It is almost impossible to make any classi fication of mysticism that shall be adequately comprehensive. For the purposes of this article it will suffice to consider it as a rationalistico natural or purely philosophical, and as a Chris tian-theological or primarily religious experi ence and theory; though these distinctive quali fications are far from being mutually exclusive; on the contrary they overlap at more than one point. Christian mysticism is substantially philosophical and of course rational; but it in troduces a supra (not contra) rational element. On the other hand what is here called rational istico-philosophical mysticism may and does with many of its disciples include Christian doctrine and practice, and in so far may claim the latter title. For the rest the distinction will become plainer from what follows.
I. Rationalistic Mysticism.— As a philo sophical theory this attributes to the human mind the natural ability to rise to an immedi ate intuition of the Absolute, that is, God, and therein and thereby to an intuition of all truth. This immediate vision whilst reflective and con templative is not attained so long as the mind remains on the lower level of ordinary dis cursive reasoning. Such thought being, it is claimed, confined to the sensible, to empirical phenomena, cannot attain to higher ideal truth. To contemplate the Absolute, man must with draw his mind from the world of sensuous phenomena, inhibit all discursive activity, and concentrate his mental energy. As the mind escapes from the mists of earth the rising light of a higher vision is felt. In that vision the lower cognitive powers become inactive, the very consciousness of self is obliterated and the mind is absorbed in ecstasy. The ecstatic state is a condition pre-required for the contempla tion of the Absolute. This state, however, is attained only through ascetic practices and he alone who reaches its heights is enabled to con template pure ideal truth and manifest it to others as he has perceived it. In ecstasy, more over, the mind becomes interpenetrated, even identified with God. Nay more, ecstatic vision is one and the same with the act in which the Deity contemplates His own self : "the eye with which the ecstatic sees God is the eye with which God sees Philosophical mys ticism thus pantheism.
II. History.— The birthplace of this form of Mysticism is the Orient. Brahmanism (q.v.) is a finished mysticism. For it Brahma is the sole existent. What is is Brahma, and what is not Brahma is nothing. Things mun dane are distinct neither from Brahma nor from one another. They are simply modifica tions of Brahma. So long as the mind con ceives of them as distinct it is in a state of delusion. From this delusion it must free itself by penetrating into the vision of the unity of all things in Brahma. To this end man must perform works of penance and sacrifice, cut himself loose from the sensile and sensuous world, and by concentration of his entire phys ical energy absorb himself in the All; that is, lay aside all self-activity and allow the One alone to work within him. Then will the light of vision rise on his mind and in everything he shall see the Brahma, the eternal self-existent One, the All. Oriental mysticism was trans planted to the West by the Neoplatonists in the form of emanational pantheism. God is here the primal One and the primal Good; from Him emanates directly the voit (Nous) wherein are contained the ideas of all things and from which proceeds the world-soul.
The human mind is in turn an emanation from the world-soul and, remaining essentially in cluded therein, it lives in essential connection with the Nous even as the latter remains in essential union with the primal One. Thus is the soul enabled to rise to an immediate vision of the primal unity. Sense cognition is simply a dream of the soul from which it should withdraw and sink itself in its centre, the Nous; and as the latter is essentially the uni versal Nous revealing itself in the human soul and absorbed in the contemplation of the pri mal One, therefore is the human soul likewise through the indwelling Nous able to reach this same contemplation of the original unity; and when it arrives at this state all images, thoughts and even self-consciousness disappear and the subject enters the state of ecstasy.
This mysticism more or less modified played its part in later times. Aside from the Persian Sufi, who in the Middle Ages cultivated mys ticism within the pale of Islam, there appear among the Christian people of the West tenets that strongly suggest the Indian and Neopla tonic mysticism, for example, with Meister Eckart (q.v.) and the school of German Mys tics emanating from him. Eckart is at present defended against the charge of panthesim; nevertheless it is undeniable that his mysticism touches very closely on the boundary line that separates the Christian from the pantheistic world-view. Eckart distinguishes two factors; the (basis') (Fiinklein, spark) and the powers of the soul, analogously to his distinction in God between the basis or "ground" and the divine persons. The ((ground') of the soul he places in essential union with the "ground" in God. There is something in the soul, he says, that is identified with God, that is one with and not simply united to Him. It is untreated. This something is the °spirit" the ground or basis of the soul. Here the °ground of God is my ground and my ground is God's ground." Now this divine spark in the soul he continues, is the organ of mystical contemplation. The °powers' of the soul do not reach God imme diately. If man is to see God, the vision must be mediated by a light which is God Himself. And this light shines in the °ground° of the soul. Therefore does the soul see in the °spirit" God's pure essence as it is in itself. The °spirit" or °ground" of the soul penetrates into that °ground" in God, in which the latter is pure simple unity neither Father nor Son nor Holy Ghost. There, in this its °ground," the spirit seeks God, there to know and love Him without medium or veil. There is °my eye and God's one eye, one vision, one know ing, one love. The eye whereby I see God, is the same eye wherein God sees me. In order, however, to reach this vision of God in His "essence" (ground) man must first of all for sake all sin by genuine repentance. Next he must withdraw from all outward things, from himself and his "powers" and concentrate him self entirely within the essence of his soul; and having reached this state he must "leave" him self to God, hold himself passive and allow God alone to work within him. (Gottlassen heit.) Then will there arise in the of his soul (ground) a heavenly light. In this light God reveals to man the entire °ground" of the Deity; the whole essence of God be comes revealed to man. The soul likewise flows into God; its essence and life passes over into the essence and life of God; man is deified, is born a son of God; just as is the Eternal Word.