For millennia, people in various cultures have reported brief experiences of deep insight. Some of these episodes appear to arise spontaneously; some are triggered by events in nature; others surface in an overtly religious context. In Zen, such deep realizations are referred to as kensho or satori. Among the names given to these “peak” states are spiritual awakening, enlightenment, flashes of insight, and existential wisdom. In Buddhism, wisdom implies being liberated from all delusive fictions that separate one from being an integral part of the world at large. Zen seeks total, inclusive comprehension of being and responding within the web of the whole universe. Zen also emphasizes personal commitment to a long process of intuitive realizations, insights that plumb depths unreachable by ordinary concepts, thoughts, or words. Yet, trainees are cautioned that any insightful awakenings must still become integral to their daily life. ~ James H. Austin