Transcendence
TRANSCENDENCE in the concept and teaching of MIKAO USUI SCHOOL
The
concept of transcendence we use first of all in a
very general meaning, as to go beyond
boundaries representing something that already exists and is known.
More
specifically, it means going beyond
in
direction to a wider and higher level of acting. This does not mean
leaving
behind or out of consideration the old one, but integrating it into the
new,
higher and larger unity. This new unity is possible only by the old and
already
existing and founds its justification through that which is preceding.
Nevertheless, the
old will loose its
previous importance and becomes one part of the many.
Dreams and Transcendence
We
can explain this thought using as an example the Transcendent Dream
Work (TDW). Dreams are common phenomenon. Each human being experiences
them and
in some way depends on them. How a being perceives dreams and how much
importance he attaches to them in his life, possibly to whole human
life,
depends on various outer and inner factors that meet in the individual
and
influence his decisions. Beside already existing dream theories, the
social
level of esteeming dreams and other outside influence, there are also
impacts
of inner factors, such as, existence of psychological preferences,
psychological problems, the level of individual ability to perceive and
above
all, the strength of experienced own dreams. Eventually, the attitude
with
regard to dreams is also marked by
the
more or less developed viewpoint of a particular person, especially its
idea
what defines man, and by the level of her possible influence on her own
life.
Sigmund Freud and C. G. Jung
Transcendence
is based on these social and individual conditions. Let us
be more specific. In Western countries are the most popular and
socially
accepted theories relating to the nature of dreams, and deviating from
them
methods of their handling, nowadays originate from a study of thoughts,
known
as depth psychology. These are mainly the dream theories of Sigmund
Freud and
Carl Gustav Jung. Beside, there are many less developed theories and
procedures, but at this point and for our purposes now there is no need
to
discuss them here. Sigmund Freud followed an intellectual approach,
very
related to the secular world, limiting a man to its structures and
processes
being part of its experienced individuality determined by the physical
body.
Dreams, from this point of view,
originate
from the sea of natural impulses and their possibilities and
impossibilities to
express in thinking, feeling and functioning of the individual, have
fundamental impact on dream events. C. G. Jung adopted some of these
thoughts,
deprived them of limiting ideas and added to them an impressive concept
of the
collective unconscious. He transcended Freud. However, even Jung was a
prisoner
of his own time, especially of the medical guild. Throughout his life
he tried
to justify his concept of collective unconscious to be a natural
biological process.
Only in hints, for example given in his autobiography, careful readers
can find
notes on the meanings of unconscious which point beyond a natural
biological
process. The direction of therapeutic function and methodical
instruments
developed by Jung from his own perception of human constitution, pushes
out his work with
dreams beyond the
ordinary world of imagination. However, Jung’s view that his concept
must first
be accepted by the medics, limited the assimilation of far-reaching
concepts of
human constitution already existing among the outsiders in his time of
life. As a result,
his goals and methods were rather limited than possible, but socially
reasonable because neither medics nor the general public were able to
follow
this far-reaching view.
Transcendent Dream Work
Nowadays,
ability to present alternative concepts to a wider group of
population has far more increased. Also, there is no necessary need for
support
of the medics with their biological point of view. Henceforth, we can
start to
integrate the work with dreams into a wider context, which is more
appropriate
for human nature.
The
Transcendent Dream Work of the
The constitution of man and the goal of evolution
The
justification for our ideas is to be found in human constitution,
which can experienced directly and practically, if
one is willing to
reject common ideas and limitations of
non-appropriate methods. The Transcendent Work with Dreams
perceives man
as an energetic entity connecting to multiple streams of energies -
partly not
readable for us -, which flow from mankind to the individual and back,
as well
as to streams of planetary, solar, and cosmic energy:
| Cosmos |  |
Solar System | |
Planet | |
Mankind | |
Individual |
This
human energetic entity, like everything in this Universe, undergoes
evolutional tendency for further development. The same concerns all
mankind.
So, we have determined the inherent goal of human development without
going
into further details. However, this goal can’t be determined only
considering
human constitution, because it is part of
the great universal goal. Elements of this goal must be
reflected in
smaller and even in the smallest parts of the Universe. The view of our
ancestors on all continents of the Earth that one can find the great in
the
small, and what is at the bottom (of matter) can be found as the same
on the top
(in the spiritual), considers this regularity. Actually, at this point
we can’t
include in our discussion detailed analysis of transcendence, just a
few tips
should be sufficient for further explanation.
Development of consciousness and oneness…
If
we look closely at whatever kingdom of nature, we can recognize a
basic tendency of nature to join together many the smallest units into
larger,
more complex entities. The same we can recognize a tendency of nature
to become
conscious. This tendency has presently reached its climax in human
consciousness. The world globalization, recognized even by the ordinary
man
during the last years, reflexes this process of becoming unity. Mankind
uniting
at the Internet level, is accompanied by an tremendous increase of
access to
knowledge, represents tendencies of the Universe to become conscious
(obviously, everything occurs on the base created by relative
primitiveness of
mankind and because
of that it can be
seen in all negative manifestations). We are dealing here with examples
of the
visible material world.
