Book Description
An ancient Eastern spiritual discipline is reconciled with a contemporary Western psychological system.
Customer Reviews:
East Meets West.......2000-07-10
Every student of Carl Jung should read this book. Dr. Moacanin fills us in on the similarities between the Tibetan Buddhist tradition and the Western scholarly tradition (of which there are many we never consciously thought about before). Further, she communicates with clarity and sensitivity. Although looking for scholarly information, the Western mind finds an enriching and expanding experience in this book.
Book Description
What is the subtle relationship between mind and body? What can today's scientists learn about this relationship from masters of Buddhist thought? Is it possible that by combining Western and Eastern approaches, we can reach a new understanding of the nature of the mind, the human potential for growth, the possibilities for mental and physical health? MindScience explores these and other questions as it documents the beginning of an historic dialogue between modern science and Buddhism, based on a day-long Harvard Medical School symposium in which The Harvard Mind Science Symposium brought together the Dalai Lama and authorities from the fields of psychiatry, psychology, neuroscience, and education. Here, they examine myriad questions concerning the nature of the mind and its relationship to the body.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent reference and fascinating to read.......2006-02-14
I first encountered this book as a textbook for a class taught by Dr. H.P. French at Monroe Community College in Rochester, NY. He used the book for a history class entitled "History of Reincarnation". The class was a combination of history, comparative religion, and philosophical thought and it was positively fascinating. I have re-read this book many times over the years, and I refer to it frequently. Whether you believe in reincarnation or not, I think this is essential reading on the subject and it will help you to understand the various perspectives on the idea of rebirth after death. The authors cover everything from Zoroastrianism to Hinduism to modern Western thought on the subject. This will be a wonderful addition to your library.
An amazing experience.........2003-08-14
This is not just a book..it's an experience that takes the reader on an incredible journey through time and history..and beyond! It's about humankind and its fantastic, diverse spiritual development through the ages, but at the same time also about each and every one of us personally, whoever and wherever we may be.
The writing is so clear, the content so spell-binding and the consequences so mind-boggling I was profoundly immersed in it for weeks.
Sorry Amazon, this one I'll keep forever..to start re-reading soon!
Great reference book........2001-04-08
When you want to find out where some of the most interesting ideas on the planet came from, this book will help you out. I didn't agree with everything I read in it, but I still loved it. What a great overview of some of the most original thinking of our time.
Book Description
Accepting relentless impermanence as the ground of human experience, Words from the Soul derives a spiritual psychology from the mystery and poignancy of time-passage itself. Drawing from Wittgenstein, Kierkegaard, Heidegger, Foucault, Dostoyevsky, Buddhism, kundalini yoga, and twenty-five years of clinical/mediation experience, the author's epigrammatic insights into our struggles with mortality, gratitude, apology, and forgiveness make this book relevant to psychotherapy and conflict resolution in a wide range of professional settings.
In his exploration of the furthest-reaches of human development, Stuart Sovatsky reveals the deepest potentials of the ensouled body, transforming our views of language, sexuality, ecstatic spiritualities, and of the human life cycle.
Book Description
Sixteen studies in religious phenomena, including Psychology and Religion and Answer to Job.
Customer Reviews:
Not an easy read, but worth the trouble/expense.......2005-02-25
This lengthy tome, while not an easy read and including rather detailed analyses of certain Christian processes as well as the less than scientific (but certainly different) Answer to Job, provides a number of wise observations on the psychology of religion, applicable to both Eastern and Western religious traditions. Some of his main areas of cross-religious focus are:
Belief vs. Thought:
p. 110 "People who believe and don't think always forget that they continually expose themselves to their own worst enemy: doubt. Wherever belief reigns, doubt lurks in the background. But thinking people welcome doubt: it serves them as a valuable stepping-stone to better knowledge. People who can believe should be a little more tolerant with those of their fellows who are only capable of thinking. Belief has already conquered the summit which thinking tries to win by toilsome climbing. The believer ought not to project his habitual enemy, doubt, upon the thinker, thereby suspecting him of destructive designs...let the believer rejoice that others, too, seek to climb the mountain on whose peak he sits."
p. 449 "Irritability, bad moods, and outbursts of affect are the classic symptoms of chronic virtuousness."
