Kevin de La Tour and Simone de La Tour [ii]
(International Center of High Studies of Conscientiology, Brazil (CEAEC) [iii] )
I. The Rational Analysis of Multidimensionality
Most religions were founded on or were instigated subsequent to an individual's transcendent experience, whereupon the experiencer was put on a pedestal and his or her line of thought transformed into something that was often not intended. Siddhartha Gautama (563?–483? B.C.), the Indian philosopher and teacher who founded Buddhism, is said to have received “enlightenment” while sitting under a Bodhi tree. [iv] His teachings began as philosophical instruction and were later turned into a religion by others. Likewise, Daoism and Confucianism commenced as philosophies but are now construed by some as religions of a secular sort. Muhammad (570-632), the founding prophet of Islam, is said to have undergone various visions both as a child and an adult. In this case, however, there was no philosophical phase between his experience and the foundation of a religion. In other words, his experiences translated almost directly into the foundation of a religion during his lifetime. This is exemplified by his alleged encounter with an angel in the cave where he habitually prayed, as well as the voice he is said to have heard saying, “O Muhammad! You are the messenger of God, and I am Gabriel.” [v] One notable exception to this tendency is the Indian mystic and philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti (1895-1986), who specifically disallowed a religion to be founded based upon his experiences and teachings. The body of his philosophy was based on repeated instances of cosmoconsciousness, a term used in conscientiology [vi] to express wu 悟 or enlightenment, the most often cited of which was described by him in the following words:
...I was supremely happy, for I had seen. Nothing could ever be the same. I have drunk at the clear and pure waters at the source of the fountain of life and my thirst was appeased. Nevermore could I be thirsty, never more could I be in utter darkness. I have seen the Light. I have touched compassion which heals all sorrow and suffering; it is not for myself, but for the world. I have stood on the mountain top and gazed at the mighty Beings. Never can I be in utter darkness; I have seen the glorious and healing Light. The fountain of Truth has been revealed to me and the darkness has been dispersed. Love in all its glory has intoxicated my heart; my heart can never be closed. I have drunk at the fountain of Joy and eternal Beauty. I am God-intoxicated.” [vii] (Lutyens: 159-160)
These teachings are available for those who wish to consider and utilize them. More specifically, Krishnamurti did not present his ideas as absolute truths but commonly referred to his discourses with others as “conversations between friends.” In Chinese philosophy, we can also cite the case of Wang Yangming王阳明(1472-1528) as a noteworthy example of someone who experienced enlightenment. In Fung Yu-lan's words, “enlightenment came to him suddenly one night” as he reflected upon death while in a cave, popularly referred to as Yang's cave or the yangdong阳洞and “as a result, he gained a new understanding of the central idea of the Great Learning (《大学》), and from this viewpoint reinterpreted this work.” Subsequent to this experience, Wang completed and systematized the teaching of the Mind School. In this case Wang's incident also did not result in the foundation of a religion. [viii]
It is of interest to note that Fuxi (伏羲) also did not establish a religion, nor have others transformed his ideas into a faith. It is not so much, it would seem, that he did not allow it, but that his patrimony to humanity did not lend itself to the creation of a dogma. Perhaps this is due to the fact that the Zhouyi周易(Book of Changes) is too mathematical in nature to be religionized. Mathematics, of course, will never become a religion. It is a logical analysis of the world around us and the world within. To the degree that we can precisely examine our inner and outer world we are on a safe road to something less than conjecture and more than dogma. Given the interconnectedness of the myriad things, so aptly expressed through “the unity of heaven and humanity” (天人合一), or the oneness upon which the Book of Changes is founded, the consciousness can be seen as an expression of the multidimentional cosmos, and vice-versa. When investigating the human consciousness – also expressed as personal essence or the intelligent principle – one must maintain a meticulous scrutiny of things, in the sense of taking a logical, rational, numerical value approach to the issue. It is necessary to quantify the human process and not be satisfied with simply qualifying it. The human experience is a subjective one, but the analysis of same must be objective. As far as the subjective human experience can be quantified, statistically if in no other manner, we are moving toward coherence. Anecdotal evidence alone is not sufficient and should not be taken at face value. An objective analysis of repeated experiences performed by trained investigators can lead to statistical consensus.
