With reference to the life and work of Martin Buber describe and explain this contribution to Mysticism and religious experience.

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With reference to the life and work of Martin Buber – describe and explain this contribution to Mysticism and religious experience. (35)

Mysticism is an aspect of religious experience that is little understood. This term has been used to describe experiences that reveal spiritual recognition of truths beyond normal understanding, from the mildly ecstatic to the occult. It has been said that there are certain features which accompany such experiences which enable their recognition, such as a sense of freedom from the limitations of time, space and the human ego. Believers may also experience a sense of “oneness” or unity with God, accompanied with bliss and serenity. Mysticism is seen as the closest a human being can ever come to actually meeting God in this life. Mystical experiences can also be classified into two areas: extrovertive, where one experiences unity in the world through the physical senses and introvertive, where the person loses their identity as a separate individual and slowly merges into the divine unity. A key extrovertive mystic is Martin Buber. In examining his contribution to religious experience, a good place to start is considering his background.
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Martin Buber was a mystic who lived from 1878-1965. He was an Austrian Jew and was highly influenced by his grandparents and by his grandfather in particular who was a respected Jewish “Midrash” writer. He was essentially brought up by his grandparents after the break-up of his parent’s marriage and Buber was included and encouraged to engage in discussion with the dinner guests, mostly on theological and philosophical issues. Buber’s early philosophical ideas were heavily influenced by Kant, Neitzche and later those of Kierkegaard.

Buber had a keen sense of the political and understood political fervour and ...

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