History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c94.345

v7.c94.345

²⁴⁰⁵ It is difficult to give an accurate definition of ‘mysticism’. W. R. Inge in his work ‘Christian Mysticism’ publishes 26 definitions of the word in an Appendix. James H. Leuba defines it as follows: “Mysticism means for us any experience taken by the experiencer to be a contact (not through the senses, but immediate or intuitive) or union of the self with a larger than self, be it called the World Spirit, God, the Absolute or otherwise” (‘Psychology of religious mysticism,’ Kegan Paul, 1929). In a recent work ‘Mysticism, sacred and profane’ Prof. R. C. Zaehner (Oxford, 1957) says ‘Mysticism is the realization of unity’ (p. 144) and translates and examines Chān Up. VI. 9.1-4, Bṛ. Up II. 3-6, III 7.1. ff, Bhagavadgītā II. 55-72 (pp 136-145) for that purpose.