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The Essence of Jung's Psychology and Tibetan Buddhism: Western and Eastern Paths to the Heart
The Essence of Jung's Psychology and Tibetan Buddhism cuts to the heart of two very different yet remarkably similar traditions. The author touches on many of their major the collective unconscious and karma, archetypes and deities, the analyst and the spiritual friend, and mandalas. Within Tibetan Buddhism she focuses on tantra and relates its emphasis on spiritual transformation, also a major concern of Jung. This expanded edition includes new material on the integration of the two traditions, and the importance of these paths of the heart in today's unsteady world.
144 pages, Paperback
First published January 25, 1986
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
April 19, 2018
Pretty much exactly as the title says. Does a great job in comparing two VERY broad topics, but should not be looked at as anything but an introduction.
August 30, 2021
A magnificent parallel examination of two disparate worldviews - Jung’s analytical psychology and Tibetan Buddhism - drawing and weaving them together into one “golden eternal braid” (to use Douglas Hodstadter’s metaphor from his “Gödel, Escher, Bach”). The process of Enlightenment/realization in Buddhism parallels that of Individuation in the Jungian view - the inward process of reaching the depths of one’s unconscious and integrating that Shadow into the Self (or the mandala, in Buddhism), which is a transpersonal level of consciousness that includes but transcends the narrow ego.
The author also does a great job of emphasizing the differences between the two perspectives - an important one being that Jung considered the Shadow to be a necessary element in the makeup of the Self, not something to be subsumed and eliminated, but integrated into the overall structure of the psyche. Buddhism differs by suggesting that with certain practices it is possible to go further and dissolve the “afflicted self” altogether.
How do these considerations relate to everyday lives? Most directly, I would argue. The book closes with a quote from Jung’s “Two Essays on Analytical Psychology”, emphasizing the notion that inner transformation is the key to also transforming the outer world around us. I happen to agree fully.
The author also does a great job of emphasizing the differences between the two perspectives - an important one being that Jung considered the Shadow to be a necessary element in the makeup of the Self, not something to be subsumed and eliminated, but integrated into the overall structure of the psyche. Buddhism differs by suggesting that with certain practices it is possible to go further and dissolve the “afflicted self” altogether.
How do these considerations relate to everyday lives? Most directly, I would argue. The book closes with a quote from Jung’s “Two Essays on Analytical Psychology”, emphasizing the notion that inner transformation is the key to also transforming the outer world around us. I happen to agree fully.
November 5, 2023
In light of evolutionary theory, Jung’s ideas are truly fascinating, particularly the concept of an expanding consciousness that arose out of early instinctual life. The existence of instinct is indisputable and is clearly present in living things, including humanity. But out of this basic, primordial automation, there arose in humans a volitional consciousness (ego). Jung asserts this consciousness is a “late-born descendant of the unconscious psyche”. It is the nature of this emergent reality of egotistical consciousness that Jung and religions are so concerned with.
The Collective Unconsciousness
While Jung does not prescribe extinguishment of the ego, as do some religions, he nevertheless contends that the ego must become aware of and reconciled to that vast instinctual realm from which it emerged, which he labels the “collective unconscious”. Jung sees the collective unconscious as an inherited, instinctual sort of data base available to everyone, but recognizes that it remains subconscious until properly tapped into. Jung defines the collective unconscious as follows:
“…everything of which I know, but of which I am not at the moment thinking; everything of which I was once conscious but have now forgotten; everything perceived by my senses but not noted by my conscious mind; everything which, involuntarily and without paying attention to it, I feel, think, remember, want, and do; all the future things that are taking shape in me and will sometime come to consciousness…”
Thus, the unconsciousness includes future contents of the conscious psyche and ancestral deposits accumulated since immemorial time. It can be a source of inspiration, creativity, instinct, intuition, dreams, and recognition of synchronistic events. For Jung, the healthiest psychology is one that has formed a synthesis between the ego and the collective unconscious. The author suggests this is similar to the “Middle Path” touted in Buddhism, a path that avoids both ascetic practices and excessive sense indulgences, in favor of a proper mix between the urges of instinctual action and conscious awareness.
Karma
Both Jung and Buddhism observe that, with our actions, both conscious or unconscious, we plant seeds that ripen in the future, such that we suffer, or benefit, from the consequences. Gaining awareness is about ascending into another state of mind that can recognize “cause and effect” more clearly, and therefore become motivated to promote love and compassion in the world. Becoming more aware of “cause and effect” brings more continuity in how one moves in life because there is recognition that all things are interwoven, most particularly matter and spirit. Jung refers to this level of awareness as “the art of seeing”.
