# [Contemplative Science and the Nature of Reality](releases/2025/Contemplative%20Science/Contemplative%20Science.md) # Chapter 2: Landscapes of Boundless Awareness *Unity Across Traditions* Having established the context, rationale, and epistemological grounding for an interdisciplinary approach in Chapter 1, we now turn our attention directly to the core phenomena under investigation: advanced contemplative states characterized by boundless awareness, unity, and non-duality. These experiences, reported with remarkable consistency across diverse cultural and historical landscapes, represent a crucial convergence point in human potential and present essential data for understanding consciousness. This chapter delves into the phenomenology of these states, first defining the key terms used to describe them and then exploring how different major traditions–from India, the Abrahamic faiths, East Asia, and beyond–articulate these profound alterations in awareness and self-perception. By comparing these accounts, drawn from classical texts and practitioner reports, we identify recurring features that delineate this extraordinary territory of inner space, while also noting the distinct interpretive frameworks provided by each tradition. Understanding these states requires moving beyond simple definitions towards appreciating the rich, often paradoxical, language used by practitioners attempting to articulate experiences that push against the limits of ordinary conception and linguistic expression. We examine how traditions grapple with describing the dissolution of familiar boundaries–between self and other, subject and object, mind and world–and the concomitant emergence of a sense of vastness, profound interconnection, or ultimate identity. This phenomenological mapping establishes the empirical basis for later discussions of cultivation, neural correlates, and philosophical implications. ## 2.1 Defining Boundless Awareness, Unity, Non-Duality Exploration of contemplative literature consistently encounters descriptions of profound states that transcend the ordinary boundaries of the self and the perceived world. While terminology varies significantly across cultures and lineages, reflecting different philosophical presuppositions and experiential nuances, certain recurring concepts clearly point towards a shared territory of human experiential potential. Key among these are notions frequently translated as “boundless awareness,” “unity,” “oneness,” and “non-duality.” These terms capture subjective experiences where the typical sense of being a separate, limited self dissolves, giving way to an expansive, unrestricted awareness, often accompanied by profound interconnection with all existence or with an ultimate reality. **Boundless awareness** denotes an experience where consciousness itself is perceived as fundamentally open, vast, and unconstrained by the usual reference points of the physical body, personal history, or conceptual thought. It implies a field of awareness that feels inherently spacious, without intrinsic borders or a central locus corresponding to an individual “I.” Experiences described as “infinite space” or “infinite consciousness,” such as those found in the Buddhist formless absorptions (*arūpajhānas*, explored in Chapter 3), exemplify this category. This term points to a perceived quality of awareness itself, prior to or independent of specific contents or limitations, demonstrating that consciousness is not intrinsically confined. **Unity** or **oneness** points to experiences where the perceived separation between the self and the world, or between the self and an ultimate reality (such as God or Brahman), demonstrably breaks down. This experiential spectrum ranges from a feeling of deep interconnectedness and empathy with all beings and phenomena, to a complete sense of merging or identification with the cosmos, nature, or a divine ground. The specific nature and interpretation of this unity vary–it might be felt as loving communion, ontological identity, harmonious participation, or dissolution into a larger whole–but the core phenomenological feature is the dissolution of perceived boundaries and the overcoming of the sense of alienation or fundamental separateness characteristic of ordinary egoic experience. Closely related to unity, **non-duality** (Sanskrit: *Advaita*) specifically emphasizes the transcendence of fundamental dichotomies structuring ordinary perception and conceptual thought–particularly the distinction between subject and object, self and other, mind and matter. In non-dual awareness, reality is perceived or realized as a seamless, undivided whole, without these fundamental splits. This is a central concept and goal in traditions like Advaita Vedanta and certain schools of Mahayana Buddhism (like Zen and Dzogchen), where the ultimate aim is the direct realization of this non-dual reality. It reveals a mode of perception or being prior to the conceptual carving-up of the world into separate entities, disclosing an underlying wholeness. Approaching these terms requires recognizing them not as rigid technical definitions capturing distinct states, but as overlapping pointers towards complex, often ineffable subjective territories. They represent attempts within different traditions to articulate experiences that challenge the limits of