Significance of Spiritual experience
In the context of the provided text, spiritual experience encompasses a wide range of profound encounters and realizations. It is described as a personal and often transformative interaction with the divine or ultimate reality, leading to greater understanding and connection. Across various traditions like Tibetan Buddhism, Vaishnavism, and others, it involves insights, heightened awareness, and transcendent moments that can lead to enlightenment or a deeper understanding of existence. These experiences can manifest through meditation, artistic expression, or direct encounters with the divine, enriching the individual's spiritual journey.
Synonyms: Transcendent experience, Mystical experience, Divine encounter, Inner awakening, Soul experience, Religious experience, Spiritual awakening, Heightened awareness, Mystical encounter, Transcendental experience, Divine experience, Sacred experience
In Dutch: Spirituele ervaring; In Finnish: Henkinen kokemus; In Spanish: Experiencia espiritual; In German: Spirituelle Erfahrung; In Swedish: Andlig upplevelse; In Malay: Pengalaman rohani; In French: Expérience spirituelle; In Finnish: Hengellinen kokemus; In Italian: Esperienza spirituale; In Polish: Doświadczenie duchowe; In Portugese: Experiência espiritual
The below excerpts are indicatory and do represent direct quotations or translations. It is your responsibility to fact check each reference.
Buddhist concept of 'Spiritual experience'
Spiritual experience in Buddhism encompasses deep inner realizations, transformative moments, and phenomenological engagement. It involves insights gained through meditation, leading to enlightenment, altered consciousness, and unique feelings of bliss and clarity during practice.
From: Maha Prajnaparamita Sastra
(1) The phenomenological aspect of engaging with Buddhist teachings, particularly observable during the practice of meditation as outlined in the sutra.[1]
From: Shurangama Sutra (with commentary) (English)
(1) The profound insights and transformative moments that occur during spiritual practice, affecting one’s understanding and consciousness.[2]
From: Blue Annals (deb-ther sngon-po)
(1) Describes the unique realizations and feelings of bliss and clarity attained by the protagonist during his meditative practices.[3]
From: Dhammapada (Illustrated)
(1) The profound inner realization and understanding achieved through meditation and insight, leading to enlightenment.[4]
Hindu concept of 'Spiritual experience'
In Hinduism, spiritual experience is multifaceted. It encompasses all actions, direct realization of truth, and profound awareness. It's a personal encounter with the divine, insights from practices, and the realization of unity, often transcending intellectual understanding. It is the direct experience of reality.
From: Chaitanya Bhagavata
(1) A transformative encounter that provides a profound connection with something greater than oneself, leading to enhanced understanding and inner peace.[5] (2) The Lord's experiences, such as losing consciousness and manifesting opulence, suggest profound spiritual experience, indicating a deep connection to the divine.[6] (3) Occasions or states that involve a sense of connection to something greater than oneself, often linked to religious or transcendent contexts.[7] (4) The array of divine encounters and events that Mahaprabhu and His devotees underwent during the journey.[8] (5) Activities or states of consciousness that relate to the divine or spiritual realms, often tied to religious practices.[9]
From: Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu
(1) An experience related to the divine that connects practitioners with higher states of consciousness.[10] (2) The overall event involving highly emotional responses triggered by spiritual sounds and encounters.[11]
From: Garga Samhita (English)
(1) the combined significance of sight, touch, and bathing in sacred elements that enhance the brahmana's spiritual journey.[12]
From: Brihad Bhagavatamrita (commentary)
(1) These involve encounters and contemplations that pertain to the divine and the nature of reality, often detailed in mystical narratives.[13]
From: Tiruvaymoli (Thiruvaimozhi): English translation
(1) Insights and realizations gained by the Alvar during his deep engagement with the divine.[14]
From: Sri Krishna-Chaitanya
(1) All socalled partial truth is a deluding empiric conception and has no place in spiritual experience, according to the text.[15]
From: Chandogya Upanishad (english Translation)
(1) Experiences that encompass the spiritual aspect of all actions, including physical activities.[16] (2) The realization or understanding of Brahman which comes from direct experience, rather than mere intellectual knowledge.[17]
From: Brahma Sutras (Shankara Bhashya)
(1) The actual realizations or superconscious perceptions recorded in the Vedas over centuries.[18]
From: Shakti and Shakta
(1) The text mentions that the Veda recalls the spiritual experiences of others, but what each person needs is that experience for themselves through practice.[19] (2) Refers to insights and realizations achieved through direct experience of the underlying unity of existence, often highlighted in the practice of meditation.[20] (3) A personal and often profound interaction with the divine or ultimate reality that leads to greater understanding and practice of one's beliefs, emphasized in Tantrik teachings.[21] (4) The personal, direct encounter with spiritual truths, emphasizing that religion should be rooted in such experiences rather than mere dogma.[22] (5) The direct and personal encounter with consciousness and reality that transcends intellectual understanding.[23]
From: Yoga-sutras (Vedanta Commentaries)
(1) A moment of realization or connection to a deeper aspect of existence, valid despite being influenced by ego.[24] (2) The inner transcendental realization aimed for through practices like hatha yoga.[25] (3) The profound state of awareness and connection to the Atman that can occur during yoga practice.[26]
From: Laghu-yoga-vasistha
(1) A direct state of awareness in which the universe is recognized as non-existent.[27] (2) The awakening realization that occurs after many births and is achieved with great difficulty.[28]
The concept of Spiritual experience in local and regional sources
Spiritual experience encompasses personal connections to the divine, profound insights, and transformative encounters. It involves direct encounters, inner realizations, and heightened awareness. It's integral to understanding self, the universe, and various philosophical and artistic expressions, transcending ordinary consciousness.