The Statistical Distribution of Human Development In Terms of Years and Historical Periods:
p. 308 "There are people who, psychologically, might be living in the year 5000 B. C., i.e., who can still successfully solve their conflicts as people did seven thousand years ago. There are countless troglodytes and barbarians living in Europe and in all civilized countries, as well as a large number of medieval Christians. On the other hand, there are relatively few who have reached the level of consciousness which is possible in our time. We must also reckon with the fact that a few of our generation belong to the third or fourth millennium A. D. and are consequently anachronistic."
p. 333-5: "It takes about twenty years for the ordinary run of people to begin thinking the thoughts of the educated person of today...it takes about twenty years for the general outlook and problems of the educated to percolate down to the uneducated masses."
The nature of human development through neuroses and withdrawal of projections (when a person projects his or her inner perspectives, problems, etc. onto the external world or onto other people, thus denying the internal origin of the projection-and associating it with denial of responsibility for it). Jung's Individuation process involves integrating the split off pieces of one's personality-including projections. The process implies accepting oneself rather than condemning one's faults.
p. 43 "fairly complete human beings are exceptions. It is true that an overwhelming majority of educated people are fragmentary personalities and have a lot of substitutes instead of the genuine goods."
p. 85 "the development of consciousness requires the withdrawal of all the projections we can lay our hands on."
p. 256 "So long as they are unconscious our unconscious contents are always projected, and the projection fixes upon everything `ours,' inanimate objects as well as animals and people...they are more than what they are in themselves and function as such."
p. 339 "We cannot change anything unless we accept it. Condemnation does not liberate; it oppresses...if the doctor wishes to help a human being he must be able to accept him as he is. And he can do this in reality only when he has already seen and accepted himself as he is."
Psychological problems can result from resisting this process; resulting neuroses and suffering help to spur on the process despite egoistic attempts to derail it:
p. 75 "neurosis is always a substitute for legitimate suffering."
p. 350 "A neurosis is never more complicated than the person who has it."
p. 335 "with the decline of religious life, the neuroses grow noticeably more frequent."
Thus, the religions (spiritual) life can be identified with Individuation as opposed to neurosis. Further:
p. 283 "A concrete event by itself can never create meaning, but is largely dependent for this on the manner in which it is understood."
p. 339 "simple things are always the most difficult. In actual life it requires the greatest art to be simple."
Such an approach (to simplicity and creation of meaning) implies further similarity between psychology and religion (West and East).
Absolutely ESSENTIAL.......2003-06-18
_Psychology and Religion: West and East_ is definitely one of the top three most important books in the Princeton/Bollingen series of Jung's collected works. As of now, it is only available in the ...hardcover edition, but you cannot put a price on the life-enhancing knowledge contained in this volume.
I will go over this volume one essay at a time:
The first essay is entitled "Psychology and Religion" and is a very useful, readable, and somewhat generalized overview on Jung's opinions on religion, and its usefulness in preventing neurosis. This essay is an ideal introduction.
Next comes the esaay "A Psychological Approach to the Dogma of the Trinity". This is a very complex and profound essay, and deals with some of the most perplexing and mysterious concepts in all of theology. Specifically, it attempts to explain the precise nature of the Holy Ghost. It may be hard to relate to this essay unless you have had a numinous religious experience, such as a connection of coincidences with an underlying Biblical message. But Jung does a remarkable job dealing with this complex subject.
