[Buddha-l] Enneagram and Buddhism

[jkirk]

Tim,

"{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."

This is sure interesting..... I can see how dealing with this via
insight meditation would be very helpful. 

Thanks!
Joanna

-----Original Message-----
From: buddha-l-bounces at mailman.swcp.com
[mailto:buddha-l-bounces at mailman.swcp.com] On Behalf Of 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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