The Relationship between the Language of Interpretation and Mystical Experience in the Thought of Ibn Arabi and D. Suzuki

Language, its use, and its limitations in mystical discussions have always been one of the most complex issues. The mystical language, which rooted in the mystic's inner experience, is based on a pre-existing vocabulary with new meanings, as well as on symbols and metaphors, to retell mystical experiences. The intertwined set of words and symbols based on the mystic's inner experience, strengthens the mystical language. Mystics and mystical philosophers have been among those who have taken this issue seriously. The intricacies of language in Islamic mysticism are well demonstrated in Ibn Arabi's works, especially in his interpretations of Qur'anic verses. Ibn al-'Arabi interprets the verses from a completely different point of view, and even gives completely contradictory interpretations to the appearance of the verses. On the other hand, in Zen Buddhism, we have many contradictions in religious sayings and anecdotes. Suzuki, the great contemporary thinker of Zen, finds these contradictions natural. In this research, we examine the position of language and its functions in Ibn Arabi's mysticism and Zen and show in a descriptive-comparative manner what Ibn Arabi as representing Islamic mysticism and Suzuki as representing Zen have their views on. The purpose of this study is to create new perspectives on comparative studies of mysticism. The findings of this study can be stated by Ibn Arabi and Suzuki as ineffective in conveying mystical experiences, but the approaches of each of these thinkers to use language in the transformation of experiences is different.