#296 Wisdom, Meditation, Deep Insight, Mature Understanding, Deep Wellbeing

     Wisdom “is perhaps the most complex characteristic that can be attributed to individuals or to cultures.
     All authentic religions — including revealed traditions such as Christianity and Islam — contain contemplative or mystical branches. These are vitally important because they practice contemplative disciplines (eg meditation, contemplation, yoga) that foster an array of psychological and spiritual skills such as concentration, emotional maturity, and wisdom. When these skills mature, they can culminate in a direct insight into reality that yields a radically different (transrational, transconceptual, or transcendental) kind of wisdom known, for example, as jnana (Hinduism), prajna (Buddhism), ma’rifah (Islam), or gnosis.
     Wisdom is a function of deep insight into, and mature understanding of, the central existential issues of life, together with practical skill in responding to these issues in ways that enhance the deep wellbeing of all those who the responses affect."

       Walsh R. The varieties of wisdom: Contemplative, cross-cultural, and integral contributions. Research in Human Development 2011; 8(2): 109-127.

     See also: http://www.johnlovas.com/2013/03/contributions-of-mindfulness-other.html

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