Hindu and Muslim Mysticism

by R.C. Zaehner

Book Overview

Authoritative work tracing the development of mystical thought within the formative period of both traditions. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1851680462
• ISBN13: 9781851680467
• Release Date: February 1995
• Publisher: One World (UK)
• Length: 242 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.4" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

An erudite but useful volume

I highly recommend this book,especially to those seekers--of knowledge about Sufism,but also those who seek something beyond the events and facts as known or reported of the void beyond the "known"--who are interested in the trans-religious aspects of the Sufi enterprise.For organized religion has always tried to shape and confine or imprison the truth or void within dogma or rituals or other structured forms which can be grasped and coped with,i.e., to reduce the anxiety of annihilation that seems to accompany any approach to the Mysterium tremendum to something manageable.And this is as it should be;it is the job of reigions to render life,death and the mysteries of both manageable for as many people as possible.However,problems arise when structured categories are assumed to be "things in themselves"---rather than ways to step back from a direct encounter with these;and thus people whom God has enabled to move beyond the categories into direct encounter with reality/truth/void,have been known to lose their lives or have otherwise been subjected to severe treatment and abuse or ridicule.Mansoor Hallaj is an example.I think another example may well be Bayazid Bistami,who draws some fire from the learned author of the book under review,who seems to detect some narcissism ,or perhaps a great deal of it!, in Bayazid's statements.This is of course crucial;for any trace of "ego" in a Sufi's conduct would make him or her suspect. At any rate,this book details some early contacts between Sufis and Buddhist monks in Gandhara,where Zen Buddhism may have originated and this alone makes this book worth reading.