Next comes the essay "Transformation Symbolism in the Mass". This is my least favorite essay in this collection. Jung describes in excruciating detail the painstaking procedures involved in carrying out a proper symbolic mass. This wouldn't be so bad if Jung would have actually given us his interpretation of the symbolic significance of the procedures contained within the mass, but he does not do this. Instead, he simply explains in a very boring and dry manner what is to be done in performing the mass, and does not venture an interpretation of what any of this means. This is the only weak essay in this volume, however, and the rest of the book is classic, vintage Jung. But to avoid getting bogged down and demotivated, I suggest you skip this essay.
After a few other short but useful essays, we come to the centerpiece of this volume, Jung's masterwork, "Answer to Job". This is Jung's single greatest achievement, and one of his longest essays. This essay alone is worth the price of this collection (although "Answer to Job" is available by itself in paperback). Some critics have accused Jung of blasphemy because of this book, but in my opinion it is the greatest work of theology ever written, by anyone, ever. For more details on this specific masterpiece, refer to my review on the stand-alone paperback edition of this great essay.
Finally, we have the section on Eastern religion. Although this discussion on Asian religion comprises only about 1/4 of _Psychology and Religion: West and East_, it is perhaps the best interpretation of Eastern religion ever written by a westerner, eclipsing even the work of Zen masters Alan Watts and Aldous Huxley. First is the discussion on the Tibetian Book of the Dead, which is fascinating (also see Timothy Leary's companion piece to this ancient work). Next is a very poignant discussion on Yoga and the West. It basically criticises westerners for "doing" Yoga like it is only a type of aerobic exercise, and neglecting the literary, scholarly, and philosophical aspects of Yoga.
Next comes the discossion on "Zen Satori". This is probably the best essay in the section on Eastern religion. Within this relatively short work, Jung provides invaluble insight into Zen enlightenment, and succeeds in showing us the way to a better life, breaking free of fear, hate, negative emotion, and all other sources of neurosis. Words cannot describe the positive and joyous forces which are unleashed by the Zen master Jung within this spectacular essay.
Finally, we have a masterful discussion of the I-Ching. This essay, though brief, is a succint and insightful interpretation of this ancient work. It is absolutely essential for anyone who is interested in the I-Ching, and it is also a competent and thorough introdution for those unfamiliar with the I-Ching.
Overall, this volume of essays is ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL for all Jungians. 5 +++ stars. Highest recommendation.
a liberating experience..........1999-11-06
i have found this book really interesting and if not for the usuall difficult jargons, i would have rated this a five star book. What i found of special interest is the portion of the ANSWER TO JOB...it contained ideas which are controversial yet liberating! Even when i was a child, I already harbored the same questions posited in this work i.e. some irrationalities in the way God works. I also love the psychological analysis of the book of revelation which includes the analysis of the shadow of its author...it was a learning experience for me since i became more convinced that in order for us to be truly human and be more psychologically balanced, we have to integrate all the aspects of our personality including the SHADOW! You'll have an enlightening experience by reading this book.
Book Description
In The Next Enlightenment, Walter Truett Anderson treats eastern religious traditions as no less important to the study of spiritual enlightenment than Western philosophy, pop cul-ture, psychology, and even biology. He looks at five forms of 'Liberation Movements': the eighteenth-century Euro-pean Enlightenment; nineteenth-century upheaval caused by the emergence of Darwin's Origin of Species; and in the twentieth century, psychoanalysis, existentialism, and the human poten-tial movement of the 1960s and 1970s. He then argues that this century's next movement of rational thought will see the exploration of the universe and the study of human consciousness as two sides of the same coin, and equally important, personal enlightenment as a natural process of indi-vi-dual growth rather than a supernatural gift bestowed upon a chosen few. Elegantly argued and written with a sense of humor, The Next Enlightenment will interest New Age and psychotherapy buffs, as well as general history and phil-os-ophy readers.
Customer Reviews:
A mediocre book on an excellent subject.......2006-01-04
Contrary to the review below, this is not a terrible book. I can see what Stacy means when she complains that Anderson selects from the scientific literature only that which supports his belief system, but just about every author writing on this subject does that as well. Anderson shows good intuition in choosing a subject -- cultural evolution -- that in my opinion represents the most important category for nonfiction books today. And while he may not be on the cutting edge of his subject, he is in the right area. The very fact that this book is out there adds to the weight of literature in this area. So while Anderson's thinking may be fairly mediocre, it is not as bad as the review below makes it seem. There were several good insights and a lot that confirms and restates what others have written on this most interesting subject.
