Perry Schmidt-Leukel, Senior Professor of Religious Studies and Intercultural Theology, is project leader of the research project “Classics of Mystical Spirituality”. The project runs from August 2026 to July 2028 and is based at the CRM. It is a sub-project of PRISM (“Program in the Study of Mysticism”), a global research program (2025 – 2029) sponsored by the Templeton Religion Trust and coordinated by Tampere University (Finland). PRISM involves scholars studying mysticism in different religious traditions in showing new trends in contemporary research and fostering general interest in mysticism. Universities from Germany, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, France, Belgium, The Netherlands, England, Finland, India and the USA are part of PRISM.

PRISM pursues issues such as the informative value of mystical phenomena or the contribution of mysticism to social cohesion. The various subprojects are empirically based, focused on the present and of a global, multireligious and interdisciplinary orientation.

In his sub-project, Schmidt-Leukel deals with classics of mystical spirituality from China, Japan, India, Arabia and Europe. The focus of his project is not merely intercultural and interreligious comparison, but also the question to what extent such classics may have a positive impact on contemporary spirituality. The results are going to be published in a monograph. As part of the project, Schmidt-Leukel will offer a lecture series on his project in winter semester 2026/27 as part of the general studies.

Professor Schmidt-Leukel is an internationally renowned scholar of religious pluralism, interreligious relations and Buddhist-Christian dialogue. His work has received several awards. In 2015, he was the first German Gifford Lecturer after 25 years.

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