…in human psyche
Also,
in the invisible, psychological world, which we experience
internally, something similar is happening. Man learns to subordinate
its inner
life under a central, controlling instance. There, where he doesn’t
succeed or
manages in unsatisfactory way, there are more or less autonomic
psychological
areas created, called complexes, sometimes neurosis or splitting. They
are
characterized by their own regularities and reluctance to cooperate
with the
central authority, defined as consciousness or Ego. The world
“Individual” is
split and its communication is disturbed. As a rule inner wars happen.
So-called psychological healing is an equivalent of the universal
tendency for
unity which is expressed also in globalization. Outer and inner
continents and
lands are shifting, trying to make possible undisturbed exchanges of
immaterial
and material goods as well as streams of energies, trying to create
greater
managing and governmental structures and they recognize each other as
part of
the one unity. Selfish consciousness gives way to family consciousness,
which
is being transcended by group consciousness, reflected in national,
continental
or global identities. At the same time there is a preparation for
broaden
consciousness, including other worlds and their potential habitants. (I
mean
the wide spread science fiction and fantasy which influence the world
of man’s
imagination for decades).
…and in psychology
Similar
development we can also see in psychology, however we are only
at the top of the iceberg. Currently, contradicting models of psyche
are
predominating. There is helplessness against complexity of man’s psyche
detectable, expressed for instance as a resignation from clear
confrontation with
human constitution.
…especially in Transcendent Dream Work and Healing
Transcendence
as a concept is directed toward recognition of already
existing values trying to include them, appropriate to their
importance, to get
a fuller overall picture. Therefore, Transcendent Dream Work (TDW) uses
imaginations and working methods of C.G. Jung, Sigmund Freud, Alfred
Adler,
Fritz S. Pearls and others. This is possible, because each of these
theory
worlds reflex one or more facets of human existence without presenting
a
sufficient view of the whole. TDW unites these worlds of ideas under
the common
roof of a new house which claims broader understanding of man. Its
theoretical
ideas base on wide practical experiences of areas of human existence,
which are
not recognized, not lived through or rejected by the majority
intelligentsia.
This unusual base of experience
is
possible through the methods of Transcendent Healing, allowing new ways
of
physical and psychological recovery, making possible as well that kind
of healing,
which can be defined as spiritual healing, in lack of other
terminology.
The
characteristic of man as mentioned above, being energy among
energies, a part of an endless sea of energy, being in the state of
continuous
exchange, takes a new look at the factors causing dreams, which have
not been
included in dream theories so far. The thesis of universal evolution,
in which
human evolution is only a subordinate issue and mainly a transition
phase,
allows to extend the goal projected toward dreams, giving new impulses
to
today’s work with dreams and their interpretation. The methods of
Transcendent
Healing enable us to check this type of theory in a direct way never
used
before. We can explain it using the following example.
The individual and its bodies
Man
as an energetic entity consists of various body layers which
explicitly differ from each other. Each of them has its own tasks to
complete
in this integrated system which is the human being. We can distinguish
two
layers of primarily physical meaning. These are the physical body in
the
original and customary meaning, and the etheric body, structuring and
vitalizing the physical one. Both layers permeates each other building
a
subsystem in the living man, fading away when a person is dying. A part
of the
etheric body, which surrounds the physical body, is also called the
vital body,
because of its vitalizing function for the physical body. (Christianity
depict
it as a halo around saints). The vital body has more subtle consistency
than
the physical body, therefore usually is not visible to the naked eye.
It is
surrounded by an even more subtle body, the emotional body, which in
its turn
is surrounded by the
finest mental body.
That is how an egg shaped aura is created with a dense physical
structure in
the center. The emotional layer of the body is responsible for wishes
and
desires and the mental body contains man’s ability to think. The
transcendent
methods can help to see, perceive and influence all subtle layers.
****
Layers Model****
Some questions of Transcendent Healing
Recognition
of this structure of the human body has far-reaching
consequences for the work with dreams. First, we should ask: Who or
what dreams
within an Individual during the different dream phases at night? Do we
cope with
the complexity of human existence when we limit ourselves only to
measurable
data of the physical brain as the scientific research on dreams does?
