Eyes Wide Open: Cultivating Discernment on the Spiritual Path

by Mariana Caplan

The spiritual path is like any other road—it's going to have its share of potholes. Perhaps the best way to avoid them is through discernment, the quality of open-eyed awareness and honest perception that helps us turn challenges into opportunity, lessons into growth. In Eyes Wide Open, Mariana Caplan invites readers to join her on a quest for truth along the often bumpy journey of the spiritual life. Building on the foundation she laid with her previous works Halfway Up the Mountain (Hohm, 1999) and Do You Need a Guru? (Thorsons, 2002), Caplan challenges us to take full responsibility for our lives, as we investigate:

What is spirituality anyway? Feeding the hungry heart in contemporary Western culture. Spiritually transmitted diseases: the common traps of modern spirituality, and how to avoid them. The universal theme of the Healing Crisis, and how discernment provides a "life raft" for such times. Fully integrated spirituality: balancing body, psyche, and spirit for potent transformation.

We evolve spiritually by cultivating discernment that is powerful enough to pierce through confusion on every level of our experience, explains Mariana Caplan. To help us along the way, this fellow traveler now offers Eyes Wide Open.

Mariana Caplan, PhD, has spent over two decades researching and practicing many of the world's great mystical traditions. She is a professor of yogic and transpersonal psychologies and has authored seven books in the fields of psychology and spirituality.

Genres: Spirituality, Nonfiction, Psychology, Philosophy, Buddhism

328 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2008

Reviews

[Loretta · Rating 5 out of 5]

I needed to read this book, this year. I belong to a spiritual community which is going through its #MeToo revelations and it is very hard and difficult. I found this book really helpful and clarifying. Caplan brings a lot of study and insight to the question of how and why humans are drawn to spiritual paths, how we progress along that path - and don't progress - and why teachers who might be kind of englightened might not be quite enlightened enough, and then they screw it up in very painful ways for their students.

This is very good read for anyone pursuing a serious spiritual path, regardless of the screw-ups or not of their teachers. The emphasis is on eastern/meditative type traditions, but I think the wisdom is pretty readily translatable.

[David Simoni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Along with Spiritual Bypassing by Robert Augustus Masters you have a foolproof bullshit detector which will keep you from fooling yourself and avoiding the the ersatz, megalomaniacal gurus out there in the spiritual marketplace!

[Jocelyn Paige Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Caplan gives an eye-opening perspective of truth behind spiritual awakenings and spiritual self-help guidance. I found every chapter to be filled with wisdom, useful and practical.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Spiritual discernment, called viveka khyatir in Sanskrit, is said to be the "crowning wisdom" on the spiritual path. The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali say that the cultivation of discernment is so powerful that it has the capacity to destroy ignorance and address the very source of suffering. According to Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, to discern is "to recognize or identify as separate and distinct." Those who possess spiritual discernment have learned this skill in relationship to spiritual matters, and they can consistently make intelligent, balanced, and excellent choices in their lives and in relationship to their spiritual development. Their eyes are wide open, and they see clearly." p.xxii-xxiii, Introduction

"Discernment teaches us to live well, and when we die, we can do so feeling I have lived a good life. I have gained as much self-awareness as I was capable of, and I have fulfilled a purpose on earth. We can know that our lives have not been in vain, that we have touched - and have been profoundly touched by - life." p.xxv, Introduction

"Because we cannot see or locate ego and we have many misconceptions about it, learning to work with it remains a core challenge throughout our spiritual lives. Since ego cannot and does not die, effective spiritual practice and development must guide us in how to forge a constructive relationship with it. Michael Washburn, one of the foremost theorists in the field of transpersonal psychology, has formulated a theory of healthy ego development on the spiritual path that he calls a spiral dynamic model. According to this model, growth happens in a spiral with an ongoing relationship between psychology and spirit. It reaches us that we must cultivate keep discernment in relationship to egoic development to optimize our spiritual development." p. 85-86, Chapter 4, The Psychology of Ego

"What we in the Western world call psychology is simply one aspect of the study of human consciousness, which ultimately cannot be separated from the spiritual dimension of life. It is only modern Western psychology that has split psyche from spirit, primarily because of the dominant scientific paradigm that splits spirit from matter and acknowledges only what is quantifiable. Although much of Western psychology is empirically and scientifically based, many of the most influential pioneers in the field, from William James to Sigmund Freud to Carl Jung, were well versed in, and in some cases engaged in, the practices of both Eastern and Western esoteric spirituality." p.88, Chapter 4, The Psychology of Ego

"We need to understand the basic principles of ego, see how they inform our psychology, and learn to work with ourselves in a way that not only untangles our individual psychological knots but also those rooted in our deeper, karmic conditioning." p. 104, Chapter 4, The Psychology of Ego

"...the body is made up of five sheaths, or koshas, some visible and others invisible. The outermost sheath is the physiological sheath, proceeding to the energy sheath, mind sheath, wisdom sheath, and bliss sheath. Psychological work generally involves the first three of these sheaths, and spirituality the second two and the knowledge that emerges beyond this. But because these levels are highly interconnected, blocks in one of the areas, particularly the lower sheaths, frequently block the development of the higher sheaths and do not allow for higher integration. Similarly, work with the higher sheaths helps balance the lower sheaths. When spirituality and psychology come together, there emerges a more holistic vision of life. When a person simultaneously does deep psychological work and spiritual practice, the insights gained from one help him or her go deeper into the other. I believe that, particularly for Westerners, psychology and spirituality need each other. Ultimately, there is a union between the two, but they do not replace each other." p. 229, Chapter 10, The Union of Psychology and Spirituality

[Maureen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Psychology and Spirituality: One Path or Two?

