Tears are signs of broken existential boundaries as illustrated by even a rudimentary taxonomy some common types of tears mentioned in ascetic literature.
Biological tears
- Tears of bodily distress: produced by pain of injury or the agony of disease
- Tears of relief: produced by endurance of trials and efforts
Emotional tears
- Hot tears: expresses personal anxiety
- Human tears: expresses human emotionally intense experiences, such as grief, joy, and gratitude
Psychological tears
- Cold tears: surfaces tension from interior exclusivity, such as anger, disappointment of ambition, or self-pity
- Warm tears: arising from tenderness and compassion for others
Spiritual tears
- Bitter tears: flowing out of hard-heartedness and suffering of the soul standing in alienation from God
- Effortless tears: flowing from the heart moved by the grace of God who is Love
- Sweet tears: flowing from the joy of knowing salvation