Once the ego adapts itself to interaction with the collective unconscious, it gains great benefits of discernment, can better govern its actions, and can more easily render good consequences in life. Because the collective unconscious is not something that develops individually, but is rather inherited, it possesses pre-existent information that can help guide the conscious self. But the ego must maintain its essential role and prevent the self from being fully swallowed back into a primordial instinctual existence that is characterized by compulsiveness, innate drives and propensities that can overwhelm reason. We must learn how to avoid becoming slaves to afflictive emotions such as anger, hatred, and revenge, and instead act with mindfulness, skill, and compassion.
Individuation
This process of harmonizing the conscious and unconscious contents of the psyche is what constitutes spiritual growth, enlightenment, or, as Jung calls it, “individuation”. It is a synthesis out of which a new self emerges. It is what contemporary religion would call “the new man”, the “saved man”, or which Buddhism would call enlightened. The process is not what some Christians refer to as “dying to self”, but is rather an expanding of the conscious self, in concert with the corralling of instinctual urges. It is a collaboration between the conscious and the unconscious, between rationality and instinct, and between countless other polarizations. It is recognizing where we came from, arising out of instinctual animality, and gaining appreciation for what it means to be an awakened, conscious, living organism.
But it also means recognizing the value of that realm from which we emerged, which continues to hail to us in dreams, synchronistic events, intuition, interactions, imagination, art, etc. It is about allowing the unconscious to fertilize the consciousness, as occurs in prayer and meditation. Within prayer and meditation, the conscious mind deliberately confronts the unconsciousness and taps into its capacity for greater awareness. In this way, the ego is broadened into a wider consciousness that sees way beyond its mere self. We find that we are infinitely more than we initially believed ourselves to be when we only identified with our little, materialistic ego.
Dangers
The extent of the unconscious is mysterious and broad. It bears an ancient commonality with all mankind. It is another realm that is infinitely vast and mostly unexplored. There are vast, unknown places within the psyche, and we may encounter both dangerous and benevolent entities there. Jung warned that this inner domain can swallow people up in psychosis, madness, demonic possession, neurosis, alienation, criminality, and other instances of pathology or mental illness. However, we may tread safely in this realm so long as we retain a psychic link with consciousness and do not allow ourselves to relinquish the self.
The expansion of consciousness occurs when we gain experience of this realm without losing ourselves within it. Deploying the name of Christ is very powerful in this realm, for no malevolent entity can stand against the utterance “Jesus”. Both Jung and Buddhism admit that retaining one’s religious sensibilities are essential to safely treading within this inner domain.
Misleading Distractions
Conventional and collective thinking can be obstacles. Many ensconced in Western religion have yet to understand that salvation is not found within acceptance or belief in a definite dogma, but rather in becoming conscious of spiritual reality. A purely intellectual insight is not enough because one knows only the words and not the substance of the thing from inside. Far too many people are misled into snatching up dogma and applying it externally, like a magical ointment, instead of facing their own souls.
Finding salvation is not about embracing doctrinal preconditions; it is about a radical transformation of consciousness, a symbolic death and rebirth into a spiritual mode of being that comes about with the transformation (sacrifice) of the ego for a higher state of consciousness, as is so well exemplified in the life, death, and spiritual resurrection of Jesus. With regard to Jesus, Jung states: “..suffering has to be overcome and the only way to overcome it is to endure it. We learn that only from him (the Crucified Christ).”
Conclusions
The purpose of life is to become conscious of the spiritual self and to interact in concert with it in the material world. The purpose of life is to gain enough consciousness to make ethical decisions, to decide for the Good, and to convert matter into spirit. The purpose of life is to gain perception beyond ordinary reality so that we may achieve more significant awareness and a higher state of being.
As I’m writing this, much of the world is at war, and those wars stem out of religious conflicts, nationalism, and divisive social philosophies. Global organizational unity of the human species seems to be a very remote possibility, as the various factions of power combat over resources and geography, failing to compromise for the greater good. As Jung proclaimed, individuals must change in order for universal unity to occur, such that peace, compassion, and neighborly goodness may prevail. But we need more than just what this author offers. We must do more than reconcile the parallels between Jung and Buddhism. We must also reconcile and refine all the world’s religions into more compassionate and more neighborly contexts.
We must stop condemning one another to hell and envisioning cataclysmic wars of Armageddon. We must become conscious of the damage we are doing to our environment and become proactive in sustaining the purity of the earth, which depends upon the extent to which we can purify our consciousness beyond the animal instinct from which it emerged. If we fail to do these things, then we are doomed to extinction in the same manner as the many unsuccessful species that preceded us. Our success as a species depends upon our ability to continue evolving out of the automated state of animal instinct, so as to enable our ascent toward higher planes of awareness. It is in this manner that more proper volitional decisions can help us produce the heavenly consequences we so desire.
