Eliade's Religious Phenomenological Study

This dissertation mainly explores the origins, objects and method , as well as the core concepts of Mircea Eliade's phenomenology of religion ,and evaluates his contributions to the science of religion and critiques of him, the significance of his thought for studies of Chinese mythology and religions. Following Rudolf Otto and Van Der Leeuw's phenomenology, Eliade fully developed the hermeneutic path in their researches and the historical perspective which they neglect. By describing a variety of manifestations of the Sacred in the profane world, Eliade started his studies of religion. The descriptions he made include various phenomena of the Sacred at all times and in all over the world, those phenomena constitute comprehensive religious facts. Since man is a homo symbolicus, and all his activities involve symbolism , it follows that all religious facts are symbols which are meaningful "codes". To decipher the religious meanings of these codes is the direct purpose and task of Eliade's phenomenology of religion.Although he believed that studies of religion could not be independent of religious facts and have empirical character, Eliade was never content with simply laying hold of facts of a certain religion or several religions, nor was he satisfied with the historical researches of religion that only explained the historical background of religious facts. What he concerned was to decipher the structures and universal meanings from all kinds of religious facts or of religious symbols. He also noted the inquiry of specific signification in different historical background and the diachronic variation of meanings. The most significant character of his studies of phenomenology of religion is interpreting religious symbols by integrating the method of phenomenology with method of history study, therefore his phenomenology contains three dimensions: phenomenology, hermeneutic and history study. By many years of labor in research, he found some universal structures and meanings of religion,such as the sacred,the dialect of the sacred,birth and rebirth,etc.It seems that Eliade's research is mainly concerned with ancient and oriental mythology and religions, but in fact he also has enthusiasm for contemporary world. His investigation of the meaning of history shows not only considerable concern for the destination of his country and people but also meditations on the spiritual povertyand hopeless situation of the moderns who are dominated by materialism and historicism. Comparing the different life styles of the ancients and the moderns, Eliade expressed his appreciation of "the cosmic religion" which is characterized by living harmony with the cosmic rhythm. What he actually hoped was not to get back to the past, but to find and develop the kernel values of religion in cultures and renewal western culture through the dialogue between ancient and modern and the communication of the West and the East.He expected, there would be a greater cultural regeneraion in western culture ,which was in crisis, than what happened during the Renaissance, meanwhile the self-understanding of human race could be improved. And this is the remote goal of his phenomenology of religion.The important contributions of Eliade are that his objection to the reductivism obviously and criticizes cultural provincialism,and his integratinng the method of phenomenology with that of history studies to interpret religious symbols,.as well as his concern with contemporary world. These contributions are very helpful for our cultural communications and development within the context of globalization.