One of the treatises of the applied science of conscientiology, for example, is a work entitled the Conscientiogram. This is a comprehensive tool that allows one to conduct a comprehensive self-analysis of his or her weak-traits and strong-traits, including the level of parapsychism or the capacity for having transcendent experiences. The use of this means for methodical self-evaluation allows the measurement of the various aspects of the personality. Through numerical values given in reference to the relative strength or weakness of personality characteristics, the individual subsequently arrives at a numerical quotient. It can thus be seen that the human consciousness and the world or multidimensional [ix] realm which we inhabit may both be analyzed in a logical, sensible, mathematical and, ultimately, fruitful and cogent manner. It is, in fact, upon this precept that the future of humanity – as consciousnesses and not reflexive survival-oriental beings – is thought to hinge. This leads us to the necessity of two things: 1) the unique, individual, inalienable, personal experience of expansion of the consciousness that can lead to the state of cosmoconsciousness; 2) the logical, scientific [x] analysis of these experiences.
Indeed, it is fruitful to move toward a personal world in which cosmoconsciousness as a singular “peak experience” is not sufficient. The term “peak experience” is often used to describe incidents in: 1) sports, as “a rare moment of great happiness and fulfillment, accompanied by loss of fear, inhibition, and insecurity” [xi] resulting from a heightened metabolic state, as well as 2) transpersonal and ecstatic states that involve a sense of unity and interconnectedness. The point here is that the peak experience is an exalted state that stands out from those of everyday mundane life due to its transcendent nature. Thus, this paper focuses on the second meaning, as provided above. In fact, if one is to seriously pursue a consistent state of being of oneness or “Unitive consciousness,” it requires more than hope and adrenaline. In the words of the renowned psychologist Abraham H. Maslow:
…to take up residence on the high plateau of Unitive consciousness – that is another matter altogether. That tends to be a lifelong effort. It should not be confused with the Thursday evening turn-on that many youngsters think of as the path to transcendence. For that matter, it should not be confused with any single experience. The “spiritual disciplines,” both the classical ones and the new ones that keep on being discovered these days, all take time, work, discipline, study, commitment. [xii]
He goes on to explain the “plateau-experience.”
This is serene and calms rather than a poignantly emotional, climactic, autonomic response to the miraculous, the awesome, the sacralized... So far as I can now tell the high plateau-experience always has a noetic and cognitive element, which is not always true for peak experiences, which can be purely and exclusively emotional. [xiii]
Referring once more to the case of Krishnamurti, in spite of the fact that he was not able to elicit this “process,” as he termed it, at will, his was an occurrence which transpired in a recurring fashion. What sustained Krishnamurti through his philosophical-intellectual life was a continuous series of experiences, supplemented with intellectual studies. It is worth emphasizing that his repeated instances of cosmoconsciousness and the results that it brought of a broader purview of things went beyond his studies. Whereas intellectual endeavors of a philosophical nature can bring the student of life up to a certain point of acumen, they can only take him or her to a threshold, which can only be transcended through a bona fide, personal and yet universal state of cosmoconsciousness.
II. The Importance of Cheng 诚 in Cosmoconsciousness
Given the serial nature of Krishnamurti's experiences and their noteworthy high-level quality, one may postulate that this results from a fairly elevated degree of cheng, often translated as “sincerity,” as it is referred to in Chinese philosophy. The “heaven-human-earth” triad concept, as reflected in the Doctrine of the Mean, establishes the sage in partnership with heaven, acting as an intermediary between heaven and earth. In the Doctrine of the Mean, cheng is presented as the key requisite for the development of the superior man (君子) in his progression toward sagehood (圣人). Indeed, the Doctrine of the Mean illustrates how cheng and the oneness of man and heaven are closely related, as seen in the following passage:
It is characteristic of the most entire sincerity (cheng) to be able to foreknow. When a nation or family is about to flourish, there are sure to be happy omens; and when it is about to perish, there are sure to be unlucky omens. Such events are seen in the milfoil and tortoise, and affect the movements of the four limbs. When calamity or happiness is about to come, the good shall certainly be foreknown by him, and the evil also. Therefore the individual possessed of the most complete sincerity (cheng) is like a spirit. (24)
The individual in the state of cheng has developed capacities which allow him or her perceive other realms, thereby enabling a partnership with said realms. In this condition, that person can be said to be “with-all-that-there-is.” This refers to being in touch with all things, which can also be expressed as “oneness.” The sage has become cheng. It is for this reason that she or he can serve as a component of the triad formed with heaven and earth. The superior man, on the other hand, endeavors to live along the lines of cheng. This is performed through self-cultivation and is portrayed in the The Doctrine of the Mean:
He who attains to sincerity (cheng) is he who chooses what is good, and firmly holds it fast. To this attainment there are requisite the extensive study of what is good, accurate inquiry about it, careful reflection on it, the clear discrimination of it, and the earnest practice of it. (20: 18,19)
Thus, as one develops a greater degree of cheng a greater experience of oneness is developed. A purer cosmoconsciousness is one which is not “forced” or due to traumatic sources, such as illness, pain, and accidents, but that which is founded on the quality and strength of the individual's personal makeup. In this regard we would refer to the sage or sheng ren who “resonates as jade,” [xiv] a reference made to the purity of the sage's moral character.