-End-
The Collective Unconsciousness
While Jung does not prescribe extinguishment of the ego, as do some religions, he nevertheless contends that the ego must become aware of and reconciled to that vast instinctual realm from which it emerged, which he labels the “collective unconscious”. Jung sees the collective unconscious as an inherited, instinctual sort of data base available to everyone, but recognizes that it remains subconscious until properly tapped into. Jung defines the collective unconscious as follows:
“…everything of which I know, but of which I am not at the moment thinking; everything of which I was once conscious but have now forgotten; everything perceived by my senses but not noted by my conscious mind; everything which, involuntarily and without paying attention to it, I feel, think, remember, want, and do; all the future things that are taking shape in me and will sometime come to consciousness…”
Thus, the unconsciousness includes future contents of the conscious psyche and ancestral deposits accumulated since immemorial time. It can be a source of inspiration, creativity, instinct, intuition, dreams, and recognition of synchronistic events. For Jung, the healthiest psychology is one that has formed a synthesis between the ego and the collective unconscious. The author suggests this is similar to the “Middle Path” touted in Buddhism, a path that avoids both ascetic practices and excessive sense indulgences, in favor of a proper mix between the urges of instinctual action and conscious awareness.
Karma
Both Jung and Buddhism observe that, with our actions, both conscious or unconscious, we plant seeds that ripen in the future, such that we suffer, or benefit, from the consequences. Gaining awareness is about ascending into another state of mind that can recognize “cause and effect” more clearly, and therefore become motivated to promote love and compassion in the world. Becoming more aware of “cause and effect” brings more continuity in how one moves in life because there is recognition that all things are interwoven, most particularly matter and spirit. Jung refers to this level of awareness as “the art of seeing”.
Once the ego adapts itself to interaction with the collective unconscious, it gains great benefits of discernment, can better govern its actions, and can more easily render good consequences in life. Because the collective unconscious is not something that develops individually, but is rather inherited, it possesses pre-existent information that can help guide the conscious self. But the ego must maintain its essential role and prevent the self from being fully swallowed back into a primordial instinctual existence that is characterized by compulsiveness, innate drives and propensities that can overwhelm reason. We must learn how to avoid becoming slaves to afflictive emotions such as anger, hatred, and revenge, and instead act with mindfulness, skill, and compassion.
Individuation
This process of harmonizing the conscious and unconscious contents of the psyche is what constitutes spiritual growth, enlightenment, or, as Jung calls it, “individuation”. It is a synthesis out of which a new self emerges. It is what contemporary religion would call “the new man”, the “saved man”, or which Buddhism would call enlightened. The process is not what some Christians refer to as “dying to self”, but is rather an expanding of the conscious self, in concert with the corralling of instinctual urges. It is a collaboration between the conscious and the unconscious, between rationality and instinct, and between countless other polarizations. It is recognizing where we came from, arising out of instinctual animality, and gaining appreciation for what it means to be an awakened, conscious, living organism.
But it also means recognizing the value of that realm from which we emerged, which continues to hail to us in dreams, synchronistic events, intuition, interactions, imagination, art, etc. It is about allowing the unconscious to fertilize the consciousness, as occurs in prayer and meditation. Within prayer and meditation, the conscious mind deliberately confronts the unconsciousness and taps into its capacity for greater awareness. In this way, the ego is broadened into a wider consciousness that sees way beyond its mere self. We find that we are infinitely more than we initially believed ourselves to be when we only identified with our little, materialistic ego.
Dangers
The extent of the unconscious is mysterious and broad. It bears an ancient commonality with all mankind. It is another realm that is infinitely vast and mostly unexplored. There are vast, unknown places within the psyche, and we may encounter both dangerous and benevolent entities there. Jung warned that this inner domain can swallow people up in psychosis, madness, demonic possession, neurosis, alienation, criminality, and other instances of pathology or mental illness. However, we may tread safely in this realm so long as we retain a psychic link with consciousness and do not allow ourselves to relinquish the self.
The expansion of consciousness occurs when we gain experience of this realm without losing ourselves within it. Deploying the name of Christ is very powerful in this realm, for no malevolent entity can stand against the utterance “Jesus”. Both Jung and Buddhism admit that retaining one’s religious sensibilities are essential to safely treading within this inner domain.
