What is Eastern mysticism?

Eastern mysticism or Eastern spirituality is a broad and largely Western concept summarizing and sometimes amalgamating mystic traditions of the Middle East, the Indian Subcontinent and the Far East, a separate realm from Western mysticism. It includes mystic elements in: Buddhism (including Zen) Gnosticism.

What is mysticism in philosophy?

Definition of mysticism 1 : the experience of mystical union or direct communion with ultimate reality reported by mystics. 2 : the belief that direct knowledge of God, spiritual truth, or ultimate reality can be attained through subjective experience (such as intuition or insight)

Is mysticism a belief?

Mysticism is a religion or religious belief based on union or communion with a deity, or divine being. Outside of religion, mysticism is applied to cryptic, obscure, or irrational thought — leaning toward mystery and wonder, rather than logic.

Where did mysticism originate?

The term “mysticism” has Ancient Greek origins with various historically determined meanings. Derived from the Greek word μύω múō, meaning “to close” or “to conceal”, mysticism referred to the biblical, liturgical, spiritual, and contemplative dimensions of early and medieval Christianity.

What religions are mysticism?

In the wide sense, mystical experiences occur within the religious traditions of at least Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Indian religions, Buddhism, and primal religions.

Who introduced mysticism into philosophy?

Diogenes of Apollonia
In the West, Diogenes of Apollonia, a Greek philosopher of the 5th century bce, introduced mystical ideas into Greek philosophy.

What is Kabbalah (mysticism)?

Kabbalah (also spelled Kabalah, Cabala, Qabala)—sometimes translated as “mysticism” or “occult knowledge—is a part of Jewish tradition that deals with the essence of God. Whether it entails a sacred text, an experience, or the way things work, Kabbalists believe that God moves in mysterious ways.

What is a Kabbalistic view of creation?

Kabbalistic thought often is considered Jewish mysticism. Its practitioners tend to view the Creator and the Creation as a continuum, rather than as discrete entities, and they desire to experience intimacy with God.

Why is the belief in God central to the study of Kabbalah?

Therefore, the belief in God is central to the study of Kabbalah. Traditional kabbalists hearken to the words of Maimonides as written in the work called the Mishneh Torah: “The foundation of all foundations and the pillar of all wisdom is to know that there is God who brought into being all existence.

What is the relationship between Kabbalah and cosmology?

The emerging scientific cosmology and Kabbalah are two metaphor systems whose juxtaposition points toward a truth larger than either can express alone. The theory of eternal inflation, whether or not it turns out to be true, has opened a cosmic perspective on reality and the countless threads of connection, including the spiritual, weaving through.