Who has not had the “warm fuzzies” before? That glowing moment of warm feel-goodness derived from an experience of something undoubtedly good. This would be an example of a numinous experience. In Worldviews: Crosscultural Explorations of Human Beliefs, Ninian Smart makes a distinction between the numinous experience and that of its counterpart, the mystical experience, as related to their roles in world religions. Two such religions are Hinduism and Buddhism; closely related and regional neighbors, these qualities of religion can be observed in them, though if only using the terms with incomplete definitions.
The first, and most common among religions, is the numinous experience. This is the “warm fuzzy” or an awe inspiring feeling that is caused by a condition outer bodily. In other words, it is a situation or event that elicits a response from the body, mind and soul of a person that is seen as having Devine origins. A concise elaboration, as Smart relates it, is that the “eternal” only exists outside of the physical “cosmos.” (Smart, 64) It can also be seen, in contrast to the mystical experience, as dualistic where there is a giver (God, gods; a deity) and a separate recipient (a person). (Smart, 58)
Mysticism is contrary to this idea; being “non-dual” in nature where there is no giving, nor receiving, nor is there anything external to the body. The mystic is devoted to a life of introspective searching, finding ascension only within himself. It is a quiet and calm way to perfect stillness and nothingness where the numinous is a tempest of wild emotions, sights, sounds, and the like. (Smart, 58) However contrary these two experiences may seem, there are examples of a middle ground or a mixture.
The middle ground would include both introspective and external experiences. As Smart details, the Upanishads reference an external, greater being (Brahman) who is the creator and sustainer of all. They go further to say that through meditation and exploration within one’s self, one can experience a state of Brahman. In a mystical manner of a search inward, one can gain the numinous experience of Brahman. (Smart, 60) The Upanishads are believed to be, of Indian philosophy, the oldest examples. (Eastman, 28)
Hinduism, a philosophical religion of Indian origin, includes the Upanishads in its teachings. Generally, followers of Hinduism seek oneness with Brahman, the ultimate enlightened being. This can be seen, as is described earlier, as being neither purely numinous nor mythical in nature. An example of the combining of these two descriptives is found in the Chandogya Upanishad: “All these have their self in him alone…THAT ART THOU.” (Eastman, 29) In other words all things are inside the body, Brahman is in all things (mystic), the body is found within all things and all things are in Brahman (numinous). Buddhism goes one step further and thus eliminates the numinous experience
Beyond all things – man and god(s) alike – and within all things there is the Self; it is the center, energy and source of everything. Buddhism concentrates on attaining the knowledge of the Self. There are no external forces in which the knowledge can be bestowed to one, but only through internal meditation can one ascend to the knowledge of the Self. (Smart, 58-59) Heinrich Zimmer compares the path of the Buddhist as a voyage across a river on a raft; the opposite shore being Nirvana (the knowledge of the one true Self). When one achieves enlightenment and looks back, there is neither river nor raft. The attainment of Nirvana is to have the knowledge that everything is part of the Self and that there is no separation between anything – the shores – for everything is one. (Eastman, 88-89) Being devoid of any external numinous experiences, Buddhism can be classified as a mystical religion of which everything is found by a search within one’s self.
Though there is distinction between Buddhism and Hinduism by using Ninian Smart’s delineation of numinous and mystic experiences, the contrast I find to be dim. Hinduism is a combination of both, and Buddhism an extract containing only the mystic; both are only a half-hew different from each other. To view the full picture of both religions, and to highlight their similarities (of which there seems to be many) and contrast their differences, we need brighter colors than that supplied by Smart, in this case. There must exist bright greens, blues, yellows and reds compared to the grey and slate that are the numinous and mystic dimensions of religion by which we can more clearly see and understand these and other religions.
