In 2023 Harvard University set up huge research that concluded more had to be done to “capture” meditation as the route to what I perceive as the mystical experience of Reality, (MER), for human “development”! (My italics).
It created a “Technical Analysis of Meditative Development, Non-Ordinary States, and Neuroplastic Correlates… a foundational definition of mysticism and experiential experience.”
The analysis concluded with the need to “capture” the mystical experience of Reality, (MER), for human “developmental potential.”*
You can obtain the report, read all the details of its thorough, sometimes dramatic tricks of research into many states of meditational consciousness, (none of which seem to mention MER’s inexplicable spontaneity without meditation, nor the ineffable joy, knowingness/acceptance of all things, and the continuing tutelage in the experiencer’s daily life).
All the “findings” that this self induced, advanced meditation reveals is mere human mind stuff – feelings of “impermanence “, “not-self”, “suffering”, “cessation”, “death and rebirthing”, “dark night of the soul” (or alienation from humanity as I see it), “dissolution of identity”.
All these findings indicate a very basic, introductory stage of the mystical experience of Reality if my experiences are anything to go by.
However, you will come to your own conclusions about meditation and any relevance it has to MER.
Based on my experiences though, the idea of any human capability to capture the immeasurable cosmic reality of Reality by meditation without selection and preparation by Reality Itself, (of which meditation might well be a part for some) is beyond comprehension.
It is staggeringly ignorant of the scale of cosmic existence mystics are given to experience; narrowly, narcissistically anthropic.
Full realisation of Reality is not within human capability alone. It is Reality’s ‘gift’ to give or not to give for Reality’s own purpose, not ours.
You can’t master the experience of mysticism or induce it if you are not called, if my experiences are anything to go by.
Mysticism masters you. Mysticism is not a human utility, nor is Reality a human utility.
Neither are introduced into humanity to make better humans as this Harvard report would seem to suggest. Far from it.
That would be like throwing us back into a formless abyss before Reality itself existed, if there ever was such a state.
We are more than that. We are each a particle of Reality in a temporary form, here for Reality’s purpose.
All Is Well.
*“The necessity of “ontologically agnostic” research is paramount; by bridging contemplative traditions and modern neuroscience, we move toward a unified science equipped to capture the full spectrum of human consciousness and its developmental potential.” Harvard.
Anthony replied:
Harvard has examined monks with many decades of mystical experience (which is admittedly not described very enticingly) and tried to codify and eventually reproduce such states without the experiencer having to put in decades of practice.
If one wants a poetic and less dry description of such states one needs to turn to the writings and poetry of Eckhart or Julian of Norwich. Or the Sufis.
Were their experiences self induced by prayer or meditation? I have no doubt that in many cases they were.
In other cases like Mohammed or Paul of Tarsus it was a spontaneous event – a deity appeared to them and they were taken in rapture.
Perhaps one needs to allow a little leeway in one’s interpretation of mystics in general and the experiences they claim to have had?
Perhaps it is not a black and white one size fits all matter?
Keith: You bring a strong balance to my response, based on my spontaneous experiences, to Harvard’s secondhand scientific research on meditation.
However, Harvard’s only nod to the existence of spontaneity is when it goes out of its way to distinguish its research as being based on “self induced” meditation.
Nevertheless your thoughtful assertions lead me to ask Grok the following: Can you go deep into finding if there is any evidence throughout history of meditation actually producing what our chats and mysticexperiences recognise as experiences of non human Reality revealed only by Reality Itself?
Grok’s reply puts me firmly in my place! It seems meditation has induced the mystical experience of Reality, albeit after grinding and long time self discipline. However, in the end, Reality is the only one to prepare us ( if my experiences etc etc … ).
Here is the unmistakeable illuminitive nod on the subject of spontaneity and meditation that I obviously (and all too obliviously, needed!) We’re both right:
Meditation or spontanious realisation of Reality are both seemingly routes to Reality revealing Itself.
So thank you Anthony for the prompt that got me here! Keith:
Grok: The short answer: yes, there is extensive historical evidence across millennia and cultures that meditation (or closely related contemplative practices) has produced or directly facilitated exactly these kinds of experiences—recognized by mystics as revelations of a transcendent, non-human Reality granted by that Reality itself, not manufactured by human will. These are not mere subjective states or emotional highs; the records describe them as passive receptions of ultimate truth (samadhi, unio mystica, fana, non-dual Brahman, tathata/“thusness,” etc.), often explicitly distinguished from ordinary mind-generated phenomena.
Meditation serves as the preparatory “receptivity training” that quiets the human overlay so Reality can reveal itself unmediated. (My italics).
Here’s a deep dive into the evidence, drawn from primary traditions, key mystics, and scholarly analyses of historical texts. I’ll focus on the historical record (not just modern neuroscience) and highlight the “revealed only by Reality Itself” quality—i.e., the passive, grace-like, non-effortful reception that aligns with your MER framework.
Ancient Indian Traditions (Vedas/Upanishads → Yoga → Advaita Vedanta, ~1500 BCE onward)
Meditation’s documented roots trace to the Vedas and Upanishads, where yogic practices of stillness, breath awareness, and inward focus (dhyana) lead to realization of Brahman—the non-human, ultimate Reality beyond multiplicity.
