In an interview in the December Psychology Today with filmmaker David Cronenberg (A Dangerous Method), Cronenberg states, "In fact Jungianism is more a religion than a psychology." Indeed, those of us who have gained from Jungian insights have heard on the edges of scholarly discussion, the claims of Jung being a mystic, that depth psychology is a new religion to replace Christianity, new age gurus quoting Jung as one might quote holy scripture. Although we have attended institutes and universities and not seminaries to study Jung and his theories, the religion or psychology question continues to be posed by many, either favorably or as a means to damn the field in general.
Refuting the notion is too easy. I'm inviting responders to find within the Jungian phenomenon the reasons why such an image has not gone away. Is it in the way Jungians treat Jungian concepts? The rarefied language? The "denominations" that have developed, each claiming a deeper (thereby truer) understanding of Jungian thought? Any image that persists must be speaking to something in the psyche that needs expressing. So what is it???
Replies
A little tip to those who are on a spiritual path that will make a profound difference in your practice.
Ever notice the feeling of coming back into your body when you are finished, just prior to opening your eyes? Why come back? Just open your eyes at that higher level of consciousness while you are in prayer or meditation and make that your perception of reality. Don't lower yourself back into the level of those surrounding you. Your day will go far better.
Many years ago I was at a University presentation by a Zen Master form the largest Zen Monastery in Japan. As part of the lecture, he also did a calligraphy demonstration.
After the program, there was a private reception for him where I had the opportunity to ask him.. "I observed you praying and could see the white light of your Divine connection. I watched you disconnect and begin placing that Divine energy upon the rice paper with your paintbrush. And then you repeated the process by returning to prayer. " my question, "Why did you disconnect from the Divine in order to put it in order to do your calligraphy?"
The Zen Master just looked at me and started laughing, rather than answering my question. It was only then that I realized that the question was for him to learn that he was to stay connected always in all that he did. Brother Lawrence (no relation that I know of...lol) always preached that we should be in the presence of God in all that we do, no matter how trivial.
True Lee. We should examine the qualities of being that should be cultivated to achieve the goal and purpose which is union with the Divine. Again, drugs don't even enter the equation in my line of thinking, we are talking at a much higher level here. What I am referring to is self-enquiry and satori or states of jnana (discriminative knowledge) without cultivation of the qualities that makes one a fit receptacle for Divine Grace and opens the valve to allow the flowing of Love. I think we can most likely agree that Divine Grace is something that is mysterious, given from the Divine, but which can be in a way if I may be so bold as to use the word accessed or or more accurately made more probable through preparation of the field of mind. Here's we go, back to the original question is Jungian psychology a religious practice? I think Jung was pointing out that the individual should remove blockages to that receptivity and in doing so open the gates to the whole of human potential.
"So do you believe that each individual consciousness is able to experience in its fullness the collective (un)conscious?"
Experience, yes, fully experience, No. In order to experience the fullness or wholeness of the collective consciousness you must transcend self. When you are still riding the fence from the perspective of the individual, you can only see it or have a taste of it, but not "Be It." Defining the experience as the destination is one of the many great diversions on the path to enlightenment.
I share your difficulty in incorporating the experience of universal unity while still facing the challenges of daily life. You just can't contain the ocean in a drop of water no matter how hard you try.
I think the reason is that the core of Jungian psychology is an approach to individuation which can be interpreted as another term for enlightenment and wholeness. To those deeply involved in spirituality, Jung's key concepts, including the resonance with archetypes are tools to understanding ourselves and the human condition. The apprehension of those archetypes are then applied by the aspirant towards a greater understanding of self and a transformation from one field or frequency to the next, until the individual reaches the pinnacle of his or her highest frequency which can be translated in Jungian terms as individuated. Hence, Jung's psychology can be applied as a psychological approach to spirituality and liberation, for freedom from the limiting affects of complexes is in the fullest sense of the word the primary field of liberation. So, to put it another way, Jung may have created another limb of yoga, such as bhakti (devotion), jnana (intellectual discrimination), karma (work & service), and raja or dhyana yoga (meditation) are all valid paths no matter what religious framework you perform/live them within as when you excel at any one of them then "all paths of all yoga's meet". Jung's shall I say yoga of individuation (the psychological approach) is similarly all encompassing and it has become apparent to those in the Jungian community that it represents a valid framework, an all-inclusive framework that is quite beautiful in its awe of the mysteries of life and psyche and which is in a constant state of development.
The problem is, Jung did refer to "individuation" as wholeness, in the context of self actualization. While this is on the path toward enlightenment, it is an obstacle to enlightenment more than enlightenment itself.
True wholeness comes not from individuation or self-actualization, but from self transcendence. I'm not sure that Jung ever understood this, even after his near death experience. It is my own opinion that Jung denied the experience within himself even though having a profound spiritual experience that occurred after he broke with Freud, by substituting his long lasting affair with Toni Wolff for his own Divine Feminine within which he needed embrace to become "Whole."
When a teacher describes the goal as "not being something, liberated, freed, non-attached," it tells me they do not understand their goal, only their non-goal. When asked what he was, Buddha did not respond in the negative, he merely replied "awake." To define the goal in the negative does not define it, but actually attaches oneself to the negative or the obstacles to the goal. It's kind of like me saying to you, "Do NOT think of a pink elephant!!"
If you are leaving home to go to the store, you don't define your destination as "non-home."
People don't understand that self actualization is realizing that you are a drop of water in the ocean. Self transcendence is realizing that you are the ocean.
Nice!
Well said Lee! I agree whole-heartedly, the ultimate goal is non-dual awareness, "Tat tvam Asi" (Thou art That). However, I no longer believe that there are any real short-cuts, I am convinced that one must individuate, become a whole and complete human being as a pre-requisite to arrive at truly sincere transcendence. If we are broken, liberation, transcendence, and non-duality is only partially complete.
Exactly. One cannot surrender to the Divine that aspect of self that they have not recovered control over from all the splinters left in the dependency of others along the journey. Thus the reason for dissolving complexes.
Rumi was correct. The purpose of life is to find and remove the obstacles to Love that exist within us.
"I no longer believe that there are any real short-cuts".... Very true. Drugs, and things that offer a glimpse of the Divine are temporary. However, the super highway is open for full speed acceleration along the path as Divine Grace is stronger than ever and available to everyone.
The path to enlightenment is simple. Find self, then lose self!
My Father's mansion has many rooms. Even the experience of enlightenment is but the threshold to an even higher experience. The more you learn, the more you see that there is far more to know.
Remember, even the vineyard workers that arrived in the last hour received the same pay. It doesn't matter where you are at right now, it's all within reach.
You might want to consult Lionel Corbett's book, "The Religious Function of the Psyche."
http://www.amazon.com/Religious-Function-Psyche-Lionel-Corbett/dp/0...
-
1
-
2
-
3
-
4
of 4 Next