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Reading list

Mystics of the World

One major text from each of several traditions.

Beginning. 7 steps

  1. Text

    The Upanishads, Part I

    tr. F. Max Müller, 1879

    Vedāntic: the self and Brahman; begin with the Chāndogya, book six.

  2. Text

    The Tâo Teh King

    Laozi, tr. James Legge, 1891

    Daoist: the nameless Way and the power of not forcing.

  3. Text

    The Dhammapada

    The Buddha, tr. F. Max Müller, 1881

    Buddhist: the early verses on mind, craving and freedom.

  4. Text

    A Book of Contemplation the Which is Called The Cloud of Unknowing

    The author of The Cloud of Unknowing, 1912

    Christian: prayer beyond concepts, reaching God by love alone.

  5. Text

    Masnavi i Ma’navi

    Jalāl al-Dīn Rūmī, tr. E. H. Whinfield, 1887

    Sufi: the poetry of longing for the Beloved, and of return.

  6. Text

    The Zohar

    Moses de León

    Kabbalistic: the hidden God and the ten sefirot, read in translation.

  7. Text

    Songs of Kabir

    Kabīr, tr. Rabindranath Tagore, 1915

    The sant poet beloved of Sikhs: God within, beyond temple and mosque.

Cite this entry
Chicago (bibliography)

“Mystics of the World.” Reading list. The Library, Unitive Knowledge Society. Last modified November 7, 2026. https://www.unitiveknowledge.org/reading-lists/mystics-of-the-world.

Chicago (note)

“Mystics of the World,” reading list, The Library, Unitive Knowledge Society, last modified November 7, 2026, https://www.unitiveknowledge.org/reading-lists/mystics-of-the-world.

MLA

“Mystics of the World.” The Library, Unitive Knowledge Society, 7 Nov. 2026, www.unitiveknowledge.org/reading-lists/mystics-of-the-world.

BibTeX
@misc{reading-lists-mystics-of-the-world,
  title = {{Mystics of the World}},
  howpublished = {The Library, Unitive Knowledge Society},
  note = {Reading list. Last modified November 7, 2026},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://www.unitiveknowledge.org/reading-lists/mystics-of-the-world}
}

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