Which Is the Best Definition of "Spiritual Experience"?

[Mathematician]

Which is the Best Definition of Spiritual Experience

Other

Realizing one aspect about yourself that is truly you.

 

[Ozzie]

How would you best define a "spiritual experience"?

Anything that would attract ratings on a religious equivalent of "Extreme Makeover". Why not call it "Spiritual Makeover".

 

[Doodlebug02]

I voted other. A spiritual experience is a period of time in which there is a deep sense of meaningfulness and you have a connection with the Divine somehow. Praying is a spiritual experience as an example.

 

[Buttercup]

As long as my wife says it's okay. :yes:

I don't know, Bren. That statement might just negate all your spiritual awareness exhibited thus far.

 

[DonReek]

I know a Transpersonal Psychologist, that is the study of transcendent experience from a Psychological point of view, who once told me the definition. I cannot quite remember every point that they made in the definition and am just paraphrasing but I think the answer makes sense.
All over the world, from more or less every religion it is common to hear similar effects of a spiritual experience. From the Buddhist experiencing nirvana to the Christian saints, they all usually feel the feeling of oneness with everything. This sounds pithy but the experience is apparently awe inspiring. You will usually also lose your sense of self. This means that you begin to experience yourself as the universe. Sometimes you will attach a conscious mind to this. This usually manifests as God.
This state can be brought on by many things. Isolation, food deprivation, dance, music, almost constant prayer or meditation and, unfortunatly (depending upon your perspective) most commonly, hallucinogenic drugs. Although the experience will differ from person to person on the strength and a few of the minor details, the experiences can be noted as extraordinarily similar.

 

[Ingledsva]

How would you best define a "spiritual experience"?

One's own.

 

[Storm]

I voted Other. "Spiritual" is an exceedingly vague word, and a spiritual experience can be anything from pleasant feelings at worship to a full blown theophany. You seem to be focusing on trance states, or at least deep meditation. For that category of spiritual experience, I prefer to say "mystical experience," due to its adoption by neurotheilogical researchers, or just "trance states."

 

[mycorrhiza]

I voted "A deep sense of connectedness to all things". While the spiritual experience is different from person to person, for me it was a sense of connectedness. It was this experience that made me turn to pantheism, before I even knew that the belief had a name.

 

[Gjallarhorn]

I chose other because it seems to be a blend of the main three: finding great meaning in loss of subject and object, thus gaining a better sense of interconnection.

 

[crossfire]

Anything that points to reality as being more than ordinary.

 

[Vultar]

How would you best define a "spiritual experience"?

Would you define such an experience as "a sense, feeling, or perception of the connectedness of all things"?

Would you define such an experience as "a sudden loss of subject/object perception in which the continuum of experience remains but one no longer feels there is a knower standing apart from the known"?

Would you define such an experience as "an experience of meaningfulness"?

Or, would you define "spiritual experience" in some other way?

Last, would you define "spiritual experience" as "getting drunk with Prof. Mikey on Budweiser and landing up on a strange couch in an even stranger apartment"?

I would define it as dying, becoming a spirit, then being able to get back to the physical world (then having the doctors patch you back together...)

 

[Twilight Hue]

Anything that upon reflection causes pause. The "flavor" of the experience. Thats how I define such experiences.