Friday, October 1, 2010

Satori

Satori \suh-TOHR-ee\ , noun;
1. In Zen Buddhism, the state of sudden indescribably intuitive enlightenment.

According to Etymonline.com:
This Japanese word dates back to at least 1727 and literally means "spiritual awakening"

The Oxford English Dictionary didn't have anything to add so I consulted Wikipedia, which says satori (悟り) is usually considered the first step on a Buddhist's road to nirvana. I don't know much about Buddhism, but I kind of like the idea of an inspired 'flash' that sets you down the road to total peace. There are stories like that in the Christian and Hebrew bibles, and I would assume that this is a basic tenet of religion. After all, if you haven't found God (or whatever/whoever your guiding light may be), sometimes you need a kick in the pants to start down a spiritual path.

*Today's word and the first definition were both taken from Dictionary.com's 'Word of the Day' for Friday, October 1

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