ordinary language. Understanding these states necessitates moving beyond mere definition towards exploring the rich phenomenological descriptions offered by practitioners across diverse contemplative paths, paying attention to both shared features and tradition-specific nuances. The subsequent sections delve into these descriptions, mapping these landscapes of boundless awareness and unity. ## 2.2 Comparative Phenomenology I: Yogic Samadhi & Advaita Vedanta The Indian subcontinent served as a particularly fertile ground for the systematic exploration of consciousness, yielding sophisticated systems like Yoga and Advaita Vedanta. Both traditions describe culminative experiences characterized by profound shifts in self-perception and the realization of unity or transcendence, offering distinct yet resonant phenomenological accounts of boundless awareness. These systems provide foundational descriptions from South Asia of the alterations in awareness and selfhood defining these landscapes. ### 2.2.1 Yogic Samadhi In the classical Yoga system codified by Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras, the ultimate goal of the eight-limbed path (*Ashtanga Yoga*) is *Samadhi*. This state represents the pinnacle of meditative absorption and mental unification, achieved through systematic ethical cultivation (*yama*, *niyama*), physical discipline (*asana*, *pranayama*), sensory withdrawal (*pratyahara*), and deepening levels of concentration (*dharana*, *dhyana*). Phenomenologically, Samadhi is described as a state of profound mental stillness wherein the fluctuations of the mind-stuff (*citta vritti*) cease or are significantly attenuated. It is characterized by the transcendence of the ordinary sense of individual self or ego (*ahamkara*), leading to an experience of merging with, or realizing one’s distinction from and connection to, universal consciousness or the pure seer (*Purusha*, distinct from nature, *Prakriti*). Practitioners report experiences within Samadhi marked by deep tranquility (*shanti*), profound bliss (*ananda*), exceptional clarity of mind, a powerful sense of unification, and often, non-dual awareness where the distinction between the meditator and the object of meditation dissolves. Within the broader category of Samadhi, Patanjali distinguishes further stages. *Samprajnata Samadhi* refers to states of absorption retaining subtle cognitive content (*prajna*). This progresses through stages focused on gross objects (*savitarka*), subtle objects (*savichara*), bliss (*sananda*), and finally absorption in the pure sense of “I-am-ness” (*sasmita*). Beyond this lies *Asamprajnata Samadhi*, or *Nirbija* (“seedless”) Samadhi. This is described as an objectless, contentless state of pure awareness, involving the complete cessation of mental modifications. It is considered the highest state of absorption, leading directly to liberation (*Kaivalya*)–the realization of the *Purusha’s* eternal independence from *Prakriti*. The phenomenology of Asamprajnata Samadhi, emphasizing objectless awareness, ego transcendence, profound peace, and unity beyond conceptual thought, aligns closely with descriptions of boundless and formless states found elsewhere. ### 2.2.2 Advaita Vedanta Advaita Vedanta, a major school of Hindu philosophy systematized by Adi Shankara, offers a different philosophical framework but points towards an identical experiential realization of non-duality. Its central tenet, encapsulated in *Mahāvākyas* like *Tat Tvam Asi* (“That Thou Art”), is the ultimate ontological identity of the individual self (*Atman*) with the absolute, ultimate reality (*Brahman*). Brahman is conceived as the sole, unchanging, non-dual reality–characterized as pure existence (*Sat*), pure consciousness (*Chit*), and pure bliss (*Ananda*). The perceived multiplicity of the world, including the sense of being a separate individual self, is considered ultimately illusory (*mithya*), a superimposition (*adhyāsa*) onto Brahman due to ignorance (*avidya*). The goal of Advaita practice, pursued through scriptural study (*shravana*), reflection (*manana*), and meditation (*nididhyasana*), is to achieve direct, immediate realization (*anubhava*) of this fundamental identity: *Atman is Brahman*. Phenomenologically, this realization (*jñāna*) is described not as achieving a state, but as the removal of ignorance, resulting in a profound and irreversible shift in consciousness. It is a direct apprehension of non-dual reality where all distinctions–subject/object, self/world, soul/ground–are recognized as conceptual constructs lacking ultimate reality. The experience is one of boundless, undifferentiated consciousness-bliss, recognizing the illusory nature of the ego and the phenomenal world as mere appearances superimposed upon the single reality of Brahman. This realization transcends ordinary conceptual thought and is inherently peaceful (*shanti*) and liberating (*moksha*), as the root cause of suffering–the illusion of separation–is overcome. The experience is realizing one’s true nature *has always been* identical with Brahman. This direct experience of non-dual, boundless consciousness resonates strongly with descriptions of unity and formless awareness in other traditions. ### 2.2.3 Convergences in Experience Despite their distinct philosophical paths–Yoga emphasizing the isolation