III. Direct Experience
The Doctrine of the Mean is considered by many scholars to be a metaphysical work which allows a guideline for achieving the state of sagehood and oneness with all things. The experience of cosmic consciousness is resonant with the passage “So far-reaching and long-continuing, it makes him infinite” found in chapter 26 of the Doctrine of the Mean. Although this work does not provide a direct personal account of cosmoconsciousness, is it not reasonable to presume that its author, in order to write on the subject of oneness, would, of necessity, have had this experience? If so, can we conclude that Zisi子思(492-431 b.c.), the putative author of the Doctrine of the Mean, may have had the experience of cosmoconsciousness or oneness with heaven? It would appear that its author was not speaking at random but knew of what he spoke. He was seriously delineating a manual to allow the individual to progress. The same analysis may be proffered to the Book of Changes. Given the profundity of the work and how it has been able to be developed, due to its sound foundation, it can likewise be presumed, using the previous two examples of the Zisi and Krishnamurti, that Fuxi created the eight trigrams based upon a direct experience of the makeup of the cosmos. If this were not the case it would have been quite impossible for him to draw up this succinct yet profound blueprint. In fact, anything less than a clear experience of what one is speaking of can only result in long, drawn-out discourses that end in nothing but smoke. In his book Cosmic Consciousness, Richard Maurice Bucke contends that authors who have had cosmoconsicousness often do not describe the experience directly but tend to portray it indirectly in their writings. He posits, for example, that Laozi老子(c. sixth century B.C.) experienced cosmoconsiousness by way of parallel association, comparing passages from the Dao De Jing 道德经 with those from authors who, he argues, have experienced cosmoconsciousness. Two samples from this paralleling are given below, comparing portions of Laozi's Dao De Jing with Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass [xv] :
Dao de Jing
Leaves of Grass
The partial becomes complete; the crooked, straight; the empty, full; the worn out, new. He whose (desires) are few gets them; he whose (desires) are many goes astray.
The felon steps forth from the prison, the insane becomes sane… the throat that was unsound is sound, the lungs of the consumptive are resumed, the poor distressed head is free.
Sincere words are not fine; fine words are not sincere; those who are skilled (in the Tâo) do not dispute (about it); the disputatious are not skilled in it. Those who know (the Tâo) are not extensively learned; the extensively learned do not know it.
Logic and sermons never convince.
I cannot beguile the time with talk. In the learned coterie sitting constrained and still, for learning inures not to me.
Since it can be argued that the works of both Laozi and Zisi (and very likely Confucius as well) were penned by individuals who had experienced cosmoconsciousness and since both Daoism and Confucianism share the Yijing as their foundation, it stands to reason to the authors that Fuxi, the author of the eight trigrams, necessarily experienced cosmoconsciousness as well.
