Overview

This book is a guide to help you plan the most significant journey you can take. The purpose is to provide you with a practical overview and handbook of fundamental transpersonal and spiritual practices that have been developed throughout the world. When you have such a broad overview, you can more effectively choose those practices and teachings which are best suited for your current position and goals. There is a multitude of good books that provide detailed discussions of various transpersonal theories and practices. This book is more general and provides an integration of the basic practices used in these various approaches.

So, who is going on this journey? Some travelers primarily think about the journey psychologically. They are interested in things such as maximizing their potential, self-actualization, peak experiences and peak performance, and psychological insights. Other travelers wish to move beyond (“trans”) the limitations of their conditioned personal beings. Their transpersonal Journey or consciousness exploration is aimed at getting beyond the restrictions and suffering of an ego-based reality. Some existentialists suggest there is a basic force or will for such self-transcendence. Other travelers perceive themselves on a spiritual journey, perhaps wishing some type of experience, communion, or merging with that which is greater than themselves and which “includes” them.

We could describe many other perspectives; it seems that most people are on some type of quest that leads them to science, psychology, philosophy, religion, or the occult in the hopes of satisfying some basic yearnings. In the next four chapters, I describe four different ways of thinking about the universal journey.

Although there are many different ways to think about the journey and where it leads, there is agreement among the great traditions about the most effective practices for traveling on the journey. This book is a survey of these practices and related issues. This is a book about what to do, not what to believe. In fact, relative to the journey it is often best to “believe” as little as possible. Just follow the practices, go on the journey, and see for yourself.

The benefits of the practices are many and include the following: clearing of perception, increased mental flexibility and creativity, transcendence of assumptions and limitations, new insights about self and world, and greater happiness and peace of mind. Life becomes simpler, lighter, and more direct. One becomes more effective at helping other people achieve the same.

In this book I describe the fundamental essence of the practices and how they relate to each other. When this is understood you can more intelligently pursue other sources (books, teachers, training programs, etc.) for more detail and elaboration of the practices.

Transpersonal/spiritual practices are potentially very powerful. This should not be underestimated. They can literally transform your being. Therefore, I must include the following warning: if any such practices cause unpleasant psychological disturbances, then stop the practices and consult a counselor or guide who is experienced in that area. Occasionally, a person’s ego may be overwhelmed by the thoughts and images that arise during meditation. Or you may be upset by the boredom and frustration that may occur during part of the journey. And in yoga, some practices may produce a variety of sensations that could be upsetting to someone who does not understand them.

Finally, it would be useful here to make two distinctions: between “form” and “essence,” and between “religious” and “spiritual.” In this book essence refers to the fundamental nature of a practice or act, while form refers to the particular manifestation or example of the essence. Thus, when I discuss the essence of concentration, I am referring to a fundamental property of the mind (how focused or one-pointed it is) independent of the form the concentration takes (what the mind is focused on’ and related experiences). Thus, the practice of developing the essence of concentration is universal, even though the form of the practice may vary considerably. Thus, the form might involve sitting meditation or listening exercises, while the essence of what is being developed is the same. This book deals with the essence of basic personal and transpersonal practices, with various forms used as examples.

Confusing form with essence is a common trap for people on the journey. For example, an American who wishes to pursue a Hindu or Buddhist path may get lost in the form of the practice (concepts, culture, dress, vocabulary, etc.) and miss the essence of the practice which is universally independent of form. Now it may be practical and/or desirable to choose a particular form, but the form is only useful to the extent it facilitates developing or manifesting the essence.

People have described transpersonal experiences and insights within the forms of science, philosophy, religion, poetry, paintings, music, and teaching stories. But there is a universal essence to what is being described, some of which is called the Perennial Philosophy (see appendices), regardless of the various forms.

Similarly with the distinction between spiritual and religious: I use the term “spiritual” to refer to those practices, insights, states of being, and frames of reference related to that which is super- ordinate to, prior to, and inclusive of the individual. The essence of the spiritual is often found within the form of religion. By “religious,” I refer to those beliefs, rituals, and social customs which are the result of spiritual, political, and cultural forces. Thus, this is a spiritual book, not a religious book. It deals with spiritual practices, not religious beliefs. However, many of the spiritual practices will be described in forms drawn from the world religions. From a spiritual point of view the beliefs and devotional practices of a particular religion are helpful to the extent that they lead in a transpersonal direction, and harmful to the extent that they bind people to the form or politics. Even those religions which argue that there is nothing to do and/or that faith is sufficient advocate certain ways of being which are facilitated by the spiritual practices.

The essence of the spiritual and transpersonal practices is very simple and universal. But the depth and breadth hidden in this simplicity is continually uncovered as one continues the journey.