Religious studies’ Deepak Sarma suggests new religious framework in Harvard’s "Bill of Health"
Deepak Sarma, PhD, professor and the inaugural Distinguished Scholar in the Public Humanities in the Department of Religious Studies at Case Western Reserve University, recently wrote “Darśana: A More Inclusive Spiritual Framework,” published in Harvard University’s Bill of Health blog.
In this publication, Sarma argued that the U.S. legal category of religion, shaped by Christian norms, marginalizes emerging psychedelic and non-theistic spiritualities. Instead of forcing these communities to fit Protestant-influenced expectations, they proposed implementing “darśana”—a broader Sanskrit framework defined by worldview, knowledge and paths to transformation.
Sarma also noted how many entheogenic groups meet these criteria but remain invisible to courts and suggests how a darśana-based model would:
- Move beyond the religious/secular binary;
- Embrace ontological pluralism; and
- Grant constitutional protection without requiring communities to mimic Christianity.