Misleading Distractions
Conventional and collective thinking can be obstacles. Many ensconced in Western religion have yet to understand that salvation is not found within acceptance or belief in a definite dogma, but rather in becoming conscious of spiritual reality. A purely intellectual insight is not enough because one knows only the words and not the substance of the thing from inside. Far too many people are misled into snatching up dogma and applying it externally, like a magical ointment, instead of facing their own souls.
Finding salvation is not about embracing doctrinal preconditions; it is about a radical transformation of consciousness, a symbolic death and rebirth into a spiritual mode of being that comes about with the transformation (sacrifice) of the ego for a higher state of consciousness, as is so well exemplified in the life, death, and spiritual resurrection of Jesus. With regard to Jesus, Jung states: “..suffering has to be overcome and the only way to overcome it is to endure it. We learn that only from him (the Crucified Christ).”
Conclusions
The purpose of life is to become conscious of the spiritual self and to interact in concert with it in the material world. The purpose of life is to gain enough consciousness to make ethical decisions, to decide for the Good, and to convert matter into spirit. The purpose of life is to gain perception beyond ordinary reality so that we may achieve more significant awareness and a higher state of being.
As I’m writing this, much of the world is at war, and those wars stem out of religious conflicts, nationalism, and divisive social philosophies. Global organizational unity of the human species seems to be a very remote possibility, as the various factions of power combat over resources and geography, failing to compromise for the greater good. As Jung proclaimed, individuals must change in order for universal unity to occur, such that peace, compassion, and neighborly goodness may prevail. But we need more than just what this author offers. We must do more than reconcile the parallels between Jung and Buddhism. We must also reconcile and refine all the world’s religions into more compassionate and more neighborly contexts.
We must stop condemning one another to hell and envisioning cataclysmic wars of Armageddon. We must become conscious of the damage we are doing to our environment and become proactive in sustaining the purity of the earth, which depends upon the extent to which we can purify our consciousness beyond the animal instinct from which it emerged. If we fail to do these things, then we are doomed to extinction in the same manner as the many unsuccessful species that preceded us. Our success as a species depends upon our ability to continue evolving out of the automated state of animal instinct, so as to enable our ascent toward higher planes of awareness. It is in this manner that more proper volitional decisions can help us produce the heavenly consequences we so desire.
-End-
April 9, 2015
Dr. Moacanin explores the similarities and differences between Jung's psychology and Tibetan (particularly Tantran) Buddhism. While separated by 2.5 milennia
and entirely separate cultures, Jung's theory of collective unconscious (while initially developed without knowledge of Tibetan Buddhism) is a Western analog
to Buddhism's karma, of archetypes and deities, of the Self and the I, and of the union of opposites and the middle way. She observes that Jung's marginal
notes and "scribblings" often took the form of mandalas. But, primarily, she focuses on Tantric Buddhism, "which is directly concerned with the process of the
growth of consciousness and spiritual transformation, the process that was also the major concern of Jung, who called it "the tremendous experiment of
becoming conscious…which unites the most diverse cultures in a common task." The Self and Padma, the Western and Eastern symbols of spiritual unfoldment
and totality. It is a challenging topic, conveying the numinous and its dynamic, flowing, everchanging aspect from dual perspectives; she finds the thread to
weave the whole.
and entirely separate cultures, Jung's theory of collective unconscious (while initially developed without knowledge of Tibetan Buddhism) is a Western analog
to Buddhism's karma, of archetypes and deities, of the Self and the I, and of the union of opposites and the middle way. She observes that Jung's marginal
notes and "scribblings" often took the form of mandalas. But, primarily, she focuses on Tantric Buddhism, "which is directly concerned with the process of the
growth of consciousness and spiritual transformation, the process that was also the major concern of Jung, who called it "the tremendous experiment of
becoming conscious…which unites the most diverse cultures in a common task." The Self and Padma, the Western and Eastern symbols of spiritual unfoldment
and totality. It is a challenging topic, conveying the numinous and its dynamic, flowing, everchanging aspect from dual perspectives; she finds the thread to
weave the whole.