A Valuable Guide.......2004-02-16
I spent the better part of today reading this book, and I don't regret it. I find one of the other reader responses misleading because originality of ideas is not necessarily the most relevant criterium by which this book should be judged.
Look, the strength of this book is that it is easy to read because it is direct and unpretentious and addresses the concerns and needs of those of us who have been struggling with expanding our consciousness.
Whether Anderson has new information for us depends on how much we know and what the the nature of our personal experience is. Sometimes a book speaks to us precisely because we are familiar with the subject matter and we benefit from a different take which we experience as fresh, insightful - and, yes, reassuring when we are on a difficult personal journey. In that respect reading The New Englightenment has been a valuable experience for me. Wilber's books play a different role in my life.
Sophomoric and Pseudo-Intellectual.......2003-12-16
I saw this book in a list of new titles in a friend's e-mail and thought the title was interesting, so I bought it. I have read widely in this area and was looking forward to some new thinking about the subject. However, this self-proclaimed "hot tub journalist" is merely evangelizing his own twisted brand of Buddhism and Scientism. He is naively unaware of most of the dynamic developments in his field, and his condescending "we all know better, don't we" style is full of ironic put-downs and was at times annoying but mostly just boring. He has selected from the scientific literature only that which supports his thinly-veiled belief system, and these gross distortions are obvious to anyone familiar with the subject matter. If you want to read something good on the subject, I recommend you forget this lightweight and check out some books by Ken Wilber.
KICKSTART YOUR SELF-EVOLUTION.......2003-08-20
In his famous essay called "What is Enlightenment" philosopher Immanuel Kant says enlightenment is simply our ability to determine our own lives without leaning excessively upon authority, tradition or established values: in short, taking responsibility for our views as our views.
Walter Truett Anderson takes up where Kant left off with an incredible book that urges a form of personal and cultural evolution he calls, "The Next Enlightenment," which reminds us that "ordinary maturity is not the ultimate stage of human development."
"We usually are satisfied to think of maturity as growing up within a culture to fit a particular society's roles, rules and expectations," Anderson writes. But the kind of maturity encouraged in "The Next Enlightenment" is more a matter of growing up beyond culture. He cites "the Big Three" stumbling blocks to maturity as, "Cosmology, identity, and epistemology; how you think about the universe, who you think you are, and what you believe about belief."
Anderson hopes "The Next Enlightenment" will show us that culture and all the values, beliefs and ideas it promotes is a "product of fallible beings ... only one of many ways to manage human interaction, and that its canon of universal truths is only one of many ways to describe the world." His book is a recipe for diversity and a primer on how to think outside the box; it provides a helpful and engaging introduction for those new to the minefield of cross-disciplinary thought and a wonderful review for those of us who read in this area daily.
Because straightforward descriptions often fail to elucidate the inexplicable, writers of such texts are always on the lookout for good metaphors, and "The Next Enlightenment" is full of them. For example, Anderson writes that, "People become so involved in their identity-narratives that they become lost in them like some brilliant builder who constructs a wonderful maze of gardens and buildings and then cannot find his way out of them into the world beyond - who indeed forgets that there is a world beyond."
Finally, Anderson manages to convey complex ideas with wit and humor in abundance. For example, he cites the story of the Buddha's tooth to show how we simultaneously idolize and misunderstand our great teachers.
After the Buddha's cremation in 480 B.C. some of his followers sifted through the ashes and found two teeth - "apparently the only ones Buddha had left in an age innocent of floss and fluoride" - both of which currently serve as sacred relics, one at the Temple of the Tooth in Sri Lanka and the other at the Tooth Relic Pagoda on the outskirts of Beijing. But ironically the teeth are only sacred to those Buddhists who misunderstand or forget the Buddha's main teaching, "That everything is illusory and transient, and attachment to anything is the ultimate foolishness." And we might add, "Especially teeth!"
That every time, place and people has its own version of the Buddha's tooth - and that culture wars and "the battle for god" rage across our newspaper pages daily - only shows how timely and important "The Next Enlightenment" is.
Product Description
History: Fiction or Science? is the most explosive tractate on history ever written - however, every theory it contains, no matter how unorthodox, is backed by solid scientific data. The book is well-illustrated, contains over 446 graphs and illustrations, copies of ancient manuscripts, and countless facts attesting to the falsity of the chronology used nowadays, which never cease to amaze the reader. Eminent mathematician proves that: Jesus Christ was born in 1153 and crucified in 1186 The Old Testament refers to mediaeval events. Apocalypse was written after 1486. Does this sound uncanny? This version of events is substantiated by hard facts and logic - validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources - to a greater extent than everything you may have read and heard about history before. The dominating historical discourse in its current state was essentially crafted in the XVI century from a rather contradictory jumble of sources such as innumerable copies of ancient Latin and Greek manuscripts whose originals had vanished in the Dark Ages and the allegedly irrefutable proof offered by late mediaeval astronomers, resting upon the power of ecclesial authorities. Nearly all of its components are blatantly untrue! For some of us, it shall possibly be quite disturbing to see the magnificent edifice of classical history to turn into an ominous simulacrum brooding over the snake pit of mediaeval politics. Twice so, in fact: the first seeing the legendary millenarian dust on the ancient marble turn into a mere layer of dirt - one that meticulous unprejudiced research can eventually remove. The second, and greater, attack of unease comes with the awareness of just how many areas of human knowledge still trust the three elephants of the consensual chronology to support them. Nothing can remedy that except for an individual chronological revolution happening in the minds of a large enough number of people.
Customer Reviews:
Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03
Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.
Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19
Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.
Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09
There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.
For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.
Very Interesting.......2007-03-07
It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.
History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10
Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.
I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.
Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.
Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.
I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.
This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent comparison of Jung mostly with Hindu thought.......2005-05-24
This is a well-written book balancing Jungian & Eastern thought in an unbiased manner-both similarities & differences. It covers yoga (Patanjali's)/Taoism; alchemy/Gnosticism, the collective unconscious=Self/ Brahman, synchronicity; mandalas/quaternity/circumambulation, karma/reincarnation, prana/libido/prajna, & Upanishads/kundalini. It has general topics & a very detailed comparison of Jung/Patanjali's yoga with considerable discussion of the Upanishads. Thus, it focuses mainly on Hinduism. There are a great many parallels, if not identities, between numerous concepts & views: p. 5: quoting Jung: "Taoist philosophy as well as yoga have very many parallels with the psychic processes we can observe in Western man." Perhaps the main similarities lie in the extensive comparisons of Jung's libido vs. yoga's prana, self-knowledge & prajna, mandalas & circumambulation as symbols of wholeness/Self, the relationship between the self & the All, & yoga vs. psychotherapy. It is erudite, convincing, yet readable.
Main differences between Jung & Eastern thought include Jung's view of the 2 directions-[Western extroverted sensing thinking judging (ESTJ) vs. Eastern introverted intuitive feeling perceiving (INFP)]:
p. 8: "The truth of the East is not in the Eastern way itself, but in the demonstrated need for a balance between intellect and intuition, between thinking and feeling...To be overbalanced in any one aspect of consciousness is a sign of immaturity and "barbarism", to use Jung's word for it. Consequently, it is not the case that the modem West should give up its highly developed scientific intellect-only that the intuitive and feeling aspects of psychic function must achieve an equally high development in Western consciousness so that a creative balance can be achieved, and a widening of consciousness result. While Jung openly admired the Eastern yoga principle of inclusiveness and balance between the opposing aspects of psychic function, it is clear that he felt that the East had overstressed the intuitive, just as the modem West had over-developed the scientific."
p. 14: "In Jung's view any unbalance in the split of psychic energy, while it may produce the short-term gains of rigorous specialization (e. g., modern Western technology), will, in the long run, prove detrimental."
