Abstract

BEYOND THE EXPERIENCE OF THE TRANSCENDENCE

Ilia Utekhin

The article reviews some theoretical presumptions underlying the attempt to formulate a new paradigm for comparative study of religion (Tortchinov E.A. Religions of the World: Experience of the Trancendence. Transpersonal States and Psychotechnique. St.Petersburg, Peterburgskoie Vostokovedenie, 1997 - 384 p. (Orientalia)). It is argued that transpersonal psychology is unable to provide the study of religion with an adequate conceptual basis, as it has been put forward by Prof. Tortchinov, because of highly questionnable status of categories used within this approach. The view according to which there exist some universal matrices of “deep archetypal experience” that are transformed and conceptualised differently across cultures seems to be oversimplified. While studying psychological phenomena of religion, it is critically important to keep in mind that cultures do not “deform” an already given experience through particular formulations and practices, but rather give shape to that which does not exist before its cultural elaboration. Correspondingly, no experience may fruitfully be considered as a foundation of religious phenomena until we give a clear account of the way in which cultures shape the experience and delimit the spheres of experience, especially, those which are labelled “transpersonal”.

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