of the pure seer (*Purusha*), Advaita emphasizing the realization of identity between self (*Atman*) and the absolute (*Brahman*)–both traditions describe culminative states with striking phenomenological similarities. Both mandate transcending the limited ego. Both describe states involving the dissolution of subject-object duality. Both culminate in an experience of boundless, unified reality characterized by profound peace, bliss, and the realization of pure consciousness as fundamental. These accounts from Yoga and Advaita provide foundational descriptions from the Indian subcontinent of the profound alterations in awareness and selfhood defining the landscapes of boundless consciousness, demonstrating a shared experiential peak accessible via different conceptual routes. ## 2.3 Comparative Phenomenology II: Christian Unio Mystica & Sufi States Moving from the Indian subcontinent to the Abrahamic traditions, Christian mysticism and Islamic Sufism offer rich descriptions of unitive experiences, typically framed within the context of a relationship with a personal, transcendent God. While the theological interpretations differ significantly from the non-dual philosophies of India, the phenomenological accounts of self-transcendence, absorption in the divine, and profound connection share intriguing resonances with states of boundless awareness and unity described elsewhere, demonstrating the cross-cultural nature of these profound human experiences. ### 2.3.1 Christian Unio Mystica Within Christian mysticism, the concept of *unio mystica* (mystical union) represents the apex of the spiritual journey, described as an intimate communion, loving conformity, or transforming union with God. While orthodox Christian theology maintains a clear ontological distinction between Creator and creature, mystical accounts frequently employ powerful metaphors suggesting a profound blurring of boundaries and intimate participation in the divine life. Jan van Ruysbroeck spoke of the soul becoming like “iron in the fire,” taking on God’s qualities without losing its own nature. Henry Suso used the image of a drop of water falling into wine, retaining its substance but taking on the wine’s taste and color. Teresa of Ávila described the highest state of prayer as a “spiritual marriage,” where the soul feels completely absorbed by God and united with His will, yet often retains a subtle awareness of its distinctness. These experiences of mystical union are typically characterized by an overwhelming sense of God’s immediate presence, intense divine love (*agape*), profound peace surpassing understanding, spiritual joy or ecstasy, and frequently, a suspension of ordinary intellectual faculties–a state of “unknowing” or supra-conceptual awareness. The anonymous 14th-century English text, *The Cloud of Unknowing*, guides practitioners towards this union through *apophatic* practice–a path of negation focused on love. It advises setting aside all conceptual thought (“put a cloud of forgetting beneath you”) and reaching towards God through a simple, focused “sharp dart of longing love” directed into a “cloud of unknowing” above, representing God’s transcendence. Phenomenologically, this points towards a state where discursive thought ceases, and awareness rests in a simple, loving, receptive presence, potentially akin to states of deep absorption or non-dual awareness described elsewhere, albeit interpreted through a theistic and relational lens. The experience is consistently described as ineffable. ### 2.3.2 Sufism - Fanāʾ and Baqāʾ Sufism, the mystical dimension of Islam, places central importance on the complementary concepts of *Fanāʾ* (annihilation, effacement) and *Baqāʾ* (subsistence, remaining). *Fanāʾ* refers to the dissolution or annihilation of the individual self, particularly the ego-self (*nafs*), in the overwhelming awareness of God (Allah). It is often described as “dying before one dies,” a state where the mystic loses awareness of their separate existence, becoming entirely absorbed in the divine reality. This state is frequently associated with intense ecstasy (*wajd*), spiritual intoxication (*sukr*), and loss of ordinary self-consciousness. Phenomenologically, *Fanāʾ* points towards a powerful experience of ego dissolution and absorption into a perceived ultimate reality, interpreted as the negation of the illusory self before the sole reality of God. Crucially, within many Sufi paths, *Fanāʾ* is considered a necessary but often transitional state. It is ideally followed by *Baqāʾ*, a state of “subsistence” or “remaining” in God. In *Baqāʾ*, the individual self, purified through the annihilation of its egoic aspects, returns or “subsists” now grounded in God. The mystic regains awareness of individuality and the world but now lives and acts consciously in harmony with the divine will, seeing God in all things. This state is often described as spiritual sobriety (*ṣaḥw*), contrasting with the potential intoxication (*sukr*) of *Fanāʾ*. This dynamic interplay between annihilation and subsistence suggests a process of profound self-transcendence leading to a transformed, integrated state where the boundaries between human and divine are renegotiated, offering a unique cyclical model of mystical transformation. ### 2.3.3 Convergences and Divergences Both Christian mysticism and Sufism