November 23, 2021
A fost odată ca niciodată, într-o țară îndepărtată, un prinț care avea o soție frumoasă și un băiețel. El se numea Siddhartha Gautama și a trăit toată viața într- un mare palat, respectând dorința părintelui său de a nu părăsi niciodată palatul. Tatăl său, regele, era hotărât să-și protejeze fiul și unicul moștenitor de a vedea orice suferință și să-i ofere toate plăcerile lumești. Și într-adevăr, Siddhartha a gustat din plin din toate plăcerile lumești pe care viața i le oferea. Dar într-o zi a nesocotit porunca tatălui său de a nu părăsi palatul și împrejurimile acestuia. Împreună cu devotatul său tovarăș și vizitiu, Channa, a trecut dincolo de poartă și s-a aventurat în lume. A întâlnit în drumul său un om bătrân, un om bolnav și un altul mort − trei înfățișări cu totul necunoscute tânărului prinț. L-a întrebat pe Channa dacă a mai văzut vreodată așa ceva. Channa i-a răspuns că bătrânețea, boala și moartea sunt aspecte ale existenței prin care toți trebuie să trecem. Pentru prima dată în viață, Siddhartha a fost atins de săgeata noii conștientizări: suferința întregii omeniri, de la care nu există nicio scăpare. În cele din urmă, cea de-a patra și cea mai decisivă apariție care i s-a înfățișat lui Siddhartha a fost aceea a unui sfânt rătăcitor. Dintr-odată, nu a mai avut de ales: urgența interioară, nou descoperita chemare a fost copleșitoare, așa că a trebuit să lase în urmă casa, viața regală și tot ceea ce prețuia, inclusiv pe părinți, pe frumoasa lui soție și
micul său fiu.
micul său fiu.
January 3, 2022
I appreciate that Moacanin touches on questions about the transposability of belief systems across cultures and the complications of comparing psychological versus religious teachings in addition to summarizing similarities and differences. The writing is accessible and engaging, and she doesn't hide her personal investment in her subjects. When I started the book I was more aligned with Jung and when I picked it up again later to finish it I was much more connected to Buddhist philosophy. As a result, Essence was interesting as a reflective tool for observing my own responses and resistances.
It can be repetitive, as she visits and revisits the core aspects of Jung and Tibetan Buddhism throughout each section. Those familiar with either or both topics might want to skip to the analysis, although I think it's always interesting to see how different authors frame things. As Moacanin acknowledges, there is an overwhelming amount of info to condense, and she does a good job of holding it all together.
It can be repetitive, as she visits and revisits the core aspects of Jung and Tibetan Buddhism throughout each section. Those familiar with either or both topics might want to skip to the analysis, although I think it's always interesting to see how different authors frame things. As Moacanin acknowledges, there is an overwhelming amount of info to condense, and she does a good job of holding it all together.
May 20, 2020
Moacanin sheds an insightful parallels between Jung’s work and Tibetan Buddhism. Readers can find lots of suggestions for further reads, yet the book is not for those who are looking for instructions or thorough details on the subjects.
April 2, 2023
A great concise overview on the similarities and differences between Jung and Vajrayana. These are very similar and are beneficial for humanity and all beings.
June 29, 2023
uma boa intro no assunto :) depois desse livro com certeza vou ler mais sobre Jung e simbolismo
January 21, 2016
As my investigation of Buddhism has progressed and my challenges of my own demons manifest have become an ever more central part of my life the correlations between Buddhist practice and Jung's work slowly became so obvious that it warranted further investigation. this book was straight to the point. Jung is the only psychologist/psychiatrist, whose approach to the exploration of the mind as a way to resolve the difficulties of dissonance at the deepest of levels, who has presented anything like an approach that holds any weight with me. As my own understanding of mind has unfolded I am not sure whether the Buddhist idea that nirvana is possible or Jung's doubts that the process (of individuation as he put it) ever has an end. Whatever the case the journey has for me a life of its own, a direction and a momentum of its own. Despite the efforts of the so called mental health profession to hijack that process it has always prevailed. The journey has been very painful and often shattering in its impact. I draw solve from both Jung and Buddhist practice, if through nothing else, then through the knowledge that others have walked this path. What's more my reading has now crept into writings on Gnostic Christian practice and of Sufism, both are caught in the same flow. One cannot but surmise that the journey, which often seems, fantastic in the true sense of that word, has in fact substance far beyond logical explanation and may well be the sole purpose of our lives on earth. A wonderful piece of work.
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August 5, 2011This is more of a long essay than an actual book. It doesn't go too in depth in either Jungian psychology or Tibetan Buddhism, rather it offers a brief overview of both. There are some interesting comparisons and differences to be made and I'd liketo see something more in depth. At times I found the writig a bit too simplistic, but this is a good book to start with if you are interested in Jung and Tibetan Buddhism.
March 28, 2011
It was nice seeing an easy to read comparison between Jung's ideas of individuation and Tibetan Buddhism's enlightenment/illumination. I'm trying to apply more Eastern concepts to my life (like mindfulness) so I feel more balanced, but I also really relate to Jung's ideas in psychology.
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December 4, 2015This was my third reading of this intellectually stimulating book and it remains a permanent resident on my bookshelf.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews