Mysticism and Social Action, Part 1 (Panel discussion with Howard Thurman, continued), 1978 October 14

Description

This recording is a continuation of the Q&A discussion on Mysticism and Social Action. Thurman begins by fielding a question about the relationship between innocence and knowledge, and the tension that one feels between inner reality and outer reality. Thurman also gives his thoughts on death as an experience of life, saying that death is not the final extinguishment of life, but rather an event that is a part of life. Thurman insists that there is a life-continuity rhythm just as there is a life-death rhythm. Lastly, Thurman speaks to the experience of religion, and the experience of God beyond an idea in the mind. Thurman says that the personal aspect of God, for him, is a sense of presence beyond definition and category, felt in the body rather than known through mental processes. The recording ends with a pointed question about the relationship between mysticism and the alleviation of suffering and injustice in the world, which is picked up in the next section.