Mysticism in Historical Context: A Critical and Analytical Study

Mysticism, though formally developed as a field by Western scholars, originates in Eastern traditions such as the Upanishads. It resists precise definition, understood less as a doctrine than as a spiritual mode emphasizing unity, intuition, and transcendence beyond rational analysis. Mystics seek the underlying oneness of existence and union with Supreme Reality through intuition rather than intellect. Historically, mysticism has shaped major religions—Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Judaism, Christianity—and influenced Western philosophy and literature from Plato and Plotinus to medieval and modern thinkers.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Although the credit for developing mysticism as a branch of study goes to the Western scholars, it has its earliest roots in Eastern religious traditions, particularly the Upanishads. Because of the diffused nature of mysticism, it has been an arduous task even for the philosophers to define it in precise terms. Yet, for working purpose, mysticism has long been understood less as a doctrine than as a spiritual temper or mode of perception emphasizing unity, intuition, and transcendence beyond rational analysis. Mystics seek the underlying oneness of all existence and aim at union with the Supreme Reality through intuition rather than intellect. Historically, mysticism has shaped major religious traditions—Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Judaism, and Christianity—and has profoundly influenced Western philosophical and literary thought from Plato and Plotinus to medieval and modern thinkers.