Apophatic mysticism takes a negative approach: God cannot be described or conceived, so one moves away from thematerial world and understands Him by letting go of ideas and saying what He is not.
For Example: In Buddhism, maya (illusion) must be transcended to reach moksha (liberation); in Plato's Allegory of the Cave, wherein truth lies beyond deceptive appearances.
Cataphatic mysticism takes a positive approach: it sees the material world asrevealing God, expressing Him throughbeauty, wonder, and the unique “this-ness” of things.
For Example: Shinto sees spirits in nature; in Hinduism, rivers, animals, andnatural elements are treated as divine; many devotional traditions find the sacred in everyday life, art and more.