“Gifts of Light”—Chiara Lubich’s Mystical Narrative with Hindus: An Analysis of a Hindu–Christian Dialogue Experience
Roberto Catalano
Religions April 27, 2023 DOI: 10.3390/rel14040521 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Phenomenological analysis Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Mysticism Mystical experience |
| Keywords | Paradise Dialogue Unity Communion |
| Key points | A Catholic woman shared traits of her mystical experience with Hindus, neo-Vedanta scholars, and Gandhian activists, creating a unique case of interreligious dialogue. |
Abstract
The present paper offers a presentation and a phenomenological analysis of a rather unusual event in the sphere of interreligious dialogue: a Catholic woman, the protagonist of a mystical experience, shared some of the traits of this experience with people of another culture and religion. The protagonists of this experience include Chiara Lubich and a group of Hindus, some neo-Vedanta scholars and other social activists inspired by Gandhian philosophy and ideals. These pages represent an initial study of this case, which, at least so far, appears to be rather unique.
Comparable studies
Other qualitative studies on mysticism, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Qualitative and Quantitative Features of Music Reported to Support Peak Mystical Experiences during Psychedelic Therapy Sessions Individuals with extensive experience administering psilocybin or psilocybin-containing... | 2017 | Survey and qualitative/quantitative analysis | n = 10 |
| Common Core Thesis and Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis of Mysticism in Chinese Buddhist Monks and Nuns Chinese Pure Land and Chan Buddhist monks and nuns | 2011 | Mixed-methods study | n = 139 |
| Do Drugs Have Religious Import? A 40-Year Retrospective | 2004 | Interview | |
| Narratives of the mystical among users of psychedelics Psychedelic drug users | 2021 | Qualitative study | n = 50 |
| Auras in mysticism and synaesthesia: a comparison. Synaesthetes who experience colors in response to human faces and figures | 2012 | Qualitative study | n = 4 |