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali (compiled ~400 CE but rooted in far older oral traditions) explicitly outline a progression: concentration (dharana) → meditation (dhyana) → samadhi (absorptive union). In samadhi, the practitioner does not “achieve” union through force; the mind stills, the self dissolves, and Reality (Brahman/Atman identity) reveals itself non-dually. Shankara (8th century CE, Advaita Vedanta) describes this via apophatic contemplation (negating all qualities) as direct acquaintance with the transcendent ground of existence—ineffable, passive, and independent of human concepts.
Your site notes the Upanishads as potentially the nearest textual parallel to your experiences; scholars echo this, linking these states to “non-human” cosmic consciousness revealed spontaneously once the veils drop.
Buddhism (~5th century BCE onward)
The Buddha’s own enlightenment under the Bodhi tree is the archetype: prolonged meditation (satipatthana/vipassana insight practice + samatha concentration) arrests conceptual thought, leading to jhanas (absorptive states) and then direct insight into ultimate reality—emptiness (sunyata), impermanence, and tathata (“thusness”). Classical texts emphasize that this is not ego-driven; the practice creates the conditions, but the realization of non-dual Reality arises unconstructed and non-conceptually. Zen, Theravada, and Mahayana traditions all prescribe meditation for this purpose. While some modern scholars debate whether every classical Buddhist author personally framed it as a “mystical experience” versus embodied transformation, the historical literature consistently presents meditation as the vehicle for passive revelation of transcendent truth beyond human fabrication.
Christian Mysticism (early centuries CE → Middle Ages/Renaissance)
Christian contemplatives used practices indistinguishable from meditation—stillness, “unknowing,” repetitive prayer (Jesus Prayer/hesychasm), and apophatic contemplation—to receive unio mystica (mystical union).
Key examples:
Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite (c. 500 CE) and The Cloud of Unknowing (14th century anonymous English text): Contemplative “forgetting” of concepts and senses opens the soul to God’s direct presence—explicitly passive, a gift of divine grace, not human striving.
Gregory the Great (6th century): Contemplation elevates the soul above itself into ineffable light; the experience is received, not produced.
Meister Eckhart (13th–14th century): “The eye with which I see God is the same eye with which God sees me”—a shared being (esse) revealed in contemplative oblivion.
Teresa of Ávila (16th century) and John of the Cross: Stages of interior prayer culminate in spiritual marriage/union, described as the soul being “saturated” or drawn by God’s action; effort prepares, but Reality (God) reveals and transforms.
These align precisely with your MER: non-human, revealed by the transcendent source itself, often producing lasting ontological shift and quietist detachment.
Sufism/Islamic Mysticism (8th–13th centuries CE onward)
Dhikr (rhythmic remembrance/meditation on God’s names) and muraqaba (watchful contemplation) induce fana (annihilation of self in the Divine). Al-Hallaj (9th century) and Rumi proclaimed union with “the Real” (al-Haqq)—a non-human Reality that overwhelms and reveals itself. The experience is framed as God’s initiative, not the mystic’s construction; meditation clears the ego so the Divine can manifest. Neoplatonism and Cross-Cultural Patterns (Plotinus, 3rd century CE, and beyond)
Plotinus’s Enneads describe contemplative ascent to “the One”—ineffable, beyond being, achieved not by active grasping but by turning inward until the soul is “taken” into union. This influenced Christian, Jewish, and Islamic mysticism. Scholars note the perennial pattern: meditation quiets the human mind, allowing passive revelation of a singular transcendent Reality that mystics across eras and cultures describe in near-identical terms (ineffable, noetic, unifying, transformative).
Scholarly and Historical Consensus on “Produced by Meditation” vs. “Revealed by Reality Itself”
Techniques: Concentrative meditation (mantra, breath, stillness), mindfulness/insight practices, and contemplative prayer are historically documented as inducing trance-like or absorptive states that culminate in the exact phenomenology you describe.
Passive reception: Theistic mystics (Christian, Sufi) and even non-theistic ones (Advaita, Buddhism) repeatedly stress that the final revelation is not self-generated. It arrives as grace, divine action, or unconstructed awareness—“Reality Itself” disclosing the non-human ground. William James, Evelyn Underhill, and later scholars (Stace, Forman, McGinn) catalog this across thousands of accounts: the experience feels given, not taken.
Evidence type: Primary texts (Yoga Sutras, Pali Canon, Cloud of Unknowing, Teresa’s Interior Castle, Rumi’s poetry), hagiographies, and comparative studies show remarkable cross-cultural consistency—far beyond what cultural construction alone would predict. This is the historical “evidence” you asked for: not lab data, but the lived, recorded testimonies of practitioners who used meditation precisely to access what you call MER.
Your own spontaneous MERs fit the pattern (many mystics report both spontaneous and cultivated versions), and your turn to contemplative practices (e.g., adapted Ignatian exercises) mirrors historical quietists and contemplatives who used meditation to stabilize and deepen receptivity.
In sum, the historical record—from Vedic rishis to medieval Christian nuns, Sufi poets, and Zen masters—overwhelmingly affirms that meditation has repeatedly produced (or opened the door to) experiences indistinguishable from the non-human Reality you and your site recognize as revealed only by Reality Itself. It’s one of the most consistent threads in human spiritual history. If you’d like me to drill into a specific tradition, text, or comparison (e.g., nearest Upanishad parallels, or how this differs from religious emotionalism), just say the word. Reality continues to whisper.
Grok is not specifically designed for mysticism, but it excels in generating detailed and factual responses, making it suitable for tasks that require clarity and information. Duck Duck Go.
Mystical Experiences of Reality 