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Mysticism is a generic term covering an enormous range and variety of experience. It has very uncertain connotation and carries different ideas to different minds. It is popularly used in a variety of loose and inaccurate ways. In some it is identified with a type of confused, irrational thinking, in the popular mind it is associated with spiritualism and clairvoyance. It is related with hypnotism and occultism, myth and magic and also with obscure psychological states and happenings. To some it is indescribable visions and revelations for some it’s a rare state of consciousness which is found in contemplative saints and to some it has been used for an esoteric, agnostic and theosophical knowledge. Most of the scholars such as E.Underhill, Happold, W. James, W.T. Stace, S. Radhakrishnan, Sobharani Basu and many more put aside all the above false type of so called mysticism and maintain a genuine or true mysticism. F.C. Happold considered that the term mysticism is a misnomer, its name suggests as mist, something vague, foggy etc. so he was in favor of using the term �enlightenment� in place of mysticism and same was accepted by W.T.Stace who used the term ‘enlightenment� or ‘illumination� instead of mysticism.^[1]

A genuine or true mysticism is seen to be a highly specialized form of that search for reality for heightened and completed life, which we have found to be a constant characterized of human consciousness.^[2] It is concerned with the spiritual background and immediate awareness of the ultimate truth and reality. It is thus concerned with a radiant blossoming of man’s inner being^[3]. It is an Mystical search, the earnest and sincere quest for spiritual illumination, the rapturous delight and the realization of ineffable experience, the ultimate and the absolute truth and reality.

Mysticism is a Study of Humanity’s highest potential and with the recognition, understanding and realization of unitive, spiritual and transcendental state of consciousness. As the S.N Dasgupta states, “it is fundamentally an active, formative, creative, elevating and ennobling principle of life�^[4] Happold quotes-“Mysticism begins in an awakening of the transcendental sense, that sense of something beyond material phenomena which lies at the root of all religious feeling.�^[5] Albert Schwitzer says “all Mysticism premises the idea that the soul lives in genuine freedom from the world. Mysticism is the realization, gratification and manifestation of a naturally given state of redemption from the world.�^[6]

Mysticism is an intuitive experience of infinity. It refers to the intuitive realization of the oneness of reality which is different from the intellectual apprehension of reality. Dasgupta mentions “Mysticism is a theory, doctrine or view that considers reason to be incapable of discovering or realizing the nature of Ultimate truth, whatever be the nature of the Ultimate truth but at the same time believes in the certitude of some other means of arriving it.�^[7] It is the level of intuition that illumines the intellect and transforms confused knowledge into clear thought, into puranubhava or integral intuition of the infinite. Thus intuition is the essence of mysticism and mysticism is not an intellectual theory.

Mysticism is also well known for its practical nature. It strives to free human life more and more from every element of time, to make man younger every day and to transport him entirely into permanent present.^[8] A mystic to attain the mystical experience practices a certain code of conduct, spiritual practices. Different traditions have prescribed varieties of practices such as meditation, contemplation, renunciation, austerity, scriptural study, devotion, prayer and so on. All these practical part constitutes as the mystic path.

An aspirant when raises to the highest spiritual stage, intellect expand into intuition and the spiritual man become an enlightened mystic, who no longer thinks of Ultimate Reality but has direct experience of it. Thus it ceases to be an object and becomes experience. To this mystical experience the mystic labels as â€�³§²¹³¾Äå»å³ó¾±â€� in Hindu Tradition, â€�±·¾±°ù±¹Äåṇaâ€� or â€�²Ñ´Ç°ìá¹£aâ€� in Jainism, â€�±·¾±°ù±¹Äåṇa’i²Ô Buddhism, â€�Baqaâ€� in Muslim tradition, the ‘Divine Unionâ€� or ‘Spiritual Marriageâ€� in Christian tradition. To the experienced reality the mystic connote as ‘Godâ€�, â€�°ÕÄå´Çâ€�, â€�±·¾±°ù±¹Äåṇaâ€�, ‘the Sacredâ€� or any other terms that a particular religious or traditional people have coined.^[9]

The concept of mysticism constitutes Mystical state, mystical nature, Mystic reality, Mystic path and Mystical realization. It has close link with other sciences such as religion, spirituality, morality, philosophy, metaphysics etc.

From the nature of mysticism we can conclude that the nature of mysticism is valley that constitutes wide and various dimensions of discussion which account for its beings open-ended as well as comprehensiveness. This has made scholars to define mysticism in different ways.

Footnotes and references:

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[1]:

Stace. W.T., Mysticism and Philosophy, Macmillian and Co. Ltd., London, 1960, p. 15.

[2]:

Underhill, Evelyn, Mysticism, Renaissance Classics, United States of America, 2012, p. 68.

[3]:

Basu, Sobharani, Modern Indian Mysticism, Krishna Suparva Mitra, Varanasi, 1974, p. 62.

[4]:

Dasgupta, S.N., Hindu Mysticism, Motilal Banarasidass Publishers Pvt. Ltd.., Delhi, 8^th edn., 1996, preface, p. 9.

[5]:

Happold, F.C., Mysticism: A Study and An Anthology, Penguin Books, London, 2019, p. 52.

[6]:

Schweitzer, Albert, Indian Thought and its Development, tran. by Min Charles Russell, Hudder and Stoughton, London, 1936, p. 77.

[7]:

Hindu Mysticism, p. 17.

[8]:

An Encydopedia of Religions, Canny, M.A., Nag Publications, Delhi, 1976, p. 254.

[9]:

Carmody, Denise Lardner, and Carmody, John Tully, Mysticism Holiness East and West, Oxford University Press, New York, 1996, Introduction, p. 10.