Commencing with an inspired rendition of “Amazing Grace” (featuring Don Medeiros on second guitar and the entire room singing in 8-part harmony), Alan spoke on the notion of redemption via suffering.

“Psychology is the revealing of soul,” he said, citing Heidegger’s definition of psyche- and -logos as “revealing soul in our depths.”  Alan displayed a number of Impressionist - “learning to see” - paintings by Cezanne and van Gogh, noting that as opposed to the mechanical stylings of the Realists, distance is required to soften the images into focus.  Otherwise, they appear to be little more than blots of color.

Similarly, he argued, one must expand his psychological peripheries.  As a student of Buddhism, Alan used the tradition to illustrate “what there is to see.”  He pointed out that the mind is but another sense door, not separate from the body.  In meditation, one cultivates a great spaciousness of mind in noticing the pattern in which thoughts arise, float, and disappear.  This allows one to gain insight - “gaining sight into something” - an intuition that all objects of the 6 sense doors are radically interdependent and a recognition of consciousness as a great mandala.  This breeds wisdom (‘seeing’ impermanence) - and compassion (‘seeing’ past self) - seeing “the rainbow quality of things through the solidity” and the patterns of relationships rather than mere individuals.  By meditation upon the objects of the six sense doors, one comes to realize the impermanence of all things and the quality of nonself or egolessness, that nothing has a substantial, separate existence, including oneself.  Because we ignore these truths and live out of sync with reality, we suffer, and this suffering becomes the basis for compassion.  As I gain contact with my pain, I can relate to yours.  As I see the true nature of things, and myself, my heart opens to all suffering beings.

“How can we come to see it?”  Along with spiritual practice, confronting our suffering and dissatisfaction.  Alan cited Evelyn Underhill: “The apparently abrupt conversion is, as a rule, the sequel and result of a long period of restlessness, uncertainty, and mental stress.”  Furthermore, he discussed Carl Jung’s idea of neurosis as a “substitute for legitimate suffering” and alchemy as a psychological blueprint for transformation, and Gunaratana’s observation that placing a stone in a river produces a smooth surface, but placing it in a kiln macadamizes it “to the core.”  (Remind anyone of Eric’s take on ecstasy?)  “By confronting our suffering,” Alan said, “We can heal because we are confronting what is.  Touching our suffering leads to the revelation of joy, which is the character of our true nature.”

So, “How does Humanistic Psychology (HTP) fit see it?”  Is there a narcissism to it, as Don Rice suggested?  After all, as Hillman said, “a peak experience can be very pathological.”  Alan cited the (Buddhist paradigm of) the Six Realms: God (pride), Jealous God (envy), Human (desire), Animal (ignorance), Hungry Ghost (greed), and Hell (hatred).  In the Human Realm, we know the suffering of the lower ones and have the leisure and advantages to enable us to develop our conscious awareness.  This Middle Way - the equality of Ascension and Descension - allows for a balanced attunement with suffering to breed contact among all beings.  Alan reminds and encourages HTP to maintain its focus on the Human Realm.

As an “example of seeing it,” Alan cited his dissertation, which covered Transformation Through Mid-Life Parental Loss.  In his research, he discovered a pattern among his participants in which they broke free of self-centered orientation and experiencing a sense of wholeness larger than the self; becoming more humble, tolerant, patient, generous, and sensitive and responsible to others; an increased sense of purpose and meaning; and a sense of “right-ness” of their parents’ death.  Through these personal transformations, one comes to “see through the illusions.”  The rope in the dark room is serenely recognized as such, and not frighteningly mistaken to be a snake.

In meditation, one shifts his perception to a consciousness in which there are no mountains and rivers.  And afterward, one sees mountains and rivers again in the sense that one functions in social reality, but now those labels don't carry the same sense of solidity.  “Forget about change,” Alan proposes, “See what is,” offering that psychology should “live the examined life, learning to see through the heart.”  To conclude, Alan noted that there is transformation at the absolute level, and that that may or may not produce a manifest change at the relative level depending on the individual's circumstances.  While focus has its place, our periphery needs to be expanded.