The consciential paradigm, as put forth in conscientiology, places the consciousness at the observational zero coordinate. However, this centrifugal orientation, moving from inside outward, is not isolationist, in the sense of analyzing the world based upon one's limited personal sensory-based reality. It results from parapsychic (mystical, metaphysical) phenomena, including cosmoconsciousness, which is an all-encompassing experience of oneness with the universe. This affords a broader perspective than the external observational method utilized by the orthodox scientific paradigm, as applied in the life sciences. In order to plumb the depths of the cosmos one must necessarily make observations from a personal vantage. This being the case, perceptions, in order to encompass the universe, must be expanded to include it. Cosmoconsciousness allows us to perceive and understand the entire cosmos at a glance. It is also our birthright as human beings. As such, it is an opportunity that we are obliged to seize if we truly wish to understand the human condition. As well, if we are at all serious about the evolution of humanity, i.e., the consciousness, then it is our obligation to push our personal envelope to the point where we can have expansion of the consciousness and transport ourselves beyond the mundane and into the universal, into the multidimensional – without return. As Fuxi was able to create a work that mathematically translates into oneness, we may conclude that he had repeated personal high-quality experiences of expansion of the consciousness and, furthermore, that he must have actually lived a life of expanded consciousness. If this were not the case, his task would have been impossible. A work such as the eight trigrams could not result from a singular peak experience.
IV. The Unified Nature of the Cosmos
How can it be said that the eight trigrams and the Book of Changes are expressions of oneness? Starting from the precept that all things are interconnected, being the foundation upon which the Book of Changes is based, we can proceed to the point that if all things in the universe are analyzed, then patterns can be found involving these things. One can then work in a reverse order, from the fractionated end of things, as it were, of analyzing the discrete elements of the universe, reading the patterns along the way to arrive at a unified theorem. But if it is possible, through the analysis of the ten thousand things, to come to a singular understanding of how the cosmos operates, this singleness can only be reached through the concept of oneness, that everything is interconnected: that the dynamic of everything depends on the dynamic of everything else and nothing happens without affecting everything else in the universe. That is to say, whereas intellectual analysis of the myriad things surely proves to be fruitful and directs the individual toward a more unified system of understanding the universe [xvi] , this intellectual exercise, when performed ad nauseam, allowing the investigator to develop a theory about the unified nature of the cosmos, is but that: an intellectual exercise. It does not bring the individual closer to a true understanding of what oneness is. Through the experience the intellectual model is rectified, as there are sure to be errors in the analysis. The investigator subsequently views the intellectual construct from above and not from below. Physicalist scientists start out from a position of non-understanding and endeavor to understand. However, when the individual has groomed him or herself with an intellectual or logical framework and way of thinking, and structured as much of the world within that accepted fabric, then when he or she has a personal experience, it serves to amend and endorse the construct, as far as it is found to be accurate. It also allows one to verbalize the experience, to the degree that this is possible.
Numerous individuals have experienced an expansion of the consciousness, to varying degrees, generated in one way or another, and yet because the experiencer was not sufficiently intellectually groomed he or she was not able to transmit the occurrence and offer an objective analysis, resulting in an overly subjective, anecdotal report. Here the term “objective” is used with reference to the issue of consensus, wherein enough individuals, having had personal experiences, can relate them in an orderly and dispassionate fashion, much as a journalist would, although preferably a scientifically trained reporter, permitting the occurrences and the resulting observations to be rationally analyzed, eventually allowing a consensus to be reached. This unfortunately does not always happen, but it is the direction in which we need to move. We can then see, then, the importance of developing both a rational, scientific, objective, logical way of analyzing the multidimensional world in which we live, as well as the need for advancing ourselves as individuals to the point where we can have repeated, controlled, healthful, personal experiences of expansion of the consciousness that provide an appreciation of the makeup of the cosmos through direct understanding.
