cosmic consciousness
as originally conceived by Canadian psychiatrist Richard M. Bucke (1837–1902), the highest level of consciousness that can be attained by humans, experienced as a sense of the order, totality, and “living presence” of the universe and accompanied by intellectual enlightenment, moral exaltation, and a “consciousness of eternal life” or immortality. Bucke arrived at his coinage and understanding of the term initially through a mystical experience that he had at the age of 36. His best known book on the subject, Cosmic Consciousness: A Study in the Evolution of the Human Mind, was published in 1901. The term has since become more restrictively described as a sense of the totality of the universe and more broadly associated not only with mystical ecstasy but also with peak experiences, with the use of hallucinogenic drugs, and with such techniques as meditation, yoga, breathing exercises, fasting, and dwelling on certain
paradoxical sayings (see Zen Buddhism). See also altered state of consciousness; mysticism.