If we
finally know that the emotional and mental bodies, joined into unity,
separate
during particular dream phases from also joined physical and etheric
layers,
the following questions may arise: Are there separate dream phases of
both
layers? How could they be related? Are there any data transfers between
these
two? Maybe, we now
get an idea which of
the layers is the main base for psychoanalysis. We might be able to
assume that
depth psychology of C.G. Jung finds its main justifications in all
layers of
man, but goes beyond these layers through the concept of collective
unconscious. Where does it go? Now it is time to question the presently
used
paradigma of psyche. What today’s
psychology defines as soul or psyche, regardless directions or school
of
psychology, is limited only to the four layers of man. In fact, the
explicit
psychological thinking takes place only at the physical level, as man’s
psyche
is imprisoned in his head by psychologists. Our model of layers
indicates that
the essential psychological processes happen beyond the physical head.
These
processes use the head, as well as the rest of the body, as a mean of
expression. Man’s error is not to differentiate the level of symptom
and the
level of cause. Therefore, he limits his diagnosis unnecessarily and
strongly
affects his healing efforts. Transcendent Healing as well as
Transcendental Dream
Work postulate the existence of man’s soul located beyond his layers,
which is
the builder of all four layers, spending them their live. Christianity
has a
similar theory, but like accepted psychology locates the soul in the
physical
body. This meets standards of today’s perception, however, it is
unquestionably
out of date and needs to be changed.
Something Plato already knew
Two
and half thousand years ago, Plato postulated the presence of a
personal soul and a non-personal one. This idea, seen as impossible to
be
verified scientifically, classified as metaphysical postulate, could
easily be
rejected in modern times, but who says that great Plato was only
speculating?
Transcendent Psychology, from which Transcendent Work with Dreams is
one part,
is able to bring the existence of both realms of the soul within man´s
experience by establishing a contact and communication in many
different ways.
In this respect, Transcendent Psychology is also capable of allowing
the
experience of the collective unconscious of Jung and can define the
core of
this unconscious as planned, regulating and higher instance.
Transcendent methods offer new possibilities
Consequently,
the work with dreams becomes broaden, because now, the
goal of understanding dream interpretation is to recognize and accept
the plan
of this higher instance - just as it was formulated by this instance
for to
create the individual - and to make an attempt to carry out this plan
in the
individual and its environment. The methodical equipment is provided by
the
Transcendent Healing, especially by Transcendent Psychology. This way
we return
to the subject of evolution, which in its core can be defined as
evolution of
consciousness, so in addition we have found the base to determine goals
of
human evolution in general and in particular for the individual. These
goals
enable to integrate in many ways existing directions of the work with
dreams
with their methodical instruments and at the same time to develop new
methods
necessary for to overcome any limitations of present methods.
The inner context of transcendent teaching
So
far we have mentioned three types of transcendent activities within
the framework of the
With
reference to our course of studies, the above is expressed in
fundamental studies and possibilities upon completion or staying at the
level
of general study of the Transcendental Healing (TH), specializes in the
Transcendental Psychology (TP) which includes bases of the
Transcendental Work
with Dreams. This is the foundation for possible further specialization
in
Dream Work. Those who are interested in, mainly in their spiritual
growth, have
a possibility to choose the study which covers elements of TH and TP
and to
integrate them into a wider spiritual framework.
Transcendence as a task
…courage
Transcendence
requires courage and flexibility. It is the courage to
resign from inappropriate ideas, to eliminate too tightly fixed
boundaries of
perception, ideas and practical acting. This courage allows us to leave
the
warm and pleasant, but musty and limiting superficial world of
like-minded
people, to live the new and to experience that blessed feeling, which
occurs
when one approaches again a little more of truth and reality.
…flexibility
This
is the flexibility of a strong individual who recognizes that
formulas and standard ideas offer false certainty with a fear of
unknown
lurking behind it. Fear is neither a good advisor nor a reasonable
interpreter
of the reality. During the healing process at the physical,
psychological and
spiritual levels, streams of live energies meet the similar, what
requires to
include individual differences so characteristic for each individual.
…openness of mind
This
indicates the system context in which these living energies exist
and requires to account past, present and future of given individual.
It also
makes necessary not only to include the life spending level of human
existence
- as we defined above, the soul - but also to engage it explicit into
the
healing process.
…spirituality
Transcendence does not deny the existence of highest spiritual levels, called by religions divine. Just opposite, Transcendence expressed in Transcendent Healing includes these levels, encourages people to use them for the healing process and enables deepened access to them. It is the totality of human existence and of man as an secular and hereafter being which is taken into account that way. How could we limit ourselves only to pills and machines, if the human totality can and should be included and engaged into the healing process?
Transcendent
Healing requires extended knowledge, but not only. It also
needs a wide range of methods, but it does not rely on them only.
Transcendent
Healing demands the whole individual as a healer and as the one who
needs to be
healed. The whole man is more than we are able to imagine with our
scholastic
knowledge! Hence, the transcendent healer finally follows the way of
self-knowledge and self-transformation in order to meet the
requirements of his
task area which is nothing less than the outside and inside world in past, present and future.
The teaching offer
of the