Waves of the Glorious Splendor
Mystical Process and the Ascetic Life
- World Religions
- Publisher: Pickwick Publications (Wipf and Stock)
- Published: 2026
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Publisher's Description
Waves of the Glorious Splendor introduces a uniquely informative method of analysis in which mystical experiences are understood as processes of change composed of sequentially occurring states of mystical awareness. A process analysis describes the evolving emotional, perceptual, cognitive, and somatic phenomena reported in firsthand mystical accounts. Illustrations are drawn from the Christian and Buddhist traditions and the Indian tradition allied with Vedantic metaphysics and the Upanishads. Contemporary mystical accounts are paired with traditional accounts, showing continuity over time. Two previously unrecognized forms of mystical experience are described: one is theistic and cognitive in nature; the other is infused with emotion and mediated through spatial perception. A theory of physical asceticism is introduced based on the anatomy and physiology of the corresponding ascetic interventions. Two Christian ascetic psychologies are examined: one is Platonist in origin and widely known; the other is based on introspection and resembles psychological aspects of the Buddhist doctrine of dependent origination. Neuropsychological interpretations are introduced throughout the book, providing an empirical perspective on a number of ascetic and mystical experiences. The ascetic life in pursuit of mystical experience is the most radical project of personal transformation devised by humans. Bradford explores its means, goals, and values.
Endorsements (2)
“With the precision of a scholar and the sensibility of a poet, David Bradford brings rich insights to our understanding of subjective experience at the intersection of Western metaphysics with Eastern spirituality, the Buddhist sadhu and the Christian mystic. In this deeply contemplative work, the testimony of great souls is weaved together with the varieties of religious practice, austerities, and conscious experience to give an illuminating account of mind and the nature of reality.”
“This book is perhaps the most important one in the field of (comparative) process psychologies of religion since the publication of William James’ Varieties of Religious Experience (1902). It specially makes plain the co-dependent origination of the noetic content of mystical experiences, faith, and emotion. Since dogmatic specificities are second, interfaith dialogue is thus vindicated together with radical empiricism.”
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