Interface of Eastern and Western Psychology

                         June 3, 2022

In the introduction of Toward a Psychology of Awakening, I could relate to the experience of John Wellwood:

My inspiration to explore the interface of Eastern and Western psychology first arose in 1963, when, as a young man in my 20s in Paris, I found myself staring into the black hole of Western materialism without the slightest idea of how to fashion a meaningful life for myself. While I appreciate the ritual and music of the church I grew up in, Christianity, at least as it was taught to me, did not provide an experiential practice that allowed me to access the living spirit. My discovery of Zen in the early 1960s opened up a totally appealing and revolutionary new perspective, that each of us can discover our own true nature which lies directly within, realize it experientially, and thus awaken to a richer and deeper way of being. Recognizing this kind of awakening as the real purpose of human existence gave me a direction where before I had none.

Trungpa was uncompromising in his insistence that it was essential to do this strange thing, sitting on a cushion for hours on end. I used to think, "Why would anyone want to do that?" It seems so much more interesting to read and talk about spiritual philosophy than you just sit there and not do anything. I thought, "Maybe thousands of years ago they had to do that sort of thing, but surely there must be some more high-tech method today." Yet as I began to practice meditation, it opened up my world in a whole new way. We are born with this incredible instrument called a mind, which can tune in heaven and hell and everything in between, but no one ever gives us operating instructions on how to use it or what to do with it. Meditation provided a way of actively seen into the nature and activity of this mind. Gradually, despite all my initial resistance, I developed a profound respect for the practice of sitting meditation that has remained with me ever since.

The Introduction ends thus:

I have recast a Buddhist invocation to express the basic aspiration behind this book:

Ah!  Your very being is the perfect teacher.

Recognizing your nature, take this to heart.

For all those who have not realized this,

Arouse compassion,

To help them find this pure and holy space.

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I found myself staring into the black hole of Western materialism without the slightest idea of how to fashion a meaningful life for myself. This line struck me, my existential question was not as specific but I knew I didn't want to be drafted and possibly go to Vietnam. I also didn't know how to earn a living as my vocational interest inventory suggested librarian or farmer and I had a degree in psychology. I also had poor follow-through on exploring vocations and and followed a peripatetic existence. When I had jobs, I would often go for a long walks or bike rides, often enjoying wandering around without a goal. I read about contemplative Christian spiritual disciplines but they never seem to stick with me. Maybe I wasn't ready until now. I was inspired by Thomas Merton and many others but my readings and retreats did not, as he says, provide an experiential practice that allowed me to access the living spirit.

In the first chapter, he says, Spiritual practice involves exploring who and what we ultimately are - our true, essential nature, shared a life by all human beings. The direct, experiential realization of true nature has been a particular specialty of the Eastern contemplative traditions. Eastern teachings emphasize living from our deepest nature, turning the mind around so that it can see into its very essence, rather than constantly facing outward, focusing on tasks and objects to grasp and manipulate. Recognizing the essential nature of our awareness as an open, wakeful, luminous, and compassionate presence allows us to relate to our life in a much richer and more powerful way. This realization is what allows us to liberate ourselves from the chains of past conditioning, known in the East as karma. From this perspective, since well-being, happiness, and freedom are intrinsic - that is, contained within our essential nature - the most important task in life is to realize this true nature.