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Towards Understanding the Dynamics of Transformation in Spiritual Psychology with Particular Reference to Buddhist Teachings

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Towards Understanding the Dynamics of Transformation in Spiritual Psychology with Particular Reference to Buddhist Teachings Towards Understanding the Dynamics of Transformation in Spiritual Psychology with particular reference to Buddhist Teachings Greg Carey Supervisors: Dr. David Morgans, Dr. Rebekah Humphreys Submitted in partial fulfilment for the award of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy University of Wales Trinity Saint David 2017 ii Dedication This thesis is dedicated with love and gratitude to my parents Elizabeth (Lily) Noonan (1928-2014) and William (Bill) Carey (1920-1994) whose optimism, loving support and indomitable spirit have been inspirational driving forces throughout my life. They never saw a limit to the possible and the attainable and taught me to never let circumstances dictate what might be achievable. iii iv Acknowledgments I would like to thank my supervisor Dr David Morgans for his patience and kindness in reading and commenting on the many drafts of the thesis. I would especially like to thank my wife Olive for not only putting up with my absence for such a long time but also for her continued love, support and her technical skill at proofreading. Thanks also to the many clients who allowed me to accompany them on their journeys of self-discovery. A special thanks to my sister-in-law Sarah and her husband John whose thoughtfulness in giving me a book on Buddhism lead me to begin my research into Buddhist philosophy. To Sogyal Rinpoche much thanks for introducing me to the Buddhist teachings on Dzogchen and setting me on the spiritual path. v vi Abstract My thesis brings into conversation, Buddhist spiritual teachings with the medieval contemplative Christian understanding and modern ontological thoughts, to investigate the dynamic characteristics of spiritual transformation. The thesis explores the following questions: Is there a spiritual journey? To what extent the journey itself is the transforming energy? To whom is transformation happening? How do we become the truth uncovered? Have we always been living in a ‘plenum’ with respect to the Buddha nature teaching? Is the Buddha and his teachings revolutionary agents of continuous transformation. Does the spiritual path focus on the cultivation of a Nirvanic-mind only, what about the body? My conversations revealed the following: That it is possible to become aware that conditioned thoughts are thinking the person. That it is possible for the conditioned (klesha) mind to become aware of its own Nirvanic mind-nature. A deluded mind uncovers its own wisdom nature by practising an unconstructed knowing. Thus, the enlightened mind perfects ‘objectless awareness’ and encounters reality as wisdom itself. The transformative power of failure is a yoga and as such it is perfected in the Bodhisattva vow to save all beings. Central to sustaining the spiritual path is to have a question such as ‘Is what I am doing what God is doing’. Life and the spiritual path are unpredictable; the unpredictable challenges the mind’s tendencies to conceptualize experience. The body holds the unpredictable energy of the disowned, which relates to as ‘flashing’ energies in the body. Transformation is the recognition of the first pure moment of awareness which also recognizes that goodness is at the heart of all things. The liberating doctrine is that everything is open (empty) and unbounded thus all matter is redemptive and as such we are always in the realm of truth. vii viii Contents Dedication ....................................................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgments ............................................................................................................................ v Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... vii Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 1 - From Erotic Mind to Agapeic Mind ............................................................................. 16 1.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................. 16 1.3 Momentary reality implies dynamic reality ................................................................ 24 1.4 Repetition – Recollection - Memory............................................................................ 27 1.5 Bringing identity and being together .......................................................................... 31 1.6 Point-instant vision is apocalyptic ............................................................................... 34 1.7 Promoting knowledge of the authentic and original .................................................. 35 1.8 How to stay true to lived experience .......................................................................... 37 1.9 The ‘point-instant’ view … leaves other as other ......................................................... 39 1.10 ‘Thinking the truth of being’ ......................................................................................... 42 1.11 ‘A Passion for the impossible’ – instrument of transformation ................................... 44 1.12 No distinction between parts and whole .................................................................... 46 1.13 Participation ............................................................................................................... 49 1.14 ‘To see emptiness is to become emptiness’................................................................ 52 1.15 Original fullness ......................................................................................................... 54 1.16 Lighting up the mind .................................................................................................. 58 1.17 Original mind has always been pure.......................................................................... 61 1.18 The enlightened mind ................................................................................................ 64 1.19 Conclusion .................................................................................................................. 67 Chapter 2 - The Self: Real or Imaginary ......................................................................................... 73 2.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................ 73 2.2 The Self ....................................................................................................................... 88 ix 2.3 Constructed things are subject to suffering ............................................................... 93 2.4 ‘Personal Construct Psychology’ .................................................................................. 98 2.5 Discriminating primordial awareness ......................................................................... 99 2.6 Karma as centre ........................................................................................................ 102 2.7 Uncovering wisdom-mind ........................................................................................ 105 2.8 Uncovering the mind’s luminous knowing ............................................................... 107 2.9 Beyond boundedness and definition ....................................................................... 110 2.10 Thoughts are thinking us ......................................................................................... 112 2.11 Undermining-dualistic conceptual thinking. ........................................................... 114 2.12 ‘Unbounded Mind’ ................................................................................................... 116 2.13 ‘Unbounded Wholeness’ .......................................................................................... 120 2.14 ‘Open-Awareness’ .................................................................................................... 122 2.15 Thoughts are a barrier to experience ..................................................................... 124 2.16 Nature of mind is uncontrived ............................................................................... 127 2.17 Clear-Light Awareness ............................................................................................ 129 2.18 Pristine Awareness ................................................................................................. 131 2.19 Conclusion .............................................................................................................. 135 Chapter 3 - Mystery and Manifestation ...................................................................................... 140 3.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................ 140 3.2 Liminality ................................................................................................................ 145 3.3 ‘Dependent Origination’ ........................................................................................... 147 3.4 Being in the present moment ................................................................................. 150 3.5 The path to enlightenment is object related .......................................................... 152 3.6 Understanding transformation ............................................................................... 154
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