Walter! Stace Selections from the great mystics and mystical writings of the world, edited with an intro'chrction, interpretive commentaries, and explanations pMCr The Core of Mysticism Down through the ages the phenomenon of mysti- cism has been locally interpreted in terms of a particular culture, creed, or doctrine. In this fascinating volume, Walter T. Stace ob- serves the characteristics common to all forms of mysticism—religious or non-religious, ancient or modern. He analyzes, interprets, and explains the differences and similarities in mystical experience as described by the great mystical writers of the world . and he evaluates the meaning mysti- cism holds for us today. “If anyone thinks that mysticism consists in useless dreaming, or in the idle and selfish enjoyment of wonderful experiences without any practical and valuable effects in life, he has . his answer. It is the universal testimony of those who know that mystical experience transforms human life and alters character—often from the squalid and mean to the noble and selfless.” —W. T. Stace Walter T. Stace was born in London and gradu- ated in philosophy from Trinity College, Dublin University. A man of two careers, he has been suc- cessful in both. While serving as a British Civil Servant in Ceylon (1910-32), he wrote distin- guished books on Greek philosophy, the philosophy of Hegel, and problems of aesthetics. Later, as Stuart Professor of Philosophy at Princeton Uni- versity, he continued to write technical treatises, as well as popular articles, on nearly every aspect of philosophy. He retired from Princeton in 1955, but has continued to teach and to write. Mysticism and Philosophy (Lippincott) is among his most recent books. MENTOR Books of Related Interest VARIETIES OF RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE by Wil- liam James. A new edition of James' classic work on the psychology of religion and the religious impulse. (#MY1025—$1.25) THE NATURE OF THE NON-WESTERN WORLD by Vera Micheles Dean. A noted expert on foreign affairs throws new light on the conflict between East and West as she probes the beliefs, tradi- tions, and emotions that motivate the people of the non-Western nations. (#MW1224—$1.50) n THE MEANING OF THE GLORIOUS KORAN: AN EXPLANATORY TRANSLATION by Mohammed Marmaduke Pickthall. The complete sacred book of Mohammedanism. (#MW1195—$1.50) THE TEACHINGS OF THE COMPASSIONATE BUDDHA edited with commentary by E. A. Burtt. The best translations of the writings of the great Oriental religion of Buddhism. (#MQ884—95() THE WAY OF ZEN by Alan W. Watts. The outstand- ing comprehensive explanation of Zen Buddhism, the unique Oriental philosophy which shows how to live with serenity and fulfillment in a frustrat- ing and confusing world. (#MQ829—95() THE MEANING AND END OF RELIGION by Wil- fred Cantwell Smith. A unique study that con- centrates on the individual’s orientation to life as dictated by his religious beliefs. (#MT575—75{) THE NEW AMERICAN LIBRARY, INC., P.O. Box 999, Bergenfield, New Jersey 07621 Please send me the MENTOR BOOKS I have checked above. I am enclosing $ {check or money order—no currency or C.O.D.'s). Please include the list price plus 15$ a copy to cover handling and mailing costs. (Prices and numbers are subject to change without notice.) Name. Address City State _Zip Code. Allow at least 3 weeks for delivery THE TEACHINGS OF THE MYSTICS BEING SELECTIONS FROM THE GREAT MYSTICS AND MYSTICAL WRITINGS OF THE WORLD, EDITED, WITH INTRODUCTION, INTERPRETIVE COMMENTARIES, AND EXPLANATIONS, BY WALTER T. STACE ® A MENTOR BOOK from NEW AtVIEmCAIM LIBRARY times Minnon New York and Scarborough, Ontario Copyright © i960 by Walter T. Stage All rights reserved Third Printing ACKNOWLEDGMENTS AND COPYRIGHT NOTICES (The page following constitutes an extension of this copyright page) The author wishes to thank the authors, publishers, and au- thors’ representatives listed below for permission to use the following selections, which may not be reproduced in any form without the consent of the copyright owners: George Allen & Unwin Ltd., London, for excerpts from Ploti- nus, edited and translated by A. H. Armstrong, and Rumi: Poet and Mystic, translated by R. A. Nicholson. Cambridge University Press, New York, for the excerpt from Eastern Poetry and Prose, by R. A. Nicholson. William Collins Sons & Company Ltd., with Messrs. Hamish Hamilton Ltd., London, for the excerpt from The Invisible Writing by Arthur Koestler. Bruno Cassirer (Publishers) Ltd., Oxford, for the excerpt from Buddhist Texts Through the Ages, edited by E. Conze and others. J. M. Dent & Sons Ltd., London, for excerpts from The Adornment of the Spiritual Marriage and The Book of Supreme Truth by Jan van Ruysbroeck, translated by C. A. Wynschenck Dom. E. P. Dutton & Co., Inc., New York for the excerpt from A Buddhist Bible, edited by Dwight Goddard, Copyright, 1938, by E. P. Dutton & Co., Inc. Library of Congress Catalog Card No. 60-15528 tffjS MENTOR TRADEMARK REG, U.8. PAT. OFF. AND FOREIGN COUNTRIES yi|l REGISTERED TRADEMARK MAROA REGISTRADA HECHO BN CHICAGO, U.8.A. Signet, Signet Classics, Signette, Mentor, and Plume Books are published in the United States by The New American Library, Inc., 1301 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10019, in Canada by The New American Library of Canada Limited, 81 Mack Avenue, Scarborough, 704, Ontario. PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Harper & Brothers, New York, for excerpts from Meister Eckhart: A Modern Translation, by Raymond B. Blakney. Copyright 1941 by Harper & Brothers. