Mystics by William Harmless
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Overview: Now, Jesuit scholar William Harmless (what a wonderful name!) has published a book on mysticism (which he modestly calls an introduction) that overwhelms me with its insight and method. Harmless adopts what he calls a case study approach. Instead of talking in general terms about mysticism and then illustrating the general analysis with specific references to individual mystics--an enterprise that has obvious procrustean dangers--he prefers to focus on individual mystics, fulling exploring their biographies and historical contexts as well as their writings, and letting the case studies guide the general discussion. His concern not to "impose some predefined, extrinsic framework" (p. 225) on the mystics he explores--Merton, Bernard of Clairvaux, Hildegard of Bingen, Eckhart, Evagrius Ponticus, Rumi, and Dogen--really does invite the reader to experience the richness of their words and experiences, rather than too quickly tucking them into neat conceptual pigeonholes. Harmless' final chapter, in which he explores the question of how best to define mysticism, is the single best short analysis I've ever read. Consistent with his fondness for the case study method, Harmless argues for an understanding of mysticism that recognizes both religious pluralism and changing historical concepts--that recognizes, in other words, mysticism as a "macro-concept" that avoids the "bloating" that comes either from seeing it as the experiential foundation of religion in general or from insisting that all mystical experiences are cut from the same cloth. He also has some interesting things to say about the boundaries of mystical experience--that is, whether a nonreligious one is possible.
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http://www.rapidshare.com/files/119032497/Mystics.pdf
Requirements: PDF Reader, 5593 KB
Overview: Now, Jesuit scholar William Harmless (what a wonderful name!) has published a book on mysticism (which he modestly calls an introduction) that overwhelms me with its insight and method. Harmless adopts what he calls a case study approach. Instead of talking in general terms about mysticism and then illustrating the general analysis with specific references to individual mystics--an enterprise that has obvious procrustean dangers--he prefers to focus on individual mystics, fulling exploring their biographies and historical contexts as well as their writings, and letting the case studies guide the general discussion. His concern not to "impose some predefined, extrinsic framework" (p. 225) on the mystics he explores--Merton, Bernard of Clairvaux, Hildegard of Bingen, Eckhart, Evagrius Ponticus, Rumi, and Dogen--really does invite the reader to experience the richness of their words and experiences, rather than too quickly tucking them into neat conceptual pigeonholes. Harmless' final chapter, in which he explores the question of how best to define mysticism, is the single best short analysis I've ever read. Consistent with his fondness for the case study method, Harmless argues for an understanding of mysticism that recognizes both religious pluralism and changing historical concepts--that recognizes, in other words, mysticism as a "macro-concept" that avoids the "bloating" that comes either from seeing it as the experiential foundation of religion in general or from insisting that all mystical experiences are cut from the same cloth. He also has some interesting things to say about the boundaries of mystical experience--that is, whether a nonreligious one is possible.
Download Instructions:
http://www.rapidshare.com/files/119032497/Mystics.pdf
Last edited by timothy on Jun 9th, 2008, 8:24 am, edited 2 times in total.
Reason: Corrected release according to the guidelines