Mysticism - Its History and Challenge

Jesse Lear

1207486458

Professor Barfoot

REL 301: Comparative Religion

Assignment 10: Final Thoughts on Mysticism

25 April, 2017

Mysticism: Its History and Challenge

        In this book, Mysticism: Its History and Challenge, Bruno Borchert gives a wonderful in-depth explanation of mysticism, its history, especially in our western culture, and its many different forms of expression. Of the texts we have had to read for this course thus far, I believe this one is my favorite. Bruno’s explanation and analysis of mysticism is, in my opinion, the most comprehensive we’ve read; its multitude of examples and creative explanations helped me to conceptualize everything I’ve learned this past semester. Of the book’s three parts, the ones that intrigued me the most were: Mystical Experience, A Scientific Worldview, and The Many ways of Mysticism.

Part One: Mystical Experience

        In this section, Bruno Borchert attempts to define Mysticism and identify its key characteristics and how they differ from other experiences. Bruno describes how the modern interpretation of mysticism has become so diluted, yet still there is no better word to describe it. According to the author, Mysticism is a universal phenomenon that, “is the experimental knowledge that, in one way or another, everything is interconnected, that all things have a single source” (Bruno 3). What I enjoyed most about this sections is the way that Bruno Borchert compared mystical experiences with the experience of being in love. Much like a lover, a Mystic’s consciousness is thrust into a whole new world, unlike anything they’ve experienced before. They must learn how to live in this new environment; some may have physical reactions, whether good or bad, and other may write about their feelings, or find a way to forget. The one thing that is clear, and Bruno makes sure of it, is that these experiences, both love and the mystical, are all unique; that there is no definitive guide book on how to love just as there are no instructions on how to have a mystical experience, but instead, one must do that themselves (Bruno 4).

Part Two: A Scientific Worldview

In the section, A Scientific Worldview, Bruno describes the era of Mysticism lasting from approximately sixth century BCE to third century BCE as “…a period of research…[in order] to understand the place occupied by humans and human history in the totality of the universe” (Bruno 18). At the start of this period, Babylonian astronomers painstakingly studied and plotted the motions of celestial bodies and found that they are fixed and interconnected, and furthermore, could be calculated and expressed with numbers. This lead to the discovery of “the great year” or the thousand year period in which all heavenly motions are completed. This fact became significant to many mystics, but most notable were the Zoroastrian priests who incorporated this knowledge into their teaching creating a more fatalistic form of Zoroastrianism known as Zurvanism (Bruno 120).