"Buddhist psychology, as well as yogic and Sufi psychologies, developed and evolved over thousands of years.The true psychology of the Western world is still in a period of inception"

The impersonal is a truth, the personal too is a truth; they are the same truth seen from two sides of our psychological activity; neither by itself gives the total account of Reality, and yet by either we can approach it. --SRI Aurobindo, "The Divine Personality"

(pages 221-222)

[Jane Hanser · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another book about "healing" that - while she makes many good points - frustrates me. This is a good book to read as Ms. Caplan writes and abjures about unscrupulous and charismatic figures on the "healing" world who take advantages of others. The book implores people involved in these eastern religions (yoga, etc.) to watch out and to be careful. This is so important and Ms. Caplan describes this well.

My complaints were the following: too much emphasis on Eastern religions as THE sources of spirituality, when in truth much of our great spirituality comes from none other than the early Hebrews - teachings which have subsequently been dispersed throughout the world and picked up on by Eastern religions (through trade and exile), Middle Eastern religions (Islam) and even Western religions such as Christianity.

Secondly, this notion that we can heal ourselves, "There exists within each of us the capacity to heal ourselves" is very nice for an egocentric society such as ours. This "jungle physician" concept is dangerous, however, and sadly has become integral in crack spirituality.

[Maryline David · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learnt so much from this book, so many enlightening gems to cite spanning the realm of spirituality of psychology. Many references for further reading, including in the field of translation with Jung's "gnostic intermediaries" for example.

[Carla Boner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book on our spiritual journey, how to customize it for ourselves and how spirituality and psychology work hand in hand to help us progress past traumas and beliefs that hold us back. I can't express in words how good this book was.

[Ravi Raman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Took about a year to finish. Stopped halfway through and then picked it up again and finished it in a week. Fascinating read for anyone interested in psychology and spiritual development. Outlays pitfalls on the path. It goes a bit too deep in a number of areas that had me skimming for want of interest, but overall was interesting. I don’t agree with the author on many of her core points, emphasizing the importance of dealing with past trauma and psychological insecurities vs moving beyond them - but she’s a PHD in psychology so what would you expect?

[Walter Tripicchio · Rating 5 out of 5]

Uno stupendo saggio sul percorso spirituale e sullo sviluppo del discernimento, ricco di citazioni e suggerimenti per evitare le piú comuni trappole. L'autrice é diretta, scrive bene e fa perno sulle proprie molteplici esperienze (quale psicologa e insegnante della tradizione advaita vedanta, ma anche grazie agli incontri con i maestri di altri lignaggi). Mi ha tenuto incollato per un bel po' di giorni, ho assaporato lentamente ogni passaggio e sottolineato molte parti del libro. Acquisto eccellente.

[PP · Rating 3 out of 5]

เตือนว่าการเดินทางสายจิตวิญญาณอาจเป็นอันตรายหากเริ่มมาจากความพยายามหนีปัญหาด้านจิตใจอย่างอื่น หนังสือยกตัวอย่างและพูดถึงประเด็นต่างๆ เช่นการยึดติดวัตถุทางจิตวิญญาณ (ซึ่งเป็นแค่การเปลี่ยนความอยากอย่างทางโลกไปสู่ทางที่ดูเหมือนจิตวิญญาณ) หรือการที่ความเจ็บปวดวัยเด็กที่ไม่ได้รับการแก้ไขยังคงส่งผลเชิงลบต่อผู้เดินทางสายจิตวิญญาณจำนวนมาก

[Belinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have used discernment on the spiritual path and this book is the only one I've read that actually addresses this clearly for the reader. Enjoyed it very much.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful read. I read chapter 10-13 first but then read the whole thing from the beginning.

I found the mention in Chapter 4, "The Psychology of the Ego", of the 5 koshas or sheaths from yogic philosophy particularly interesting. Koshas are the levels of the body. They are the physical body or sheath (annamayakosha), the energetic body or sheath (pranamayakosha), the mind sheath that processes thoughts and emotions (manomayakosha), the wisdom kosha or sheath (vijnanamayakosha), and the bliss sheath, or pure being, anandamayakosha. These layers surround atman, or individuated pure consciousness.

[Persephone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent. Highly recommended for ministers and spiritual leaders (in non-dogmatic traditions). Also recommended for any serious spiritual practitioner--anyone serious about their inner work and spiritual growth and integrity. Can be a bit dense with psychological jargon, and tends to speak more to practitioners of eastern traditions, but a wide variety of practitioners, I believe, would benefit from this book.

[Erica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommend

[Suzy]

Well written and the perspective is very open minded....no preaching, much appreciated!

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

helpful when you're not feeling spiritual and you wonder whats wrong with you that you don't feel what you used to feel

[Joel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Real discerning and authoritaive writer on this subject.