describe powerful experiences involving the transcendence or dissolution of the ordinary self before an ultimate, divine reality. They share significant phenomenological features with each other and other traditions: profound peace, overwhelming love or bliss, ecstasy, cessation of discursive thought, and encountering a reality exceeding the everyday. These convergences demonstrate shared human capacities for profound alterations in consciousness. However, the interpretive framework is distinctly theistic. The unity experienced is typically understood as union *with* God, emphasizing loving communion, conformity of will, or absorption in the divine presence, rather than complete ontological identity. The Sufi dynamic of *Fanāʾ* and *Baqāʾ* presents a unique model involving annihilation and transformed return, distinct from linear stages often described elsewhere. Despite these important theological and structural differences, the core experiences of self-transcendence, profound affective shifts, and deep connection to an ultimate reality demonstrate the cross-cultural reach of phenomena related to boundless awareness and unity. ## 2.4 Comparative Phenomenology III: Taoist Union & Other Traditions Beyond the paths of India and the Abrahamic faiths, other philosophical and spiritual traditions offer perspectives on unity and boundless awareness, often emphasizing harmony with nature and cosmic principles, or accessing non-ordinary realities through different means. Taoism, indigenous traditions, and certain Western philosophies provide additional valuable comparative data. ### 2.4.1 Taoism Taoism, originating in ancient China, centers on the concept of the *Tao* (Dao)–the ultimate, ineffable principle, the natural order, the underlying “Way” from which all existence arises and returns. The Tao is not a personal deity but an impersonal, fundamental, dynamic reality, both transcendent and immanent. The goal of Taoist practice is achieving harmony and alignment with the spontaneous flow of the Tao, becoming one with the natural course of things. Phenomenologically, this state of alignment is often described through the concept of *Wu Wei*, “effortless action.” This signifies acting spontaneously and effectively in accordance with the natural situation, without striving, force, or ego-driven interference. Achieving *Wu Wei* involves quieting the discriminating mind, letting go of rigid concepts, and becoming receptive to the inherent patterns of the Tao. The experience is one of effortless flow, balance, connection to nature, and simplicity (*Pu*, the “uncarved block”). While perhaps less focused on ecstatic union or complete ego annihilation, harmony with the Tao implies a transcendence of the isolated, striving ego and an experience of being part of a larger, interconnected whole. Texts use evocative metaphors and paradoxes to point towards this state of naturalness and unity with the underlying Way, suggesting a subtle yet profound form of boundless awareness grounded in attunement with cosmic principles. ### 2.4.2 Indigenous and Shamanic Traditions While exhibiting immense diversity, many **indigenous and shamanic traditions** worldwide also describe experiences resonating with themes of unity, interconnectedness, and expanded awareness. These states are often accessed through specific rituals (drumming, chanting, dancing), fasting, vision quests, or sometimes through the sacramental use of psychoactive plants within specific cultural contexts. Phenomenologically, these experiences frequently involve a **dissolution of the boundary** between self and the natural world, fostering a sense of deep kinship and communication with animals, plants, landscapes, ancestors, and spirits. Shamans often describe journeys into **non-ordinary realities**, interacting with non-human entities to gain knowledge or healing power. While specific cosmologies vary immensely, these traditions often emphasize holism, the sacredness of nature, and the potential for human consciousness to access dimensions beyond the mundane physical world. The phenomenological core frequently involves a breakdown of the ordinary ego structure and immersion into a perceived web of life or cosmic consciousness, highlighting alternative ways of experiencing selfhood deeply embedded within ecological and communal contexts. ### 2.4.3 Philosophical Parallels Certain strands of Western philosophy, relying primarily on reason, also touch upon concepts related to unity and expanded awareness. Ancient **Stoicism** emphasized living in accordance with nature and the universal reason (*Logos*), cultivating inner peace (*apatheia*) through acceptance, and recognizing oneself as part of a rationally ordered cosmos. The Stoic ideal involved an alignment with the universal order requiring transcendence of narrow self-interest. Later, Baruch **Spinoza’s** pantheistic monism identified God with Nature (*Deus sive Natura*) as the single, infinite substance. Understanding this unity through reason (*scientia intuitiva*) leads to the “intellectual love of God,” a state of profound understanding and acceptance bringing freedom from passion. While arrived at through rational argument, Spinoza’s vision points towards an experience of reality as a unified whole, resonating with aspects of unitive consciousness. ### 2.4.4 Synthesis Across Diverse