Comparative Mysticism

Course titled: Comparative Mysticism. 

This course explores mystical traditions across major world religions and spiritual paths, focusing on their experiences, practices, and underlying philosophies.

Course Title: Comparative Mysticism

Course Level: Undergraduate (Advanced Level) / Graduate

Course Duration: 12–14 Weeks


Course Description

This course provides a comparative study of mystical traditions in various religious and spiritual frameworks, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam (Sufism), Judaism (Kabbalah), and Sikhism. It examines the core mystical experiences, practices (such as meditation, prayer, asceticism), and theological interpretations of union with the divine. Students will explore both the universal elements of mysticism and the distinct theological contexts that shape each tradition.


Course Objectives

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

  • Define mysticism and distinguish it from other religious experiences.
  • Identify and compare key mystical traditions across religions.
  • Analyze mystical texts and interpret their symbolic language.
  • Understand the role of mysticism in personal spiritual transformation.
  • Critically engage with the philosophical and theological dimensions of mystical thought.


Week-by-Week Syllabus

Week 1: Introduction to Mysticism

  • Defining mysticism: experiences and interpretations
  • Theoretical frameworks: perennialism, constructivism, and contextualism

Week 2: Hindu Mysticism

  • The Upanishads and Advaita Vedanta
  • Bhakti movements and devotional mysticism (e.g., Mirabai, Ramakrishna)

Week 3: Buddhist Mysticism

  • Zen and Mahamudra: emptiness and non-duality
  • The role of meditation and direct insight (vipassana)

Week 4: Sikh Mysticism

  • Guru Granth Sahib and Nam Simran
  • Concept of divine presence and union (Naam, Shabad, Sehaj)

Week 5: Christian Mysticism

  • Early mystics (e.g., Desert Fathers), medieval mysticism (e.g., Meister Eckhart, Teresa of Ávila)
  • Theosis and union with God

Week 6: Islamic Mysticism (Sufism)

  • The Sufi path: stages and practices
  • Key figures: Rumi, Al-Ghazali, Ibn Arabi

Week 7: Jewish Mysticism

  • Kabbalah and the sefirotic structure
  • Zohar and the mystical interpretation of Torah

Week 8: Chinese Mysticism

  • Taoism: Wu Wei and the Tao
  • Mysticism in Confucian and Chan traditions

Week 9: Indigenous and Shamanic Mysticism

  • Vision quests and altered states
  • Nature, spirit worlds, and transformation

Week 10: Gender and Mysticism

  • Female mystics across traditions
  • Gendered expressions and social dynamics

Week 11: Language, Symbolism, and Myth

  • Mystical poetry and paradox
  • Symbolic language of the ineffable

Week 12: Ethics, Community, and Mystical Life

  • How mystics live: detachment, compassion, service
  • Mysticism and social engagement

Week 13–14: Student Presentations & Final Reflections

  • Presentation of comparative case studies
  • Reflective essays on mystical integration


Readings (Texts)

  • William James, The Varieties of Religious Experience
  • Evelyn Underhill, Mysticism
  • Rumi, The Masnavi
  • Guru Nanak, Japji Sahib
  • Teresa of Ávila, Interior Castle
  • Laozi, Tao Te Ching
  • Upanishads and Dhammapada (selected)


Assessment

  • Class Participation – 10%
  • Reading Responses / Weekly Journals – 20%
  • Midterm Essay (Comparative Analysis) – 20%
  • Mystic Profile Presentation – 20%
  • Final Paper or Project – 30%