The Problem of Pure Consciousness: Mysticism and Philosophy - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0195109767 ISBN 13: 9780195109764

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 1997

Synopsis

This collection of essays challenges the widely accepted interpretation of mystical experience. It attempts to show that there is a single type of mystical experience that cuts across cultural and linguistic lines. This is the experience of `pure consciousness', a state in which the subject remains conscious but experiences neither thought, sensation, feeling, nor object of consciousness. The book demonstrates that there are well-attested reports of pure consciousness events occurring in a wide variety of ages and traditions, including Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, and Hinduism.

About this title

About the Author

Robert K.C. Forman is Associate Professor of Religion at City University of New York's Hunter College, and author of six books and numerous articles on religion and religious experiences.

From the Back Cover

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, as make significant strides towards developing new models for the understanding of the mystical phenomenon in particular and of human experience in general.

Edition details

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 1997
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0195109767
• ISBN 13: 9780195109764
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 324
• Editor: Forman Robert K.C.