Paths Examining these additional perspectives reinforces the conclusion that experiences involving transcending the limited self and perceiving a deeper unity or connection with reality are not confined to a few major religious traditions. Whether framed as harmony with the Tao, communion with nature and spirits, alignment with cosmic reason, or rational insight into a single substance, the phenomenological thread of **boundary dissolution** and **expanded awareness** appears in remarkably diverse cultural and intellectual contexts. This cross-cultural and cross-disciplinary recurrence strongly indicates that the capacity for such experiences is a latent potential within human consciousness itself, interpreted and cultivated through the specific lenses provided by different worldviews. It demonstrates that the ordinary, ego-bound mode of experiencing reality is but one possible configuration, and that modes of awareness characterized by greater unity and integration are universally accessible. ## 2.5 Core Features: Ego Dissolution, Altered Spacetime, Affect, Ineffability Synthesizing the phenomenological accounts surveyed from diverse traditions reveals a striking convergence on several **core features** that consistently characterize experiences described as boundless awareness, unity, or non-duality. Despite significant differences in interpretive frameworks, terminology, and ultimate goals, these recurring experiential markers delineate a common underlying territory of altered consciousness, providing crucial data points for further investigation. ### 2.5.1 Alteration of Self: Ego Dissolution The most consistently reported and central feature is a fundamental alteration or **dissolution of the ordinary sense of self**. This involves a significant weakening, temporary suspension, or complete disappearance of the feeling of being a separate, bounded individual entity–the ego. Descriptions range from diminished self-referential thought, to a blurring of the self/other boundary, to a complete sense of merging with the cosmos or ultimate reality. Terms like “ego death,” “self-transcendence,” “annihilation” (*Fanāʾ*), or realizing “no-self” (*anattā*) point to this profound shift. This experience is often reported as deeply liberating. The consistency of this feature across theistic, non-theistic, and nature-oriented paths demonstrates that the conventional ego structure is not fixed but a dynamic construct that can be altered or transcended. ### 2.5.2 Experience of Unity, Oneness, Interconnectedness Closely linked to ego dissolution is the positive **experience of unity, oneness, or profound interconnectedness**. As the boundaries of the individual self dissolve, they are frequently replaced by an experiential sense of being intrinsically part of, or identical with, a larger whole (God, Brahman, Tao, Cosmos, etc.). Reality is perceived or felt as fundamentally unified or interconnected, undermining the illusion of isolated existence. This manifests as deep empathy, a sense of cosmic belonging, or direct apprehension of non-dual reality where subject-object distinctions collapse. This powerful sense of unity often feels like a revelation of a deeper truth. ### 2.5.3 Altered Spatiotemporal Perception Experiences of boundless awareness and unity frequently involve a radical **shift in the perception of space and time**. Ordinary frameworks for locating oneself in space and time break down. Space may lose its conventional structure, feeling infinite, unbounded, or all-encompassing. The sense of being located “here” may dissolve. Similarly, the linear progression of time can dissolve, leading to experiences described as **timelessness**, eternity, or abiding in an “eternal now.” Past, present, and future may seem to collapse or co-exist. This alteration aligns with transcending the limited, spatio-temporally bound ego, suggesting entry into a domain perceived as more fundamental. ### 2.5.4 Profound Affect These altered states are frequently accompanied by intense and profoundly positive **affective experiences**. Common descriptions include deep peace, serenity, tranquility, profound joy, bliss (*ananda*), ecstasy, boundless love, universal compassion, and unshakable equanimity. These feelings often seem intrinsic to the state itself, arising spontaneously with the shift in awareness rather than being reactions to specific events. While some paths acknowledge periods of difficulty (“dark night”), the culminative states associated with unity and boundless awareness are overwhelmingly characterized by positive affect, suggesting a deep link between self-transcendence, unity, and ultimate well-being. ### 2.5.5 Ineffability A final recurring theme is the reported difficulty, or perceived impossibility, of fully capturing these experiences in language–their **ineffability**. Practitioners across traditions state that words are inadequate, that the experience transcends conceptual thought. This sense of ineffability highlights the potential non-conceptual or non-dual nature of these states. Language, operating through distinctions and subject-object structures, is fundamentally ill-equipped to describe experiences characterized by unity and formlessness. This leads to the use of metaphor, paradox, and apophatic (negative) description as attempts to point towards the experience, rather than