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Abstract

MYSTICAL experiences have been reported by both Hindu and Catholic religious figures. Hindu saint Ramakrishna and Catholic saint Thérèse of Lisieux are two such figures whose lives were dominated by direct, intimate encounters with the divine. Their encounters with Jesus, Mary, and Kālī frequently vacillated between states of ecstasy and anguish. Yet, while modern sensibilities may highlight the psychopathology of these emotional states, it is clear that these experiences had profound advantages for each saint’s spiritual life. Ultimately, interpreting these intimate encounters through the spiritual lives and traditions of the saints themselves can help Hindu and Christian scholars expand their understanding of the human experience of the divine beyond the confines of ritual and dogma.

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