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SNOW LION THE BUDDHIST MAGAZINE & CATALOG
The Call to Awaken
The Wisdom of Imperfection Book Excerpt
336 pp., WIIM2E
$18.95 Snow Lion special $13.27
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Deeply rooted in the human psyche, the call to awaken, spiritually, has a rich and deep history, dating back to earliest times. Rob Preece explores this vision from both western and eastern points of view in the following adaptation from The Wisdom of Imperfection: The Challenge of Individuation in Buddhist Life.
The call to awaken may in part come from an experience of suffering; it may also come through the experience of what we might call a vision of our innate wholeness. This vision may be utterly mysterious and incomprehensible, but its effect is almost always dramatic. While I use the term vision, this is not to imply it is always through a symbolic appearance. We may be made aware of our intrinsic nature during a time of what Maslow called a peak experience, when we open to a quality of our nature that is spacious, lucid, and free of conceptual clutter. There is no set time in life when this may happen, and it cannot be contrived; the question is whether we can consciously respond to the insight it brings concerning our potential.
In the stories of both Parzival, the central figure of the Grail legend, and the Buddha, their entry into the journey was initiated by an important vision of possibility. For the Buddha this vision was evoked by the tranquil simplicity of a wandering mendicant seen on the fourth occasion that he ventured out of his enclosure. He encountered someone who, without any of the comfortable luxury he had, could appear self-contained, content, and at one with himself and life. For Parzival, who in the Grail legend had also been enclosed in a protected, secluded environment, it was the sight of a radiant knight he at first thought was a manifestation of God. Responding to this vision became irresistible. It was an opening to another reality previously concealed from view. However, both Parzival and the Buddha had to defy the established order to venture into the world.
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In folk tales the hero is often given a lure to set the journey in motion. A wise person or messenger may appear who imparts the knowledge of the existence of a symbolic object that promises to heal the state of dis-ease. It may be an inexhaustible treasure, an elixir of life, a sacred pearl, a golden fleece, a firebird, the well at the world's end, the lost city, or some such thing. To find this object, however, will usually entail traveling into hazardous, unknown territory. The messenger initiates an insight or vision that is numinous, enthralling, and irresistible. This vision creates the aspiration and motivation to go on, with the knowledge that there is a truly meaningful and worthwhile goal.
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An absence of this kind of vision can be a terrible experience in people's lives. It can leave some feeling desperate and hopeless and that life lacks all meaning. At such times, the pull towards anesthetics to deaden the feeling of emptiness may be very tempting, but this only prolongs the agony. If we give ourselves time and allow ourselves to wait and remain open to the process we are going through, a change can occur. The germ of a renewal of vision and a sense of purpose grow gradually from within; it cannot be implanted from outside, because without some insight into the possibility of liberation or totality, there would be little incentive to travel the path. A vision of the goal is therefore an important part of the Buddhist journey.
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Longchenpa, a Tibetan master, used a phrase translated as "goal-sustained refuge" to convey the way in which a taste or vision of the goal generates the faith and inspiration to go forward. Once we experience this refuge, our life direction changes radically, turning increasingly from unsatisfactory worldly refuges. Strength of purpose becomes reinforced by the experience of renewed reminders of that vision. In the Tantras in particular, this constant re-visioning of the goal is brought into the present by repeatedly visualizing oneself as the deity, the essence of our innate Buddha potential. This process establishes our commitment to embark on what will inevitably be a difficult journey. Without the inspiration, faith, and understanding a sense of vision brings, it can prove extremely difficult to overcome the challenges we will meet.
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More about the book . . .
If you have been practicing Buddhism for a while, why do you still have problems? And how do you balance the sometimes different needs of spiritual and psychological perspectives? Rob Preece draws on his personal experience—over two decades as a psychotherapist and many years as a meditation teacher—to explore and map the psychological influences on our struggle to awaken.
Wisdom does not always come as a flash of inspiration, but from the slow—often painful—working of experience. As we detach from our ideals of perfection and develop our acceptance of imperfection, our love and compassion can grow, and with this, our psychological and spiritual health will benefit as well.
The Wisdom of Imperfection delves into this journey of individuation in Buddhist life, looking at the psychological process beneath the traditional path of the compassionate-minded Bodhisattva.
"...takes us on a remarkable journey of self-discovery. This lucid and well written work is further enriched and brought to life by compelling anecdotes and case histories drawn from Dr. Preece's practical experience as a skilled psychotherapist and Buddhist practitioner. The Wisdom of Imperfection is an important contribution to the growing dialogue between Western psychology and Eastern spirituality."—Howard C. Cutler, M.D., co-author, with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, of The Art of Happiness and The Art of Happiness at Work.
"...a wonderfully thorough and engaging look at the unfolding of the spiritual/psychological journey. Drawing on a depth of personal experience, Rob Preece offers an insightful and important perspective."—Sharon Salzberg, co-author with Jon Kabat-Zinn, of Lovingkindness.
"...strikes an illuminating balance between commitment to a Buddhist practice and recognition of deep-seated psychological realities. This is the book for all those who wonder why they can't stop undermining and contradicting what they cherish most deeply."—Stephen Batchelor, author of Living with the Devil
"Chapters discuss not only the reality of awakening and dealing with one's own dark side, but also the path to individuation and the necessity of accepting imperfection for the sake of both psychological and spiritual health. A fascinating exploration of the psychological processes underlying the path of the Bodhisattva, as well as a helpful guide for modern Buddhists struggling with contemporary psychological and sociological difficulties."—Wisconsin Bookwatch
Selected as "Editor's Choice" in Mandala Magazine.
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More about the author . . .
Rob Preece has been practicing Tibetan Buddhism since 1973 and psychotherapy since 1988. He leads meditation retreats, gives workshops on comparative Jungian and Buddhist psychology, and is also a thangka painter. The author of The Courage to Feel and The Psychology of Buddhist Tantra, he lives in London.
Books by Rob Preece
© 2010 Snow Lion: The Buddhist Magazine & Catalog
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