International Journal of Transpersonal Studies Volume 30 Article 7 Iss. 1-2 (2011) 1-1-2011 Why Altered States Are Not Enough: A Perspective from Buddhism Igor Berkhin International Dzogchen Community Glenn Hartelius California Institute of Integral Studies, San Francisco, CA, USA Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.ciis.edu/ijts-transpersonalstudies Part of the Philosophy Commons, Psychology Commons, and the Religion Commons Recommended Citation Berkhin, I., & Hartelius, G. (2011). Berkhin, I., & Hartelius, G. (2011). Why altered states are not enough: A perspective from Buddhism. International Journal of Transpersonal Studies, 30(1-2), 63–68.. International Journal of Transpersonal Studies, 30 (1). http://dx.doi.org/10.24972/ijts.2011.30.1-2.63 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License. This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals and Newsletters at Digital Commons @ CIIS. It has been accepted for inclusion in International Journal of Transpersonal Studies by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ CIIS. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Why Altered States Are Not Enough: A Perspective from Buddhism Igor Berkhin Glenn Hartelius International Dzogchen Community Institute of Transpersonal Psychology Donetsk, Ukraine Palo Alto, CA, USA Transpersonal psychology has at times employed Buddhist terminology in ways that do not reflect distinctions that underlie these tightly defined terms. From a Buddhist perspective, attempts to equate Buddhist terms with language from other traditions are misdirected, and produce results that no longer represent Buddhism. For example, it is an error to translate certain Buddhist terms as referring to a shared universal consciousness; Buddhism explicitly rejects this idea. Nor is it appropriate to assume that the generic, cross-traditional altered state of nondual awareness postulated in some transpersonally-related circles is in any way related to nirvana or other advanced states described within Buddhism. Buddhist practices are focused on the achievement of particular knowledge and capacities, not the attainment of altered states. Keywords: transpersonalism, altered states, Buddhism, Dzogchen, nonduality Transpersonal psychology draws on many teacher located within a particular school of Buddhist Buddhist ideas, but it is troubling to note that many of teaching and practice. Even though this discourse is these references represented as authentically Buddhist are traditionally informed, its perspectives would likely meet in fact superficial or distorted representations of Buddhist with debate rather than consensus if presented within any theory. As a Buddhist practitioner of more than 20 years, given Buddhist sangha, or community. and now also a teacher of Buddhist methods within the Speaking from this very particular standpoint, International Dzogchen Community, the first author then, it is possible to say that one profound difference respectfully offers that if the transpersonal field wishes between Buddhism and transpersonal psychology is to present ancient knowledge in a modern context, it that the latter seems to have a strong emphasis on non- needs to take more care than it currently does in order ordinary states of consciousness and their transformative not to misrepresent that knowledge. This paper will effect on the psyche (e.g., Garcia-Romeau, 2010; Grof, outline some of the misconceptions of Buddhist thought Grob, Bravo, & Walsh, 2008; Maslow, 1969; Tart, 2008). within transpersonalism, a concern that has already been By contrast, in all Buddhist traditions of which I have raised within the field itself (Friedman, 2009, 2010). any knowledge, the cognitive aspect of mind is of utmost In addition, it will offer some traditionally informed importance. A state of consciousness, whether ordinary comments about several Buddhist concepts. or non-ordinary, can have a completely different value A frequently-encountered misconception with- depending on what is cognized while one is in that state. in transpersonalism, one that is common to most of the Because of its emphasis on altered states rather than critiques offered here, is that Buddhism is a single, uniform cognitive content, transpersonal psychology frequently tradition that can be grasped and defined from outside. misinterprets Buddhist concepts and methods. Another related error is that its terms have simple, singular Because Buddhism focuses on the importance of definitions that can be equated with concepts from other precise and accurate cognitive content, Buddhist teachings very different traditions or with ideas propounded within are replete with distinctions, large and small. Important transpersonal psychology itself. In contrast with this teachers such as Nagarjuna or Padmasambhava paid great tendency to homogenize and universalize, this paper attention to explaining the errors in different categories presents the Buddhist views of a single practitioner and of Buddhist thought because correct understanding is InternationalWhy Altered StatesJournal Are of TranspersonalNot Enough Studies, 30(1-2), 2011,International pp. 63-68 Journal of Transpersonal Studies 63 extremely subtle and intangible, and it is only through each time any individual performed an action, every gaining a deep understanding of the teachings that these person in the world would experience the exact same difficulties become clear. Yet this exposition of wrong results from that action, just as if they themselves had views is not carried out in order to denigrate the ideas of acted in that way. others, but in order to discover one’s own mistakes—errors Within Buddhism, that which is common or that tend to be typical for all humans regardless of whether shared among humans is not consciousness or mind or or not they claim to follow Buddhadharma (Namkhai spirit, but what is called karmic vision, which refers to Norbu, 1998; Namkhai Norbu & Clemente, 1999). the fact that despite having individual minds, humans Much of transpersonalism—like theosophy have shared perceptions of the sun, of mountains, music, before it, and very unlike Buddhism—apparently wishes voices, smells, and so on. It is true that within Buddhism to imagine that all great spiritual traditions lead to the there is a meditative experience referred to as all is same attainment (Wilber, 1975, 2000). Scholars within consciousness. This does not constitute an awakening to this community seem to feel free to make comparisons some universal mind, but instead represents a transient between diverse traditions after simply reading some state of a deluded mind. Even though some Buddhist papers and texts pertaining to those traditions and teachers use terms such as single mind or unique mind, perhaps practicing a few meditative techniques, without these refer to the fact that all phenomena manifesting having a thorough lineage-based training and grounding to our perceptions are contained within our own mind: in any of the paths that are considered. Evident differences there is no separation between the observing mind and are apparently ignored or explained as insignificant or the mind that is observed. Not even buddhas share as artifacts of cultural conditioning. Wisdom that has the same mind. Although dharmakaya is explained as been culturally conditioned may have value within the an enlightened mind that is the same for all buddhas, transpersonal world, but not so within Buddhism. sameness here means that its potential qualifications are From within Buddhism, it is the first author’s equal for all buddhas; it does not mean that there is one view that traditions cannot be reconciled, and that single dharmakaya that all buddhas share. attempts to do so create results that can no longer be In transpersonal circles the Buddhist term considered traditional. Such efforts at homogenizing alaya-vijnana (Sanskrit) is at times translated in a way spiritual paths must be clearly distinguished from that suggests a universal mind; however, this term what His Holiness the Dalai Lama is doing: he is not means ground-consciousness, and does not refer to working to reconcile different traditions, but to turn universal consciousness at all, but to a strictly individual the followers of different religions toward the common consciousness that stores all impressions and karmic human experience of compassion, thus pacifying the traces. Similarly, when a Dzogchen practitioner speaks aggressive tendencies of human minds. Nor can different about discovering the alaya (Tibetan, kun-gzhi), the spiritual traditions be equated. Starting with Buddha all-ground of all dharmas, dharmas should not be Shakyamuni himself, most important Buddhist teachers understood as objectively existing phenomena of the have said that Buddhadharma has very special and highly outer world, but as qualia, as events within individual important wisdom that other traditions do not have (a experience. number of Buddhist teachers have also acknowledged As an example of the difference between (some) that some realizations in other traditions are not that transpersonal and Buddhist notions of mind, consider radically different). the Christian and Vedic concepts of scripture. In these One of the most distinctive errors within the cultures there is the idea that all knowledge is contained transpersonal world is the effort to interpret the idea of in certain written texts. These texts are available to universal