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Studies in Indian Philosophy
with God, the Divine or the ultimate reality. Second comes a theological or metaphysical doctrine which may be based on such an experience or on a tradition which started by someone who had mystical experiences. In this context experience is primary and mystical doctrines are secondary, derived from a mystical experience or from a tradition pointing to such an experienee. Third we find formulations of a mystic way, path or method through which a follower, instructed and prepared by the doctrine, may hope to reach bis own experience which the doctrine has promised him.
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The way was outlined in mediaeval times as proceeding in three stages: the path of purification (via purgativa) which was to cleanse the heart and mind from entanglement in the shackles of the sensory world, the path of illumination (via illuminativa) which was to bring inner understanding of a higher nature than reason or intellect can offer and, finally, the path of unification (via unitiva) which is supposed to bring the mystic to the point where he no longer sees any difference between himself and his goal- the epistemological and ontological spheres are no longer separate for him.
It seems to me that the threefold division of mysticism is both useful and universally valid. Its usefulness lies particularly in its hermeneutical value it enables the scholar as someone standing outside a particular mystical tradition or movement to assess its basic nature and find out which of the three elements dominates it. The fact that the threefold division is universally applicable speaks in favour of the view that all mystical or deeper spiritual systems possess a certain structural correspondence and probably even an identity of purpose and final goal.
In a sense it may be said that mysticism is the heart of every religion lending it the dimension of depth. It is usually possible to trace the beginning of a religious tradition to mystical experiences of its founder(s). In the course of the subsequent development of a given religious tradition its mystical dimension may go through times when it is at a low
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