Templeton Religion Trust
Awe. Transcendence. Revelation. Transformation. Oneness. Boundless being. Samadhi. Nirvana. Moksha. Kabbalah. Unio mystica. Theosis. Fana. The peace that passes all understanding.
Different traditions have different ways of describing it. But for thousands of years, humans have been fascinated with the mystery of a reality beyond everyday experience, but one that we can somehow unite with. A yearning to know that reality is integral to the human story, a vital strand woven throughout our societies, cultures, and religions.
Despite its age-old allure, however, mysticism remains one of the least understood dimensions of our humanity and our belief systems. As science and rational thinking have risen to prominence in recent centuries, religions have tended to push mysticism aside, discredit it, or in effect forget about it, relying instead on dogmas and rituals to nurture spiritual sensibilities.
And yet, direct access to the divine has always been and remains a major strand in most religions. As William James, the seminal Harvard philosopher and psychologist, stated in his 1902 Gifford Lecture “The Varieties of Religious Experience”: “Personal religious experience has its root and center in mystical states of consciousness…… They are states of insight into depths of truth unplumbed by the discursive intellect.”
He continues: “In mystic states, we both become one with the Absolute and we become aware of our oneness. This is the everlasting and triumphant mystical tradition, hardly altered by differences of clime or creed.”
More than a century later, Sir John Templeton, referred to as a Tennessee mystic, was a persistent and passionate advocate for looking beyond restrictive views of religion and
spirituality. “Every person’s concept of God is too small,” he wrote. “Through humility, might we begin to glimpse encouraging glimmerings of the infinity of God? Could we develop a hunger to explore boundless new possibilities?”
Disenchantment with established religions is a sign of our times. Paradoxically, as traditional religious affiliations decline in many parts of the world, spirituality is surging, signaling a profound shift in how we seek meaning. As a result, there’s a fast-mounting desire to close the gap, to better understand and validate mysticism as a path to essential understanding — in and for our time.
For researchers — who now have more tools, methods, and communication channels than ever before — the challenge, and the opportunity, is to hold two truths at once: Mysticism resists definition, and it matters too much to be reduced, dismissed, or left unexplored.
Is it possible that in a world looking for answers, new ideas and possibilities can come from ancient ways of thinking?
PRISM (a Program in the Study of Mysticism) is a five-year Templeton Religion Trust initiative exploring mysticism as the transcendent, transformative dimension at the heart of religious life across history and diverse traditions.
How does mysticism shape individuals? Does it lead to deeper spiritual understanding? Can it benefit communities or society as a whole? These are among the important questions PRISM seeks to answer in alignment with Templeton’s broader mission to explore spiritual knowledge, personal growth, and social good.
Led by Dr. Ali Qadir at Finland’s Tampere University, PRISM supports an international network of scholars working together to broaden the study and understanding of mysticism. Its goals are to build more inclusive theories, compare traditions across cultures and faiths, expand from “mystical experience” to “mystical consciousness,” and advance rigorous, evidence-informed research that invites collaboration and shared discovery.
To achieve all that, the program takes a grounded approach. It focuses on real-world data, attends to contemporary experiences while remaining historically abreast, and looks across cultures and religions without losing sight of local context. It’s also deeply interdisciplinary, drawing on perspectives from across specialties.
At the heart of PRISM is an expansive way of understanding mysticism. It recognizes varying interpretations of three key elements:
In some combination, Dr. Qadir says these elements loosely — or, in his words, “fuzzily” — define mysticism as the preparation for, the consciousness of, and the reaction to what can be described as the immediate or direct and transformative presence of God or Ultimate Reality.
To guide its research, PRISM focuses on four key questions:
The program is supporting a multidisciplinary set of research projects, including areas where gaps currently exist. It concentrates on mysticism within and across the world’s five major religious traditions — Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam — while also exploring how mystical elements sometimes challenge these traditions.
Over five years, PRISM is working toward three main goals: generating new knowledge, bringing together experts in the field, and sparking wider public interest. Projects are being carefully selected through a competitive process, starting with shorter-term grants and potentially expanding into longer-term efforts.
The intent is simple but powerful: Instead of treating mysticism as something obscure or suspect, PRISM centers it as an enduring yet ever-evolving human experience. As such, it calls for in-depth exploration, drawing on all the tools of modern inquiry.
Learn More: www.studyingmysticism.com
