Editing Divinity (section)

== Comparative and cross-cultural perspectives ==
Across world religions, the concept of divinity encompasses a wide range of meanings, from personal gods to impersonal forces, from transcendent creators to immanent presences. In many traditions outside the Abrahamic lineage, divinity is not confined to a singular, all-powerful being but is encountered as multiple, interrelated aspects of reality.

In [[Hinduism]], divinity can be personal, as in the worship of [[Vishnu]] or [[Shiva]], or impersonal, as in the identification of the divine with [[Brahman]], the ultimate, formless ground of being. [[Tantra|Tantric traditions]] emphasize ritual embodiment and visualization as means of accessing divine power, often conceived in nondual terms.{{sfnp|Brooks|1990}}

In [[Buddhism]], although the tradition is non-theistic in its mainstream forms, certain schools—particularly in [[Vajrayana]] and [[East Asian Buddhism|East Asian traditions]]—describe states of [[Enlightenment in Buddhism|enlightenment]] using language of divine radiance, [[Luminous mind|luminosity]], or purity. The [[Dharmakaya]] or "truth body" of a [[buddha]] is sometimes compared to an all-pervasive divine principle, although without implying a creator god.{{sfnp|Fiorella|2023}}

In [[Sufism]], the mystical dimension of [[Islam]], divinity is often approached through the language of love, beauty, and yearning. The divine names and attributes are experienced as veils of the One, and the spiritual path involves remembrance (''dhikr'') and annihilation of the self (''fana'') in the divine.{{sfnp|Sharma|2012}}

Many [[indigenous religions]] and [[animist]] traditions understand divinity as an immanent presence within the natural world—rivers, trees, animals, ancestors—each bearing a spark of sacred power. Rather than separating the divine from the mundane, such traditions often treat the cosmos itself as alive and communicative.{{sfnp|Irwin|2014}}

Although theologies differ widely, a common thread across many traditions is the experience of the divine as something that both transcends and pervades reality, often described in symbolic or paradoxical language. [[Nondualism]]—the view that divinity and reality are ultimately not-two—is a recurring theme in both Eastern and Western mysticism, offering a shared framework for interpreting the sacred across cultural boundaries.{{sfnp|Sharma|2012}}