directly denote it. These core phenomenological features–ego dissolution, unity/interconnectedness, altered spacetime, profound positive affect, and ineffability–constitute the recurring landmarks in the diverse maps of inner space. Their consistency demonstrates that despite varying paths and interpretations, practitioners access a shared domain of human consciousness characterized by a fundamental shift away from the ordinary, ego-bound mode of experiencing reality. ## 2.6 Perennialism Vs Constructivism Debate Revisited The striking phenomenological similarities across diverse traditions, particularly the core features just outlined, inevitably raise fundamental questions about their nature and interpretation. This brings us to the central **perennialism versus constructivism debate** within the academic study of mysticism. Understanding this debate is crucial for interpreting the significance of the cross-traditional data and evaluating claims about the universality or particularity of advanced contemplative states. ### 2.6.1 Perennialism The **Perennial Philosophy**, or perennialism, argues that underlying the diverse outward expressions of the world’s mystical traditions lies a universal, common core experience or apprehension of a single ultimate reality. Proponents like Aldous Huxley emphasize the consistent recurrence of themes like non-duality, ego transcendence, and direct intuitive knowing across cultures. Differences in language, doctrine, and practice are seen as culturally specific interpretations or pathways converging on the same fundamental insight. This cross-cultural convergence, perennialists argue, points towards objective features of consciousness or reality universally accessible through contemplative practice. ### 2.6.2 Constructivism In opposition, **Constructivism**, influenced by social constructionism and linguistic philosophy (e.g., Steven T. Katz), argues that mystical experiences are fundamentally shaped, if not entirely determined, by the practitioner’s pre-existing cultural, linguistic, and doctrinal background. Katz famously contended that there are “NO pure (i.e. unmediated) experiences.” Beliefs and practices actively shape the phenomenology itself, not just the subsequent description. Therefore, a Christian experiencing union with God and a Buddhist realizing emptiness are having fundamentally different *kinds* of experiences generated within distinct conceptual matrices. Constructivists highlight irreducible differences in doctrines, descriptions, and goals as evidence against a common core. ### 2.6.3 Evaluating Evidence Evaluating the phenomenological data reveals evidence supporting aspects of both positions. The remarkable consistency in core **structural features** (ego dissolution, unity, altered spacetime, affect, ineffability) across diverse traditions lends significant weight to the perennialist claim of a shared experiential territory. It seems improbable that such specific clusters of characteristics would arise independently purely as artifacts of differing beliefs. This convergence suggests genuine, universally accessible potentials of human consciousness. Simultaneously, the profound **differences in interpretation, conceptualization, and integration** provide strong support for constructivism. The ultimate reality encountered is described in fundamentally different terms (personal God, impersonal Brahman, Emptiness, Tao). Emphasized paths (devotion vs. insight), described dynamics (linear vs. cyclical), and ultimate goals (union vs. liberation) clearly reflect distinct doctrinal frameworks. The alignment of visionary content with religious background further bolsters the argument that beliefs actively shape experience. ### 2.6.4 Nuanced Positions Given the evidence on both sides, many contemporary scholars advocate for more **nuanced positions** beyond a strict dichotomy. Contextualist approaches acknowledge the indispensable role of cultural and cognitive frameworks in shaping experience and interpretation, without denying underlying commonalities or genuine insights. One promising reconciliation proposes a **core experiential territory**–fundamental shifts in awareness, self-perception, affect, perhaps related to common neurophysiological potentials–accessible via diverse methods. However, the way this territory is **navigated, mapped, interpreted, articulated, and integrated** is profoundly shaped by the specific linguistic tools, cultural narratives, cognitive schemas, and training regimens of each tradition. In this view, similarities reflect common potentials accessed when ordinary processing is altered (ego dissolution, unity, altered spacetime). Differences reflect the indispensable role of conceptual frameworks in making sense of these states and integrating them into a meaningful life path. The underlying shift might share features, but its meaning is constructed within the practitioner’s specific context. This perspective appreciates both potentially universal depths and the undeniable power of culture in shaping how those depths are experienced and understood, avoiding simplistic reductionism or dismissal of shared insights. It provides a flexible framework for the interdisciplinary study of these profound states. --- [3 Exploring Formlessness](releases/2025/Contemplative%20Science/3%20Exploring%20Formlessness.md)