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This is a very good intro to the teachings and practices of both Jung and Vajrayana, Generally I’m more familiar with the Tibetan tradition and so came to this hoping for more insight into Jung’s approach as it relates – complements and differs – to the tantric path, and for the most part the book delivered on this.
Overall I enjoyed Moacanin’s presentation of Jung very much. It was insightful and balanced and a comprehensive survey in a relatively brief space. However… it was when she began delving into the comparison of the traditions and their practices, attempting to bridge and even synthesize their cultural differences that I felt it sometimes got a bit bogged down, and began to doubt the whole project.
Another thing that got my attention was that while careful and accurate in her presentation of the essential parts of tantra Moacanin also brings a somewhat idealized light to the subject – very much as it is presented within the tradition. Granted these are deep and complex subjects and it's nice to have her insider’s perspective, and for the most part she performs the role of tour guide very well, but she occasionally veers into partisan cheerleading more than objective reporting as a scientist or scholar. This lack of critical perspective left me feeling something was missing, and made me wonder who exactly the intended audience is here (I conclude it is for the Western Buddhists who also have an interest and curiosity in the parallel depth psychology of their own culture).
At times I got the impression she was glossing over differences (and inconsistencies) in order to paint a rosier picture, while at the same time dismissing Jung’s own subtle warnings about trying to adopt the trappings of a foreign culture. And yet... the differences are what make all the difference (obviously of critical importance within both the varying schools of Western psychology and Tibetan Buddhism). Despite the obvious similarity that both Jung and tantric practitioners are dealing with the same stream of consciousness (actively working to integrate the conscious and unconscious elements), the differences Moacanin brings up deserve to be explored more.
The fact that Jungians see the process of individuation as endless, with suffering as an essential even valuable experience, while Buddhists see an achievable enlightenment as the escape from samsara with a permanent end to suffering (and thus somehow an experience of endless bliss) shows there is perhaps an irreconcilable rift between the two. Only one side can be correct here... and the Jungians would probably say the Buddhists are being escapists who engage in projection and wishful thinking and are being naïve when they see their masters as the embodiment of this ideal perfection. While Buddhist would probably say the Jungians just haven’t reached enlightenment…
Despite my general misgivings about the limitations of a cross-cultural study which doesn’t really dig beyond the surface, I do think there is a lot of fertile common ground to be explored here. One of the more interesting (non-philosophical) differences is that the Buddhist Vajrayana tradition is over 1,500 years old (within the even wider 2,500+ year old Buddhist and Hindu context), while Jung’s is only 100! So the main effect is a matter of style - one very traditional and formulaic while the other more open ended and individualized.
The Vajrayana is indeed amazingly refined and complex, vast and sophisticated, but it is also (and ironically) quite narrowly specialized compared to Jung who was essentially a modern scientist in a position, and willing, to look at it ALL (Western modern materialism and arcane esoterica, as well as the various Eastern traditions). This union of ancient methodology and modern sensibility is probably what attracts us here to compare and integrate these two subjects in the first place.
As the author accurately sums it up, “…Jung’s particular approach to psychotherapy went beyond goals and methods as traditionally understood and practiced; to him psychotherapy is ultimately an approach to the numinous. It is on this ground that Jung and tantra meet; they penetrate and transform the same psychic realities.” (p.67)
Or perhaps it is best to simply state it more directly in Jung’s own words, "The art of letting things happen, action through inaction, letting go of oneself as told by Meister Eckhart, became for me the key that opens the door to the way. We must be able to let things happen in the psyche. For us, this is an art of which most people know nothing. Consciousness is forever interfering, helping, correcting, and negating, never leaving the psychic process to grow in peace." (from his 'Commentary on the Secret of the Golden Flower', quoted on p.44)
But even more ironically, that mature sentiment from Jung leads us away from the complexities of Vajrayana altogether… to a more direct and naturally effortless Taoist and/or Dzogchen approach.
In the end perhaps what this book does best is challenge us to keep exploring, and provides inspiration and further tangents to follow up on as part of our own ongoing individuation in whatever peculiar way that may be. So that we, as Jung said, “…get at the Eastern values from within and not from without, seeking them in ourselves.” (p.97).
PS - those interested in further study on Jung's ideas on individuation and spirituality might want to check out Murray Stein's "Minding the Self - Jungian Meditations on Contemporary Spirituality" - great stuff, more like a post-graduate level seminar compared to Ms. Moacanin's freshman college level study
- Paperback: 144 pages
- Publisher: Wisdom Publications; 2nd edition (June 1, 2002)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0861713400
- ISBN-13: 978-0861713400
- Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.5 x 9 inches
- Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
- Average Customer Review: 13 customer reviews
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Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
#781,841 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #383 in Jungian Psychology (Books)
- #394 in Medical Psychology History
- #429 in Popular Psychology History
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