Causes of Religious Experiences
Various religious texts prescribe meditative practices in order to achieve the state of consciousness which is typical of religious experience. Texts of Yoga and Tantra mention specific physical, nutritive, ethical, and meditative methods in order to achieve specific kinds of experiences. The traditions of Mantra Marga (literally, "the way of formulae") in particular stress the importance of saying, either aloud or to oneself internally, particular Mantras (phrases to be repeated) given by their teacher. Combined with this is the set of practices related to Yantras (symbols to be meditated on). Various other ways not specific of any religion include:
- Meditation
- Praying
- Music
- Dance, such as:
- Sufi whirling
- Extended exercise, often running in a large communal circle, which is used in various tribal and neo-pagan religions.
- Extreme pain, such as:
- Mortification of the flesh
- Profound sexual activity
- Use of entheogens, such as:
- Ayahuasca (DMT)
- Salvia divinorum (salvinorin A)
- Peyote (mescaline)
- Psilocybin mushrooms (psilocybin)
- Amanita muscaria (muscimol)
- Psychological or neurophysiological anomalies, such as:
- Profound depression or schizophrenia
- Temporal lobe epilepsy
- Stroke
- Near-death experience
- Learning
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—David Hume (1711–1776)
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