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, for the excerpt from Buddhism in Translations by H. C. Warren, No. 3 in the Harvard Oriental Series. The Janus Press, London, for the excerpt from The Confer- ence of the Birds, by Farid al-Din Attar, translated by S. C. Noth Longmans, Green & Co., Inc., New York, for the excerpt for The Philosophy of Plotinus, by W. R. Inge, Third Edition, 1929, VoL II, New Impression, 1948. Luzac & Company Ltd., London, for excerpts from Readings from the Mystics of Islam, by Margaret Smith. The Macmillan Company, New York, for the excerpt from The Invisible Writing by Arthur Koestler. Copyright 1954 by Arthur Koestler. The New American Library of World Literature, Inc., New York, for excerpts from The Way of Life: Tao T6 Ching, by Lao Tzu, translated by R. B. Blakney, Copyright 1955 by Raymond B. Blakney; and The Teachings of the Com- passionate Buddha, edited by E. A. BurtL A. D. Peters, London, for the excerpt from The Invisible Writ- ing, by Arthur Koestler. Pantheon Books, Inc., New York, for the excerpt from The Method of Zen, by Eugen Herrigel, edited by Hermann Tausend, translated by R. F. C. Hull. Copyright 1960 by Pantheon Books, Inc. Philosophical Library, Inc., New York for the excerpt from Buddhist Texts Through the Ages, edited by E. Conze and others. Rider & Co., London, for the excerpt from Essays in Zen Bud- dhism, by D. T. Suzuki. Schocken Books, Inc., New York, for the excerpts from Zohar, the Book of Splendor, by Gershom G. Scbolem. Copyright 1949 by Schocken Books, Inc. Sheed & Ward, Inc., New York, for the excerpt from The Complete Works of Saint Teresa, translated and edited by E. Allison Peers, from the critical edition of P. Silverio de Santa Teresa, C. D., published in three volumes by Sheed & Ward, Inc., New York. Sheed & Ward Ltd., London, for the excerpt from The Com- plete Works of Saint Teresa, translated and edited by E. Allison Peers. Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, London, for the excerpt from Dionysius the Areopagite on the Divine Names and the Mystical Theology, translated by C. E. Rolt. Frederick Ungar Publishing Co., New York, for the excerpt from The Dark Night of the Soul, by SL John of the Cross, translated by Kurt F. Reinhardt. Copyright 1957 by the Frederick Ungar Publishing Co., from the series Milestones of Thought. The Vedanta Society of Southern California, Hollywood, Cali- fornia, for the excerpts from The Upanishads: Breath of the Eternal, published m hardbound version by the Vedanta Press and in paperbound version by the New American Library of World Literature. Contents 1. What Is Mysticism? 9 2 . Hindu Mysticism 30 The Upanishads 33 Sri Aurobindo 49 3 . Buddhist Mysticism 67 Hinayana Selections 72 Mahayana Selections 78 The Awakening of Faith 79 The Prajna-Paramita Texts 83 D. T. Suzuki: Zen 88 Eugen Herrigel: Zen 97 . 4. Taoist Mysticism 102 Lao-Tzu 104 5. Plotinus 110 6. Christian Mysticism 124 Dionysius the Areopagite 132 Meister Eckhart 139 Jan van Ruysbroeck 158 St. Teresa of Avila 174 St. John of the Cross 185 7. Islamic Mysticism 201 Ziyad B. al-Arabi 204 Abu Yazid al-Bistami 205 Ibn Sina (Avicenna) 206 Farid al-Din Attar 207 Ibn al-Arabi 211 Jalal al-Din Rumi 213 8 . Jewish Mysticism 221 The Zohar 224 9 . A Contemporary Mystical Experience: Arthur Koestler 230 10 Retrospect and Prospect 236 1 What Is Mysticism? (1) Terminological. In these pages I shall often use the expressions “mysticism,” “mystic,” “mystical experience,” “mystical consciousness,” “mystical idea.” “Mysticism,” of course, is the general name of our qjitire subject, and its meaning will be gradually developed. (By the word “mystic” I shall always mean a person who himself has had mystical experienceT)Often the word is used in a much wider and looser way? Anyone who is sympathetic to mysticism is apt to be labeled a mystic. But I shall use the word always in a stricter sense. However sympathetic toward mysticism a man may be, however deeply interested, involved, enthusiastic, or learned in the subject, he will not be called a mystic un- less he has, or has had, mystical experience. The phrases “mystical experience” and “mystical consciousness” will be used as synonymous with each other.