Transformative Practices
An Esalen Invitational Conference
November 28 - December 2, 1999

Essential Spirituality
Roger Walsh

Along with this perennial philosophy has developed what could be called a perennial psychology. Its essence states that our usual state of mind is clouded or distorted in some ways and we see through many veils. Our mind is even clouded about its clouded nature. We are unaware of the extent to which our usual state of mind is unclear. The great religious wisdom traditions offer a path of training to clarify this obscurity, a path that leads to an intuitive recognition of truth. The goal is usually framed in terms such as enlightenment, salvation, or moksha. Roger commented, however, that he has personally striven mightily for enlightenment and has not reached it, which led him to decide enlightenment wasn't the goal after all. Seriously, though, he began to feel that enlightenment is a rather poor concept that doesn't do justice to the multi-dimensional richness of the maturational process. Enlightenment assumes only one developmental line is involved, which is often seen as cognition, intuition, or identity shift. Another problem with the term is that it is dichotomous -- enlightenment is an all-or-none process rather than a developmental process. In Roger's experience, wise people tend to be very human as well. A dichotomous concept does not appreciate the complexities of a spectrum of development. Also, a fixation on a single experience or set of experiences neglects integration and on-going adaptation. This has led him to prefer terms like spiritual maturity.

How can we make sense of the rich diversity of techniques and practices? In psychotherapy, there are three main strategies to bring together competing schools: technical eclecticism, looking for common factors, and theoretical integration. His book Essential Spirituality and this talk aim for the common factors approach. A question that intrigues Roger is "What practices are seen as essential in multiple traditions?" Are there practices that people agree upon? He distinguishes between practices and techniques, in that practices cultivate specific virtues and includes families of techniques. One of the ideas that he found most valuable from Murphy's Future of the Body is the Stoic concept of antakolouthia, the mutual entailment of virtues. Virtues require one another. They can be mutually facilitative or complementary.

There are seven main categories of practice that he finds cut across major wisdom traditions:

1. Redirecting motivation. This has two crucial elements. First, practices aim to reduce craving or attachment. Second, they aim to redirect one's motivation or goal. The fundamental question here is what brings happiness or well-being. In our culture, the answer is generally "things." Great religions see this idea as superficial. Each suggests that what we really seek is our true nature, which is inherently satisfying and fulfilling. Everything else, when sought obsessively, is a substitute gratification. We can never get enough of what we don't really want. There are thus two basic life strategies, then: change the world to get what we want or change our minds. Redirection of motivation has traditionally been seen as purification. It involves relinquishing attachments to the world and redirecting one's consciousness towards the transcendent, however that is conceived. Psychologically, this is a movement up Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Sociologically, we can think of it in terms of Toynbee's etherealization. As cultures mature, they move from grossly materialistic to more ethereal ideals. The traditions also make a distinction between pleasure and bliss: forego the first to gain the second.
2. Transforming emotions. The ideal emotion is most often described as love (agape, bhakti). Western culture has often confused strange forms of attachment with true love. Our love songs are wonderful studies in pathology, resembling nothing so much as heroin withdrawal. The traditions usually suggest four strategies for attaining unconditional love: reduction of barriers, cultivating attitudes such as generosity or gratitude, use of devotional practices, and recognizing the true nature of Reality.
3. Living ethically. This is the most misunderstood of the practices. Confucius said: "Rare are those who understand virtue." The golden rule of Christianity, for example, is not based upon conventional understanding of consequences but upon a recognition that when we act unethically, we are acting out of, and reinforcing, destructive emotions such as greed, anger, and fear. When we act ethically, we are acting out of and reinforcing positive emotions. This enhances everyone's well being. Buddha: "Whatever you do, you do to yourself."
4. Developing concentration: Meditation practice confirms just how difficult this is. Bhagavad Gita: "the wind is no wilder." We suffer, in contemporary terms, from attention deficit disorder. This is so destructive because the mind takes on the qualities of that which it attends to. As we obsess over anger, fear, and jealousy, those qualities are strengthened. Through meditation, continuous prayer, or bhakti we develop concentration on something besides neurosis. As an aside, Roger feels it is important to look at how many traditions recommend continuous practice, 24 hours/day (koan into sleep, bhakti all day, dream yoga, etc.).
5. Refining awareness. We don't see things simply as they are but as we are. Our normal state of mind is profoundly clouded. The great traditions seek to clarify the mind and to elicit the sacred in others and in ourselves. Thomas Merton: "What can we gain by sailing to the moon if we are not able to cross the abyss that separates us from ourselves. This is the most important of all voyages of discovery. Without it, the others are not only useless but disastrous." There is a huge emphasis on the "sacrament of the present moment," the only time there is. When doing this, we automatically disidentify from obscuring mental processes. Eating, walking, seeing Christ in each other — all bring a continuity of awareness. "Transnoia" means to recognize the transcendent in all things.
6. Cultivating wisdom. The first step is to recognize that we're not wise, that we don't know — a state often called beginner's mind. There are five key practices in this category: being in nature, silence & solitude, spending time with the already "wise," self-knowledge, reflections on life & death. The thing that surprised Roger most in writing his book was how often he wrote things like, "In order to cultivate this quality, the wisdom traditions recommend hanging out with someone who has it." We resonate with the virtue of those whose company we keep.
7. Devoting oneself to generosity and service. All traditions emphasize service as both a means to awakening and an expression of it. Karma yoga is built upon spiritual action in the world. Service is ideally not seen as sacrifice but as a practice that cultivates love, generosity, compassion, and happiness. This dovetails with Toynbee's observation of the central theme in world wisdom traditions. He saw the primary cycle as one of withdrawal and then a return to give something back (Hero's journey, oxherding pictures, etc.). The boddhisattva ideal in Buddhism wonderfully articulates this impulse.

