ENGLISH

The Problem of Pure Consciousness: Mysticism and Philosophy

By Robert K. C. Forman

Book information

Year
1997
ISBN
9780195109764, 9781423759522, 0195109767
Open Library ID
OL22376433M
Language
english
Format
PDF
Filesize
17 MB (17735607 bytes)
Pages
320\318
Scanned
yes
Time added
2011-06-04 13:46:07

Description

Are mystical experiences formed by the mystic's cultural background and concepts, as "constructivists" maintain, or do mystics sometimes transcend language, belief, and culturally conditioned expectations? Do mystical experiences differ throughout the various religious traditions, as "pluralists" contend, or are they somehow ecumenical? The contributors to this collection scrutinize a common mystical experience, the "pure consciousness event"--the experience of being awake but devoid of intentional content--in order to answer these questions. Through the use of historical Hindu, Buddhist, Christian, and Jewish mystical writings, as well as those of modern mystics, the contributors reveal the inconsistencies and inadequacies of current models, and make significant strides towards developing new models for the understanding of mystical phenomenon, in particular, and of human experience, in general.

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