Why “brilliancy?” It is a synonym for brilliance, and for instances of brilliance, those moments of luminosity or splendidness that light up our life, as well as the quality of fluid intelligence that characterizes life. It is also a portmanteau of brilliant sanity.
Brilliant sanity is the root teaching of Contemplative Psychotherapy, a counseling approach that combines Buddhist and secular wisdom teachings with Western psychotherapy and developmental psychology. Brilliant sanity is wisdom that is more fundamental than confusion: the basis of all our experience is of the nature of openness, clarity, and warmth.
By synchronizing body and mind, it is possible to experience brilliant sanity directly. This means brilliant sanity is not just an idea; it is an experience. A common way of cultivating this connection to brilliant sanity is sitting meditation practice, but the host of contemplative practices from the world wisdom traditions can help, and indeed any activity can be practiced in a mindful way to bring about this experience.
Brilliant sanity is a way of talking about the essential clarity and awareness that characterizes all experience. No matter what happens, there is a larger space of awareness that we can be in touch with, and that awareness is ultimately inseparable from the contents of experience. By grounding in this awareness, it is possible to come into a centered state of presence and grace. No moment of experience passes without awareness; although it is possible to be distracted from brilliant sanity, it can never be lost. Helping clients cultivate their connection with brilliant sanity is a cornerstone of my practice.