[Buddha-l] RE: Article of possible interest--correction

[Joy Vriens]

Curt wrote:

>The essential element here is the "other subconscious material" that  
>"bubbles up". While it is true that some sort of "framework" does seem  
>to always be involved in mystical experiences, there are two crucial  
>reasons for believing that there is also something else at work - in  
>addition to simply "validating" (psychologically/emotionally) a  
>pre-existing spiritual framework: 

>(1) The already mentioned fact that "other subconscious material" gets  
>mixed with the pre-existing framework. In this way the mystical  
>experience becomes a method for bringing subconscious material into the  
>conscious mind - which, if you go for that sort of thing, is much more  
>significant than simply reinforcing ones pre-existing "beliefs". 

>(2) Mystical experiences not only reinforce already existing spiritual  
>frameworks - they also provide raw material for new frameworks.  
>Sometimes these new frameworks are simply incremental modifications of  
>what was already there - but they might also lead to significantly new  
>"frameworks" (although, at least in my opinion, that often turns out, in  
>actual practice, to be a bad idea). 


Something like becoming dharma, getting the stamp of dharma apposed onto what one is or onto that as which one appears. The personal stuff is "transcended" (relativised), without disappearing. The dharma is coloured and gets a new coat. Something like that? 
 
>Delacroix's explanation of mystical experiences, in my opinion, is quite  
>useful as long as one avoids using the words "just" and "only". Jung was  
>insistent that psychological explanations of spiritual phenomena were  
>grossly misrepresented whenever the words "just" or "only" were placed  
>in front of the word "psychological". 

Your apprehension may be due to my way of summarizing and reformulating his view. I tend to caricature and stiffen up things a bit. :-) Although I didn't say "just" and "only". Delacroix is more prudent in expressing his views.

Joy