Mysticism: Experience, Response, and Empowerment (Hermeneutics)
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.54 (532 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 027103002X |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 656 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2013-05-20 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
Thomas said Fascinating. I'm not a psychologist or historian, but a law professor who read this book on a whim. I'm not qualified to judge it within the broader literature on mysticism. But I can say it makes a fascinating read, not least because the author maintains what might be called an agnostic stance toward materialism. I also found h. Hollenback's book may yet found a new paradigm. Mysticism: Experience, Repsonse and Empowerment may yet found a new paradigm for the study of mystical phenomena. The author, J.B Hollenback, offers a masterful review of previous theoretical approaches with a radical new understanding of mystical practice and experience. Hollenback combines a sensitivity to the rol. "Hollenback paradigm is flawed and confused" according to Mark Graham. Hollenback spends most of his book dedicated to the premise that the mystical experience is culturally and historically conditioned. What Hollenback never takes into account are the ideas of German anthropologist Adolf Bastian. Bastian recognized that throughout the mythologies and religious systems of the world, th
He demonstrates that these extraordinary phenomena can actually deepen our understanding of mysticism in unexpected ways.A unique feature of this book is its in-depth analysis of "empowerment," an important phenomenon ignored by most scholars of mysticism. It also makes use of a new category of sources that more traditional scholars have almost entirely ignored, namely, the autobiographies and writings of contemporary clairvoyants, mediums, and out-of-body travelers. Hollenback shows its cross-cultural persistence, its role in constructing the perceptual and existential environments within which the mystic dwells, and its linkage to the fundamental contextuality of mystical experience.. Empowerment is a peculiar enhancement of the imagination, thoughts, and desires that frequently accompanies mystical states of consciousness. This sweeping study of mysticism by Jess Hollenback considers the writings and experiences of a broad range of traditional religious mystics, including Teresa of Avila, Black Elk, and Gopi Krishna. This study contributes to the current debate a
Jess Hollenback is Assistant Professor of History at the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse.
“An important contribution to the comparative study of mysticism. He elaborately proves that factors of time, place, and historical and cultural form of the particular religion of the authors being examined vitally affect their mysticism.”—Noel King, author of African Cosmos: An Introduction to Religion in Africa. Burgdoff, Religious Studies Review“Jess Hollenback argues conclusively that the founding fathers and mothers of the modern study of mysticism posited an unnecessary hypothesis that has caused us to miss a central opportunity to understand the subject adequately. Especially noteworthy are extended studies of Lakota mystic Black Elk and Saint Teresa of Avila that demonstrate how the mystical experiences of these two were shaped and conditioned by their respective cultural contexts.”—Craig A