Clearly Related Perspectives for Understanding Transcendent Experiences

I attempt to make sense of transcendental experiences for a non-specialized audience. I make a case that they might well be understood from the perspective of brain processes, and the unfolding of inner mental states. There are a number of examples that I employ. These include Vedic, Christian, Islamic, Buddhist, psilocybin induced and varied perspectives, I briefly examine how these experiences arise and what science has discovered regarding them. I look for commonalities in these cross-cultural experiences. A briefly look at psi effects sometimes associated with transcendent experiences is examined. I point out benefits that come from achieving transcendent states, and rare negative effects that have been known to rarely arise.