Strands of Enlightenment
An archive of presentations and recorded lectures on the many facets of enlightenment — and an invitation to scholars to move the field forward.
What it is
An archive of presentations on enlightenment
A growing archive of presentations and recorded lectures — developed from the “Enlightenment for Beginners” course — examining the characteristics of enlightenment, self-realization and God-realization as they have been described across more than a century of research, from William James onward.
Facets of realization
Strands explored in the lectures
Knowing
The cognitive dimension — insight, clear seeing, non-conceptual understanding.
Feeling
The affective dimension — love, equanimity, joy, compassion.
Embodying
How realization lives in the body and in action, not only in the mind.
Relating
Realization expressed in relationship — to others and to the world.
Responsibility
What awakened consciousness asks of us ethically.
Meaning
How realization reshapes purpose, significance and value.
A call to scholars
Move the field forward
This strand is an invitation to researchers across disciplines — psychology, philosophy, religious studies, cognitive science and beyond — to engage with the research on enlightenment done so far, and to help carry the field forward.
Part of one inquiry
Continue the inquiry
This is one of four strands of research into stabilized spiritual consciousness.