Approaching Mysticism

My thesis is about mysticism. What I say about it, and how I say it are part of a design. This design or structure, can, I feel, do more than provide an intellectual understanding of what mysticism is about. My contention is that it is possible to build a linguistic construct that can convey, or at least point to, the character of mystical experience. This is, however, extremely difficult and this thesis will explore the difficulties involved. I will do this by explaining the limits of concepts and their relationships to mystical experience. I will examine the mystical components, as they occur, in Christianity and Zen. I will provide a list of Characteristics of what the mystical experience is like and what it is not like. And I will look at my own life as it relates to the Mystic Process. The purpose of this thesis is: (1) To establish in the reader\u27s mind the existence of the mystical tradition. (2) To further an understanding of this tradition. (3) To further the reader\u27s sense of their own spirituality