accompanying enlargement of the mind; the conceiving of the inconceivable; the sudden joy, the sustained satisfaction. It argues that these are the acknowledged marks of the classical mystical experience and they are common in some degree to us all.