This is the basis for Jung's several arguments against Westerners directly adopting Eastern methods:
p. 18: "Here Jung again sounds his warning that the solution for the Westerner cannot be found by taking up the direct practice of Eastern yoga. Says Jung, the neurosis or split within consciousness would then simply be intensified But what can be learned from the East is a general approach to be adopted so that the split, the imbalance between the opposites may be brought into harmony."
p. 22: "because the Westerner typically does not know his own unconscious, it is quite likely that when he finds the East strange and hard to understand he will project onto it everything he fears and despises in himself...he felt the direct practice of yoga by a Westerner would only serve to strengthen his will and consciousness and so further intensify the split with the unconscious...The outcome would be just as disastrous for the Western neurotic who suffers from the opposite problem of a lack of development of the conscious and a predominance of the unconscious."
p. 23: "Jung pointed out that if we try to snatch spiritual techniques directly from the East `'we have merely indulged our Western acquisitiveness, confirming yet again that 'everything good is outside.'"
Specific differences include those between Jungian empirical psychology & Eastern philosophy:
p. 61: "lack of distinction between philosophy and psychology that seems to typify much Eastern thought."
p. 62: "the older psychologies of the East and the medieval West are founded on metaphysical concepts which often have little relation to empirical facts."
p. 104: "Throughout his life Jung admitted his strong attraction to Indian karma and reincarnation theory, but its lack of empirical verification was the obstacle to its full acceptance."
p. 188: "The error of Eastern thought in this regard is that it is not firmly grounded in the empirical method and instead has allowed itself to become lost in unsupportable metaphysical speculation."
p. 189: "Jung never thought of his own psychology as a closed theory. To his last years he remained open to new ideas that could come from either East or West. But throughout his life it was his activity as a psychotherapist that kept Jung skeptical of Eastern metaphysics and rooted in the tradition of Western medical science."
Nonetheless, Jung strongly supported studying Eastern thought & adapting it to Western usage:
p. 9: "The West must not simply attempt to copy the Eastern spiritual yoga, or the East blindly adopt Western science. Each should study the other and gain inspiration from its example, but each must pursue its own development within its own historical consciousness.'"
p. 23: "we must get at Eastern values from within and not from without, seeking them in ourselves, in the unconscious."
While this may seem antithetical to Eastern approaches, the Buddha advised individuals to carefully weigh his words themselves and see how applicable they were to them. Also Vajrayana masters continue to advise caution in accepting a guru/lama and even in considering what the guru tells the to do-in light of their individual discriminating wisdom.
Most interesting is the high impact issue of full Samadhi (absorption or Buddhahood) which Jung denied since it involves the dissolution of the ego and, thus, of individual consciousness:
p. 142: "Can there be mystical experience without an individual ego?" Or put another way, ''Is unlimited consciousness of the fullness of reality psychologically possible?"
p. 161: Jung: "They do not realize that a 'universal consciousness' is a contradiction in terms, since exclusion, selection, anti discrimination are the root and essence of everything; that lays claim to the name 'consciousness"
p. 177: "To Jung, consciousness is very narrowly defined as that quality of being related to the ego. `Consciousness needs a center, an ego to which something is conscious. We know of no other kind of consciousness, nor can we imagine a consciousness without an ego.'"
However, IMHO this revolves around a differing definition of consciousness. And, even Jung once implied that it might be possible for the Self to assume consciousness vs. the ego. Of course, Jung viewed himself as an empiricist and, apparently, never met an actual Buddha.
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Sexual Archetypes: East and West (God, the Contemporary Discussion Series)
Bina Gupta
Manufacturer: Paragon House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Marriage & Family
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ASIN: 0913757683 |
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