common core thesis; mysticism; Buddhism; M Scale; Chinese; mixed methods
摘要
This study explores the phenomenological structure of mystical experience among 139 Chinese Pure Land and Chan Buddhist monks and nuns. Semi-structured interviews, thematic coding, and statistical analyses demonstrated that Stace's common facets of mysticism as measured by Hood's Mysticism Scale (M Scale) successfully described Buddhist experience as modified by Buddhist doctrines. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) revealed that these facets could be formed into Stace's three-factor structure. A mystical introvertive unity hypothesized to be separate from an extrovertive unity instead converged in the Chinese Buddhist context. These results lend strong support to the thesis that the phenomenology of mystical experience reveals a common experiential core that can be discerned across religious and spiritual traditions. These data also demonstrated that this common core can and should be explored using mixed methods.
目次
Introduction 654 Two Unities or the One 655 Problems with the M Scale 655 Current Study 656 Method 657 Participants and Instruments 657 Procedure 658 Thematic Coding 658 Quantitative Coding 658 Results 659 Qualitative Analysis 659 Ego Loss 659 Timeless-Spacelessness 661 Intro Unity 661 Extro Unity 661 Inner Subjectivity 662 Ineffability 662 Positive Affect 663 Sacredness 663 Noetic Quality 663 Quantitative Analysis 664 Discussion 666 Validation of Facet and Factor Structure 667 Two Unities and the One 668 Difference by Sect 668 Limitations and Conclusion 669 References 669
