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Mysticism

Author: David Dillard-Wright
Video Transcript
Terms to Know
Advaita (non-dual) consciousness

An altered mental or emotional state in which the person no longer experiences a difference between the internal and external.

Anatman

In Buddhism, the experience of the loss of self, usually combined with mystical religious experience.

Chant

An often-repetitive song that aims to induce a state of spiritual receptivity in the worshiper.

Contemplative Prayer

An attempt to put oneself in contact with the sacred/divine via clear and quiet thinking.

Ecstasy

A state of intense spiritual joy and/or physical pleasure.

Meditation

A practice that aims to clear the mind in order to be receptive to divinity.

Mysticism

A religious approach that emphasizes one's personal experience of divinity and/or the presence of divinity over philosophical or rational approaches.

Shunyata

In Buddhism, “emptiness” that leaves one more receptive to enlightenment through prayer and contemplation.