It has been postulated here that personal experiences of cosmoconsciousness are what enabled Fuxi to create a work of such structural integrity that it allowed others to develop it further. If we are to promote a continuously greater understanding of our relationship with the cosmos, it is incumbent upon us to use Fuxi, King Wen, King Wu, Confucius and others as evolutionary models – although not absolute ones, as they are also in a process of evolution and have their own weak traits and strong traits. Then we can work toward the evolutionary level of those models in order to develop ourselves to the point where we can begin to engender, on a repeated basis, in a controlled manner, in a healthful state, our own expansion of the consciousness, which will permit us to contribute to the lineage of this intellectual analysis and not leave us reduced to the point of mere intellectual exercises, decorating, redecorating and rearranging existing information, but moving it forward instead. As evolutionary levels are marked by the level of awareness, as humanity develops greater lucidity, on a wholesale basis, human evolution will naturally be promoted. In Bucke's words:
“… Our descendants will sooner or later reach, as a race, the condition of cosmic consciousness, just as, long ago, our ancestors passed from simple to self consciousness. He [Bucke] believes that this step in evolution is even now being made, since it is clear to him both that men with the faculty in question are becoming more and more common and also that as a race we are approaching nearer and nearer to that stage of the self conscious mind from which the transition to the cosmic conscious is effected.” [xvii]
Waldo Vieira, the progenitor of conscientiology, likewise states that the human race will eventually move into a “consciential era,” being “that era in which average human consciousnesses will encounter themselves sufficiently improved through the impacts, redefinitions, revolutions and evolution by generalized lucid projection.” [xviii] According to research, lucid projection is a multidimensional human phenomenon in which the consciousness is temporarily freed of physical restrictions. This phenomenon allows achievement of the purest modality of cosmoconsciousness.
V. Assistance
The authors have noted in a previous article [xix] , and consider it quite evident, that Fuxi did not develop this system of thought for his personal use. Instead, he did so in order to be able to transmit his purview of the cosmos or his vantage point from that of oneness of the universe, to others so that they might, through at least an intellectual appreciation, begin to come to grips with the interconnectedness of the universe. He created the eight trigrams not with egotistical interests in mind but as an act of fraternity and assistance to aid humankind with a clearer understanding of its situation in the universe; not as living biological debris or as a swarm of discrete particulate elements that are unrelated to anything except the food chain and physical human necessities such as eating and drinking, but as an integrated part of the cosmos that can, through its own efforts move itself toward a more lucid oneness with the cosmos and take its rightful place as a citizenry of said cosmos. He was thus not targeting personal gain with this information. Quite to the contrary: he was expending what could be construed as great effort to avail this analytical self-research tool to humanity, to serve the common good. This would then bring into question the validity of those who, while they have not endeavored to turn the Book of Changes into a religion, have made it into an enterprise for self-gain. Those who have chosen to use a sometimes partial or truncated version of this information with the aim of becoming a “merchants of the future” – feeling they should receive gratuities for guaranteeing a more profitable life, in terms of finances, health and influence – may consider reevaluating their actions. They may wish to inquire as to the correct use of this information and analyze in which way and to what degree they are using it. Is it being used to benefit humankind or are they reversing the assistential dynamic and focusing only on personal well-being? This is a question that each individual has to answer for him or herself but it is worth both asking and answering. In this regard, we would refer the reader to the following passage from the Doctrine of the Mean: “Sincerity (cheng) is the end and beginning of things; without sincerity (cheng) there would be nothing.” (25:2)
Conclusion
The authors are aware that the approach of this article may be taken by the reader as being speculative in nature. However, as the ancient sages have, for millennia, been held as the evolutionary models of the Chinese people, the question remains: what is the profile of the sage and what is the mechanism by which he or she acquires her or his advanced insights into humanity and its processes? It is popular to resort to heuristics, implying that Confucius and others were able to achieve their perceptions regarding the Book of Changes and other “mysterious” or “mystical” works through contemplation, reflection and gradual insight that is a result of intellectual immersion in a subject. Fuxi's development of the eight trigrams, however, which is a transcendent work, cannot rationally be attributed to reflection alone. Simply put, transcendent works result from transcendent perceptions; these perceptions are the fruit of transcendent, “mystical” or “metaphysical” experiences. If these occurrences, which have been reported throughout the history of humanity, are daydreams, then Fuxi's work is nothing more than the result of diurnal, waking hallucinations. The skeptical reader may struggle to maintain his or her physicalist ground of being, as it is more familiar, comfortable and therefore ideologically less threatening. But if we are going to fathom the human condition we must have the courage to face the reality of the universe on its terms, not on our own. The prospect of this paper is presented not on the basis of supposition but of human experiences that are universal and therefore not exclusive to a single culture, period, socio-economic level or language. They are historically present, and duly recorded since the dawn of humankind. For those who wish to use the analogy of a technological improvement, if one is to begin employing a more advanced tool, she or he must first relinquish the old tool, regardless of how accustomed one has become to using it, in order that the work at hand may be conducted more efficaciously and all of humankind can, together, move to the next “quantum” in evolution of the consciousness.