From: Triveni Journal
(1) The imprimatur of Subrahmanya Bharati's spiritual experience cannot be more effectively envisaged by us than in the bunch of poems entitled ‘Kannamma’ from his pen, stirring us with their extraordinary beauty of imagery and exquisiteness or lyrical charm.[29] (2) The experiences that are missed by focusing on physical experience, which can be obtained through the perceptions of the spirit and are essential for understanding certain philosophies.[30] (3) The book deals with the early life of Sri Aurobindo, his work as an educationist, his revolutionary activities, his transforming spiritual experience, and his philosophy and yoga.[31] (4) Sri Ramakrishna renewed and united the millions of saints who had gone before through these.[32] (5) This is something that 'Sunya Sampadane' is superior to Plato's Dialogues from the point of view of.[33]
From: Bhaktavijaya: Stories of Indian Saints
(1) The overarching theme of the narrative, emphasizing the transformative interactions between the characters.[34] (2) The understanding gained from divine knowledge that elevates one's perception above worldly distractions.[35] (3) Personal insights and understandings attained through spiritual practice and reflection, which guided Dnyaneshwar in composing the Amritanubhav.[36]
From: The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda
(1) These are actual experiences that cannot be described in language, and are declared by saints in all ages as something that can be had by all.[37] (2) The text emphasizes the importance of spiritual experience as the central point of all religions, and that is the realization of God, which is the goal of all human life.[38]
The concept of Spiritual experience in scientific sources
Spiritual experience, as defined by regional sources, should be integrated into the theology curriculum, alongside local practices, based on student requests.
From: Religions Journal (MDPI)
(1) Spiritual experiences are moments of profound connection with the divine or a sense of transcendence, often providing comfort, guidance, and healing, influencing individuals' perspectives on life.[39] (2) Spiritual experience of God can be promoted by spatiality in general and specific places, coming close to what several “spatial turn” theologians have analogically called a sacramental vision of spatiality.[40] (3) Spiritual experience of encountering the face of the oppressed humanizes us, and this hope is not the fruit of an orthodox certainty but of a spiritual experience.[41] (4) They are intensified through music in religious forms like Praise and Worship and Speaking/Singing in Tongues prayers, leading to improved wellbeing.[42] (5) These are highly embodied and relational, with social interactions integral to them, denoting self-transcendence and a sense of connection.[43]
From: Religious Inquiries (Journal)
(1) According to the text, interfaith dialogue can help by widening horizons and deepening "spiritual experiences", thus paving the way for transformation and increased closeness to truth.[44] (2) Shiite pilgrimage at this level can potentially serve to provide opportunities for this for the universal human person regardless of his beliefs, entailing this in association with the Shiite place of ziyara.[45] (3) These are accepted as criteria for the accuracy of religions by both ʿAyn al-Qudat and al-Nasafi, who attempt to explain why these experiences have changed and become distorted over time.[46]
From: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (MDPI)
(1) These reflect commonalities and individualized components when describing the role in recovery, shared in a way consistent with personal reality, combining cognitions, perceptions, and personalized needs.[47] (2) Spiritual experience is a specific set of feelings, processes, or effects that occur in people in specific situations, and it was investigated as a factor related to nurses' workload; spiritual experience can improve quality of life.[48] (3) Spiritual experiences have been associated with positive patient reactions, which makes it plausible to recommend experience-based models of care in addition to needs-based models.[49] (4) It refers to the personal and communal religious practices that are believed to have positive effects on health.[50]
From: Sustainability Journal (MDPI)
(1) The intangible benefits tourists derive from visiting the park, such as a sense of blessing, freedom, connection to Tibetan culture, and ecological system cognition.[51] (2) Spiritual experience is a cultural service where many businesses consider this service to be unimportant to them, and are not dependent on it at all for their business operations.[52] (3) "Spiritual experience" is one of the four dimensions of the PMSE experience framework, involving elements like spirit/soul upliftment.[53]