Inter-Religious Contexts and Comparative Theology in the Thought of Evelyn Underhill: Symbolic Narratives of Mysticism and the Songs of Kabīr

Evelyn Underhill argues that mysticism is the core of religion, with personal religious experience inspiring and shaping other dimensions such as scripture, doctrine, ethics, ritual, and social institutions. She describes mystics as pioneers of the spiritual world and defines mysticism as the art of union with Reality.

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Abstract

Evelyn Underhill (1875-1941) regards mysticism as the core of religion. All religions include various dimensions: scripture/ mythology, doctrine/ philosophy, ethics/ law, social/institutional features, ritual, material aspects, and personal and communal experience. For Underhill, personal religious experience inspires and influences the development of these other aspects of religion—the heart of which is mysticism. Underhill asserts: “The mystics are the pioneers of the spiritual world” (4); “Mysticism is the art of union with Reality”.