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Kevin de La Tour (American), Executive Director of the Sino-Brazilian Academic Exchange Center, researcher at the International Center for the Higher Studies of Conscientiology (CEAEC), Brazil.
[ii] Simone de La Tour (Brazilian), Director of the Sino-Brazilian Academic Exchange Center, researcher at the International Center for the Higher Studies of Conscientiology (CEAEC), Brazil.
[iii] The Center for the Higher Studies of Conscientiology (CEAEC) was founded by Waldo Vieira, M.D. in 1995 and is located in Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil.
[iv] Richard S. Cohen, “Shakyamuni: Buddhism's Founder in Ten Acts,” David Noel Freedman and Michael J. McClymond (ed.), The Rivers of Paradise: Moses, Buddha, Confucius, Jesus, and Muhammad as Religious Founders (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2001), p.124.
[v] Daniel C. Peterson, “Muhammad,” David Noel Freedman and Michael J. McClymond (ed.), The Rivers of Paradise: Moses, Buddha, Confucius, Jesus, and Muhammad as Religious Founders (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2001), p.490, p.501, p.502.
[vi] The science of conscientiology (意识学), proposed by Brazilian physician Waldo Vieira, studies the human consciousness (意识) – also referred to as one's essence, the intelligent principle, self or ego (自我) – and all of its multidimensional manifestations.
[vii] Lutyens Mary, Krishnamurti: The Years of Awakening (Boston: Shambhala Publications, Inc., 1997), pp. 159-160.
[viii] Fung Yu-Lan 冯友兰, Selected Philosophical Writings of Fung Yu-Lan. Beijing: Foreign Languages Press, 1998, p.531.
[ix] The term “multidimensional” here refers to a compound of intraphysical (physical) and extraphysical (nonphysical) dimensions.
[x] It merits pointing out that the authors do not propose the approach put forth by scientism, defined by Merriam-Webster's Unabridged Dictionary as: a thesis that the methods of the natural sciences should be used in all areas of investigation including philosophy, the humanities, and the social sciences: a belief that only such methods can fruitfully be used in the pursuit of knowledge.
[xi] Michael. Kent, The Oxford Dictionary of Sports Science (New York: Oxford University Press, 2007).
[xii] Abraham H. Maslow, Religions, Values, and Peak Experiences (New York: Penguin, 1994), xvi.
[xiii] Ibid., xiv.
[xiv] This refers to strips 19-20 of the Guodian version of the “Wuxingpian,” which states: “The bronze sounds, and the jade resonates: [The metaphor for] one who possesses Virtue. The clangor of bronze is Excellence; The chime of jade is Sageliness. Excellence is the Way of Humans, while Virtue is the Way of Heaven. Only for one who possesses Virtue will the clangor of bronze be paired with the resonance of jade. (See Susan Weld. “Guodian and Baoshan: Legal Theories and Practices.” in the Proceedings of the International Academic Conference on the Guodian Bamboo Strips 郭店楚简国际学术研讨会论文集[Wuhan: Hubei Renmin Publishing House, 2000], p. 13.)
[xv] Richard Maurice, Bucke M.D, Cosmic Consciousness (New York: Penguin Putnam, Inc., 1991), pp. 264, 266-267.
[xvi] Webster's New World Dictionary & Thesaurus offers the following etymology for “universe”: unus, one + versus, the past participle of vertere, to turn. It is interesting that this term is thereby suggestive of unity in constant motion – a natural allusion to the taiji symbol [.
[xvii] Richard Maurice, Bucke M.D, Cosmic Consciousness (New York: Penguin Putnam, Inc., 1991), pp.3-4/
[xviii] Vieira Waldo, Conscienciograma: Técnica de Avaliação da Consciência Integral (Conscientiogram: Technique for Evaluation of the Integral Consciousness) (Rio de Janeiro: International Institute of Projectiology, 1996), p. 382.
[xix] See our article, “The Zhouyi and the Multidimensional Nature of the Cosmos,” in Zhouyi Studies周易研究(English Version), vol.4, no.1 (2006), pp. 118-138. |
楼主: 饶为市
发表于 2009-8-1 01:44:27
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