Yaroslav Komarovski
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- June 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780190244958
- eISBN:
- 9780190245009
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780190244958.003.0006
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism, World Religions
The conclusion says the book is not concerned with evaluating truth claims—only with analyzing some contemplative theories advocated by those who uphold those claims. It discusses the ways Tibetan ...
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The conclusion says the book is not concerned with evaluating truth claims—only with analyzing some contemplative theories advocated by those who uphold those claims. It discusses the ways Tibetan Buddhist approaches to the process of realization of ultimate reality enrich and problematize its understanding. It reiterates that despite divergent interpretations of that process by Tsongkhapa and Gorampa, the techniques advocated by them can result in the same mystical experience. Likewise, if we shift focus from descriptions of mystical experiences by followers of different religious traditions to the conditioning processes they use in order to produce those experiences, we might discover similar elements there as well. While admitting the possibility of a meaningful inquiry into whether certain Buddhist and non-Buddhist traditions also share some mystical experiences, it advocates caution, ending with an open question of applicability of the very notion of mystical experience as a useful interpretive and comparative category.Less
The conclusion says the book is not concerned with evaluating truth claims—only with analyzing some contemplative theories advocated by those who uphold those claims. It discusses the ways Tibetan Buddhist approaches to the process of realization of ultimate reality enrich and problematize its understanding. It reiterates that despite divergent interpretations of that process by Tsongkhapa and Gorampa, the techniques advocated by them can result in the same mystical experience. Likewise, if we shift focus from descriptions of mystical experiences by followers of different religious traditions to the conditioning processes they use in order to produce those experiences, we might discover similar elements there as well. While admitting the possibility of a meaningful inquiry into whether certain Buddhist and non-Buddhist traditions also share some mystical experiences, it advocates caution, ending with an open question of applicability of the very notion of mystical experience as a useful interpretive and comparative category.