Fred asked what Roger would emphasize when speaking to people who have busy lives. Roger feels that ethics are most central. Ethical living is not a sacrifice -- it's a win-win. If our culture could get that one idea, it would be revolutionary.

George commented on the continuity of awareness, which in aikido is called zanshin. The student is always "on." George will sometimes tell his students that he will watch them for fifteen minutes between techniques to instill this virtue.

Don asked Roger for a more explicit link with living, everyday intimate relationships. Roger responded that he didn't include this in his book because it is not one of the central practices common to many traditions. He has found only one tradition (The Course in Miracles) that uses relationship as its central practice. He hopes we will explore this subject further. George joked that the great wisdom teachers omit relationship because it is just too hard. Kaisa voiced her concern about elevating relationship too much because there is already so much pressure in our culture to be a couple. She thinks it is better for practices to be exportable to whatever situation arises, whether that be relationship or solo practice. Practice shouldn't exclude anything. Richard noted that the Zen position is that lay practice is more difficult than monastic practice but in his personal experience, each has its merits.

Michael asked whether Roger feels something legitimately new has come into the world with the advent of psychological therapies and conscious work with relationships. Roger said there are three broad views on development — devolution (downhill since a more idyllic past), stasis (shamans have had this going all along), and evolution (which he mainly subscribes to). 2500 years ago the awareness practices were added, 2000 years ago nondual traditions emerged, and today psychotherapy has added new tools to our transformative repertoire. There was little understanding of psychodynamics and defense mechanisms in these contemplative traditions and we are richer for this new knowledge. Michael stated that the opportunities today are unprecedented, although they certainly involve reclaiming what has been lost as well. Somatic disciplines also represent new inventions.

Kaisa commented on the parallels between the Buddha's eight-fold path and Roger's seven core practices. One major difference, though, is the idea of "right view or right understanding," which is less explicit in Roger's formulation. She added another question: what motivates someone to adopt the purification practices, what gets them moving? Roger responded that the traditions speak of preliminary wisdoms, which are enough to get people started on the path, and liberating wisdoms, as well as a spectrum in between. He feels that they all build on one another, leading people to move up the hierarchy of needs. Most people make the jump upwards based on a winnowing away of competing motives. Don's experience has been that a major impetus for most seekers is meeting a teacher who embodies certain qualities that evoke a yearning in them.

Jeffrey added his appreciation for the perennialist elegance of Roger's mapping, but noted that historically these religions have been at each other's throats. What's new today is that we can take the crème de la crème from multiple traditions. This still doesn't completely alleviate religious conflict. Roger stated that it is difficult to talk about religion unless we acknowledge that there are at least ten major stages of human development and that religion can be practiced at any one of them. The number of people who actually undertake transformative practices probably amounts to less than 1% of the population. Most are doing pre-rational magic and mythic stuff.