Enlightenment

From Citizendium, the Citizens' Compendium

for the 18th century intellectual movement see The Enlightenment

Enlightenment, or awakening, is a concept held in many Eastern religions as the apex of spiritual life. In the Gnostic Christian tradition it is often referred to as epiphany, in Buddhism it is called bodhi, in Zen Buddhism and Yoga, samadhi. In the Tantric Yoga tradition, it is sometimes also referred to as a kundalini experience.

In general, the experience refers to a point at which an aspirant breaks through the barrier of temporal existence and has a direct experience of God.