The Light at the Center: Context and Pretext of Modern Mysticism

The Light at the Center, an investigation of mysticism in the tradition of Butler, Underhill and Zaehner, ventures into a totally new sphere because the author combines two allegedly contradictory qualifications - he is a trained mystic, an initiate into a Hindu monastic order, and also an outstanding social scientist. So far no holy man has been able to analyze the society in which he operates, and no social scientist has been a professional mystic. Bharati first defines mysticism, then proceeds to discuss oriental religious movements in America. He claims that the majority of gurus whose actions and words have diffused into the West since the turn of the century are frauds, but that the mystical experience they refer to is often genuine, although inaccessible to empirical measurement. He then appeals for a rational, disciplined approach to mysticism that would embrace all those willing to approach the tradition by the sweat of their brows, and to do away with media-inspired notions of the initiate and the aspirant.