[Buddha-l] Enneagram and Buddhism

[Timothy Smith]

I didn't read Richard's link, but I'm not surprised that there may be  
those who
think this way.  My experience with field does not lead me to believe  
that
there is a consensus that we are 'born' with a dominant type.  Having  
said that,
I can only say that I have no clue as to whether it is an accurate  
claim or not.
I tend to side with those who believe that our characters are  
developed in
response to our fundamental needs for security and affection.  There  
is, however,
clearly an instinctual component that seems 'hard wired' almost from  
birth.

I do think the tool is useful in buddhist practice.  Palmer has taken  
pains to integrate
her Zen practice into her teaching and writing.  Using the vice to  
virtue conversion
is precisely what Richard described as his own practice to reduce  
'wrath' (the vice of
Enneatype 1) through metta-bhavana.  In the quote I've added below you  
can see
how the three poisons are addressed in this particular system  
(mandatory buddhist content).

I'm not shilling for any particular approach, but this blurb might  
prove informative
or at least trigger some curiosity to further explore these notions.



"On basic panels we hear how focus of attention organizes the  
worldview of type: Fives see an intruding world; Sevens see a world of  
many options; Fours live in a world where other people appear to have  
more, and so on. Rather than being present to life as it is, each  
type’s point of view constantly recreates itself through placements of  
attention that foreground certain focal objects, while backgrounding  
others.

The habitual way that people pay attention to their world creates a  
subjective reality, or conditioned awareness, sometimes called a veil  
of illusion. Conditioned awareness significantly alters being present  
to things as they actually occur. Enneatype Fives, for instance, don’t  
walk around looking for intrusions, they simply live in an intruding  
world. Their awareness mechanically registers potentially intruding  
events, whereas Eights might not notice those same events,  
automatically denying their impact.

The feeling triad (Types Two–Three–Four) moves toward life, desiring  
identity in the eyes of others. Their condition is to register  
approval and suffer from its absence. Aversion is typical of the  
mental triad (Five–Six–Seven) who moves away from a hazardous world.  
The body-based triad (Eight–Nine–One) maintains a holding pattern of  
not knowing – the denial of Eight, self-forgetting of Nine, and Ones  
who judge life as it is. Desire, aversion and self-forgetting each  
respond to specific meditation practices that spring the box of  
conditioned awareness."

 From the Enneagram Worldwide site.



Timothy Smith
Wheelwright Associates

www.wheelwrightassoc.com



On Jan 5, 2009, at 10:36 AM, jkirk wrote:

> OK, but so far nobody has replied to my question, posted earlier,
> about the enneagram-ers' claim that
> "We are born with a dominant type."
>
> They allow only for adapting to circumstances, whatever that
> means.
>
> How can this idea be compatible with Buddhism and its views on no
> essence (anatta), on impermanence (anicca), and on karma?
>
> Surely a few other list folks have some views on the issue?
>
> Joanna
> ==================================================
> .......Determining the types of other people is, of course,
> pretty nearly impossible. That's fortunate, since it's also
> pretty nearly useless. Far more important is to gain some insight
> into those aspects of oneself that are obstacles to the very
> goals one most longs to attain................
> .............
> --
> Richard
>
>
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