Experience and Interpretation in Mysticism
The Problem of Pure Consciousness March 29, 1990 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.1093/oso/9780195059809.003.0012
Summary
The abstract discusses the evolution of perspectives on mysticism, starting with the idea of a universal mystical experience that underpins a 'perennial philosophy.' It highlights a shift towards recognizing various types of mystical experiences across traditions, leading to the 'diversity view,' which emphasizes differences and denies a common experience. This view is informed by an understanding of how our belief systems shape our experiences.
Study at a glance
| Key finding | The diversity view challenges the notion of a shared mystical experience, emphasizing the influence of individual belief systems on perception. |
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Abstract
Abstract Many among an earlier generation of scholars saw in mysticism a distinctive type of experience-a pure or contentless awareness of ultimate reality-which was often made the basis for a “perennial philosophy.’’1 More recently many have distinguished several different types of mystical experience, each tending to recur across different traditions. More recently still has arisen a tendency, which I will call the “diversity view,” so to emphasize the differences as to deny any common experience and hence any perennial philosophy. The diversity view stems from an awareness, growing in many fields of thought, of how deeply our experience is mediated (i.e., organized and influenced) by our whole belief system.