Editing Religious experience (section)

===William James===
[[Psychologist]] and [[philosopher]] [[William James]] (1842–1910) described four characteristics of mystical experience in ''[[The Varieties of Religious Experience]]'' (1901/1902). According to James, such an experience is:
* '''Transient'''&nbsp;– the experience is temporary; the individual soon returns to a "normal" frame of mind. Feels outside normal perception of space and time.
* '''[[Ineffability|Ineffable]]'''&nbsp;– the experience cannot be adequately put into words.
* '''[[Nous|Noetic]]'''&nbsp;– the individual feels that he or she has learned something valuable from the experience. Feels to have gained knowledge that is normally hidden from human understanding.
* '''Passive'''&nbsp;– the experience happens to the individual, largely without conscious control.  Although there are activities, such as meditation (see below), that can make religious experience more likely, it is not something that can be turned on and off at will.