Customer Reviews

The Mind Field : A Personal Essay

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In this book, Ornstein gives his opinion about the shortcomings of both pure psychology and pseudo-spiritual practices. As neither pure science nor pure spirituality can cover the whole spectrum of the human subjectivity field, both are required to understand the nature and the working of the human mind. Science analyzes, reasons, and is limited by its very rationality and consistency requirements. Any single-minded spirituality on the other hand cannot capture the whole range of possible subjective approaches of reality as seen by every human being. Overall, this book provides quite interesting insight and experience as seen from a professional psychologist who is deeply interested in understanding the mind, not just describing as are most blind scientists.

Mind Field is part essay and part exposition of Idries Shah's non-Islamic Sufism. The first half of the book is a overview of psychology as it stood back in 1975 when it was written. It covers subjects like parapsychology and altered states, the effects of meditation. Overall the first half is a good read. The second half is a rather indirect introduction to Idries Shah's version of Sufism via a series of his teaching stories. In fact Ornstein attempts to convey Shah's Sufism almost entirely via these stories rather than explaining what Shah's Sufism is. It comes off in my opinion rather poorly. Unless you are into decipering parables and hidden meanings this part is a waste of time. Not to mention that Shah's Sufism comes across not so much as a spiritual path but like a secular humanist psychology or some derivative of the human potential movement like NLP or EST.

In summary the book is ok but don't look for anything that has not been covered by other authors in the same field. It really needs to be updated to make it relevant today. As those especially in the Transpersonal Psychology field have long passed Ornstein by.

If you are interested in Sufism look elsewhere like those by Kabir Helminski - Living Presence, The Knowing Heart.

For psychology and meditation I'd start with Charles Tart and Daniel Goleman. Both of whom have extensive experience in both areas.