This essay deals with Mircea Eliade(1907-1986)'s religious experiences in India and the influence of Indian philosophy on the formation of his creative hermeneutics (or phenomenological hermeneutics) by examining his autobiography, journals, and works. I argue that his experiences in India caused Eliade to become not only a religious pilgrim but also a historian of religions. It was a major turning point in his career. During his study in Rumania, Eliade's concern gradually expanded from Italian philosophy to Indian philosophy. His master's thesis covered the themes of pre-Renaissance philosophy and mysticism such as Hermeticism and Kabbalah. After he came across Dasgupta's The History of Indian Philosophy in Rome, Eliade went to India under English rule(1858-1947) and studied Sanskrit and Indian philosophy under Dasgupta. Eliade broke with Dasupta because of his relationship with Dasupta's daughter, Maitreyi. Then, he went to a ashram in the Himalayas and practiced yoga under Sivananda. But his experimental attempt for tantric yoga with the South African Jenny made him leave the ashram. He returned to Calcutta. Eliade failed to identify himself with the historical and eternal India, but he found the importance of Rumanian culture and became a historian of religions as a cultural critic. Eliade learned important philosophical lessons from Indian experiences. First, he learned the diversity of Indian philosophy and its spiritual dimension, especially, yoga tradition to control body. Second, he found the importance of symbol and its values to believers. Third, he found that the aboriginal culture based on agriculture played an important role of Indian religions. These decisive lessens formed the basic philosophical elements of Eliade's creative hermeneutics. In conclusion, Eliade seems to have been convinced that the history of religions had a kind of mission to re-evaluate the sacred meaning out of the secularized modern society, which is a basic foundation of his creative hermeneutics. On the other hand, his witness to Gandhi's non-violent resistance against the oppression of English imperialism helped him to have a critical viewpoint of the West and its culture.

This essay deals with Mircea Eliade(1907-1986)'s religious experiences in India and the influence of Indian philosophy on the formation of his creative hermeneutics (or phenomenological hermeneutics) by examining his autobiography, journals, and works. I argue that his experiences in India caused Eliade to become not only a religious pilgrim but also a historian of religions. It was a major turning point in his career. During his study in Rumania, Eliade's concern gradually expanded from Italian philosophy to Indian philosophy. His master's thesis covered the themes of pre-Renaissance philosophy and mysticism such as Hermeticism and Kabbalah. After he came across Dasgupta's The History of Indian Philosophy in Rome, Eliade went to India under English rule(1858-1947) and studied Sanskrit and Indian philosophy under Dasgupta. Eliade broke with Dasupta because of his relationship with Dasupta's daughter, Maitreyi. Then, he went to a ashram in the Himalayas and practiced yoga under Sivananda. But his experimental attempt for tantric yoga with the South African Jenny made him leave the ashram. He returned to Calcutta. Eliade failed to identify himself with the historical and eternal India, but he found the importance of Rumanian culture and became a historian of religions as a cultural critic. Eliade learned important philosophical lessons from Indian experiences. First, he learned the diversity of Indian philosophy and its spiritual dimension, especially, yoga tradition to control body. Second, he found the importance of symbol and its values to believers. Third, he found that the aboriginal culture based on agriculture played an important role of Indian religions. These decisive lessens formed the basic philosophical elements of Eliade's creative hermeneutics. In conclusion, Eliade seems to have been convinced that the history of religions had a kind of mission to re-evaluate the sacred meaning out of the secularized modern society, which is a basic foundation of his creative hermeneutics. On the other hand, his witness to Gandhi's non-violent resistance against the oppression of English imperialism helped him to have a critical viewpoint of the West and its culture.

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Mircea Eliade(1907-1986), history of religions, Indian philosophy, yoga, religious experience, creative hermeneutics, phenomenological hermeneutics