Way of Life
This main category features two types of religious phenomena: practices and modes of experience, both of which are included among Smart’s seven dimensions of religion, as the ritual (or practical) and the experiential (or emotional) dimensions.
Some such elements are tangible and readily observable and describable, such as a ritual like the exchange of marriage vows or the procession of pilgrims to a shrine. Others are highly personal and therefore hidden from the outsider’s view. One of the great challenges of studying religions rests precisely in this personal, private quality. Modes of experience such as Buddhist nirvana are by definition beyond the reach of empirical observation and of description. Rudolf Otto, throughout his analysis, emphasizes the impossibility of fully describing the “numinous” experience. Even common practices such as prayer and meditation involve an inner aspect that is inaccessible to anyone who is not sharing the experience. Although the present book can adequately illustrate and explain these experiential phenomena, it cannot be expected to provide a full disclosure at certain points. Such is the nature of religion.Self-Assessment 1.2
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