Dimensions of. Spiritual Growth and. Enlightenment: harmony and Views,from the morality, the. Ground Up

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1 Tart: Dimensions of Spiritual Growth and Enlightenment, Toronto Abstract: While Dimensions of tends to content Spiritual Growth and itself with social v Enlightenment: harmony and Views,from the morality, the spiritual heart of Ground Up organized religion many traditions is Cha~Ies T: Tart concerned with individual Institute of Trans personal Psychology, Palo Alto & University of California, Davis (cttart@ucdavis.edu) investigation and realization of spiritual growth or enlightenment (ENL). Gautama fp Annual Energy Psychdogy Conference, Toronto, imvenkr 77, Buddha, for 2004 example, exhorted his followers not to AI pages mght ~ ~ T. Tart ern s simply believe his or any other teaching, but personally investigate it to determine its truth value, a basically scientific attitude. So rather than assume only the enlightened can really understand what this is about, what can some disciplined thinking and research reveal about spiritual growth? I will share some current thinking, questioning and ideas for research on enlightenment and spiritual growth, drawing on both a variety of mystical/meditative traditions and Western psychology. What sort of method or path is the best way, or even a good way, for particular individuals, for example, and what ways might be counterproductive? Where do altered states fit in the picture? Do we all end up in the same enlightened place, or are there many desirable end points we might call growth or enlightenment? Can this search for enlightenment actually be an avoidance of real growth? How does our and our cultures' world view affect what is possible here? When are we really growing and when are we fooling ourselves? Can unenlightened people like us have any useful understandings about enlightenment? Translation: I'm playing with ideas about "enlightenment" (sometimes ENL in these posters) and spiritual growth, and sharing them with you here so you can play with them. And - Warning: More questions than answers here... The following diagrams will, hopefully, stimulate thinking and memories of our topic.

2 , Tart: Dimensions of Spiritual Growth and Enlightenment, Toronto Ontological & Methodological Considerations: If: Reality = Totally Materialistic, then ENL = Brain State and Spirituality = Illusion If: Reality = Primarily Spiritual and ENL = All-or-None [i.e. you're either (fully) enlightened or (fully) unenlightened] If: EhlL has various (semi)independent dimensions and degrees within dimensions Then: p--a --' /* _ LD--: ;2Lc Drug ;I;v companies & $4 p will make us - ~ i - \>-(d- 1%,A happy Then: a. Take ENL people like these as final authorities, don't listen to unenl people Then: Concepts like f-m a.i u F..olpknrC-*.l.lLdLd ILM -..- I* If we can't satisfactorily define "enlightenment," start from opposite direction: What is Endarkenment? Accurate perception = Inaccurate perception = (relative) Enlightenment (relative) Endarkenment* Direction: Less Endarkenment =+ More Enlightenment Q1- What is "enlightenment?" From Western psychological perspective, we know a great deal about many aspects of ' Note: "Angel" deliberately endarkenment: e.g., neurosis, psychosis, chosen to activate viewer... propaganda, conditioning, defense mechanisms, etc.

3 Tart: Dimensions of Spiritual Growth and Enlightenment, Toronto 2004 Bask Human System Multi-stage processing of sensory information, is overwhelmed by ongoing fantasies aulomatized thoughts 8 fantasies. consequent reality distortion Tool Analogy for Relative EnlightenmentIEndarkenment (Relatively) Unenlightened Functioning I "' e pexqtion Hammas don't cut dl Relatively Unenlightened Functioning: Board "cut" with Hammer Q1- What is "enlightenment?" Q2- Cultural effects, *.--->--- Q3 -All end up same place? i Y 1 - ~ L L _ ^ wp==si0n, atta&md - Pasonalnd P& *e Actimhave~ lmintended Onlypartialkndedge available Ndc,seEfish, egotktical My hammer is my harrrmer and epmive! It's too much trauble to Mtme *!@!*&! saw! Won'ttit&&baEssqsdo it wer again... Doesn'trecallpraious expe~i~oflesuksof mt p- ahead D-kdcizingme!

4 Tart: Dimensions of Spiritual Growth and Enlightenment, Toronto ; Board cut Foundations for relatively enlightened functioning: knowing what toollstate is suitable for the task and having it available Relatively Enlightened Functioning Relatively Enlightened Functioning an unbiased-on, norr- Personalneeds - SubOFdinatetotadc, -goals Adionshavefew uninte~ded AIldevaIIt knmdedgeavailable -ego W-$me ~goodtdfor job Taskd&emlims righttool,not atbckdtomytd Gosnalighttd Enjoythewalk! c)utamb&well into n- Recallslighttd& comeqwmm of using mng t d Satis&4onofjob will done Possibilities in 2 Dimensions of Relative Enlightenment "Normal," Somewhat Neurotic Functioning: Many people exist almost exclusively within ordinary, consensus consciousness, with occasional dream recall. This is a relatively endarkened kind of existence, with 2 SoCs at most available and lower levels of functioning within those states. Enclosed areas show typical regions of functioning for a given person \ "Normal" but LOW SoC # 1 SoC # 2 SoC # n SoC # n+i Available states

5 Tart: Dimensions of Spiritual Growth and Enlightenment, Toronto Mixed EnlightenmentlEndarkenment: High Level, But Single State Functioning. Many "successful" (by conventional standards) people have only their ordinary, consensus consciousness SoC available (with perhaps some dream recall), but function throughout the entire range of that state, especially the high end. They are relatively enlightened. Within State High Functioning, Mature but One-State Functioning / trative editatio L~~ SoC # 1 SoC # 2 SoC # n SoC # n+i Available states They use the tools and functions of consensus consciousness well, but are also relatively endarkened through not having access to some kinds of functions and understandings that are state-specific and thus not available in consensus consciousness. Wlthln State k "Flaky" or Psychotic Functioning -mow--' 7- Relatively Endarkened: i -/ We have all met people E n R 1 who have access to e i unusual experiences in 1 g a variety of altered a h t t SoCs, but seem to i e function at the low, v n neurotic end of the e m e spectrum within each of n these SoCs. Exotic and t colorful folks, perhaps, L~~ SoC# 1 SoC # 2 SoC # n SoC # n+i Ava~lable slates but not very happy or effective in life.

6 Tart: Dimensions of Spiritual Growth and Enlightenment, Toronto Within State High E Moderate to High Functioning on Dimensions / Co~~ghlO1001 Chsrlpr T TBn a h t t n t u LOW SoC # 1 SoC # 2 SoC # n SoC # n+i Available states This is just a start. What needs to be added? Clarified? Demystified? "Mystified?" Some Other Dimensions that could be explored in their various combinations and consequences include: -Wide-mindedness: Too little concentration makes us ineffective, too much makes us blind to other, significant aspects of situations. -PerceptionlConcept Ratio: It's easy to "live in your head," so immersed in concepts (influenced by your personality and psychodynamics) that accurate perception of reality is too low. Would a relatively enlightened person have a high perception-to-concept ratio? -Tools for handling stress: Relative enlightenment may be easy sitting in a cave in the mountains and feeling serene, but how do you deal with annoying people without losing whatever relative enlightenment you have? --Unconscious versus conscious enlightenment: Training and willpower may produce relative enlightenment at a conscious level, but what is needed to produce it at an unconscious level, so the "enlightened" person does not have a major Jungian Shadow side? -Grace: G. I. Gurdjieff said "Work as if everything depends on work. Pray as if everything depends on prayer." Help from ostensible non-corporeal sources is an upsetting and rejected concept in most scientific endeavors, but experiential data is that many report things this way. How do we deal with it?