[Buddha-l] Enneagram and Buddhism

[Richard Hayes]

On Wed, 2009-01-07 at 12:19 +0000, Mike Austin wrote:

> Fascinating as such things may be (belief tests, 
> enneagrams and so on), they could lead to either insight or labelling. I 
> suspect it tends to be the latter.

As in the case of a letter opener that can be used to open a letter or
stab someone through the eye, the use to which an enneagram type is put
depends entirely on the user. There is a danger, acknowledged in all the
literature, that someone will stop at the stage of applying labels and,
worse, will start using them to makes excuses for oneself or assess
blame. "I can't get along with Schmidt because he is a Seven and I am a
One." "I can't help being judgemental. I'm a One."

Where any typology can be useful is if it enables one to identify
patterns of frequently repeated counterproductive behavior and to "catch
oneself in the act" (as Riso and Hudson like to say). Used in this way,
a personality typology can be another tool in one's toolkit for
practicing mindfulness effectively. The enneagram in itself is neither a
necessary nor a sufficient condition for insight. Most people do without
it very well. Some people benefit from it. For those who think they
might be able to use it well, it is there to be used.

-- 
Richard Hayes
Department of Philosophy
University of New Mexico