This article sets forth two historically important ways in which the transcendence of the ego has been conceived. These two conceptions are called the "ladder to oneness" and the "spiral to integration." These conceptions are set forth by contrasting them on five critical issues: (1) whether transcendence is a developmental transition that moves straight to higher, transegoic levels or a transition that follows a spiral course that bends back upon itself, (2) whether transcendence is a purely progressive movement or a movement that involves regression at some point, (3) whether transcendence is a wholly immanent process or a process that involves contact with transcendent forces, (4) whether transcendence is primarily a matter of growth from within or transformation from without, and (5) whether transcendence ultimately leads beyond all selfhood or to a point at which a higher form of selfhood is achieved. Drawing on these contrasts, two general conclusions are drawn: (1) the two conceptions of transcendence reflect basic differences in Eastern (ladder to oneness) and Western (spiral to integration) perspectives, and (2) the two conceptions are logically at odds on certain fundamental points, which suggests poor prospects for a unified East/West paradigm of transcendence.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Abrams, M. H.
(1971). Natural supernaturalism: Tradition and revolution in romantic literature. New York: Norton.
2.
Arintern, J. G.
(1978). The mystical evolution in the development and vitality of the Church. 2 vols. Rockford, IL: Tan.
3.
Assagioli, R.
(1971). Self-realization and psychological disturbances. In R. Assagioli, Psychosynthesis. New York: Viking. (Original work published 1937)
4.
Biallas, L.
(1986). Myths: Gods, heroes, and saviors. Mystic, CT: Twenty-Third.
5.
Buddhaghosa
. (1975). Visuddhimagga (3rd ed.). (Bhikkhu Nanamoli, Trans.). Kandy, Sri Lanka: Buddhist Publication Society.
6.
Burckhardt, T.
(1971). Alchemy: Science of the cosmos, science of the soul. Baltimore: Penguin.
7.
Campbell, J.
(1949). The hero with a thousand faces. New York: Pantheon.
8.
Collins, J.
(1984). The apocalyptic imagination: An introduction to the Jewish matrix of Christianity. New York: Crossroad.
9.
Coudert, A.
(1980). Alchemy: The philosopher's stone. Boulder, CO: Shambhala.
10.
Court, J.
(1979). Myth and history in the Book of Revelation. Atlanta: John Knox.
11.
Edinger, E.
(1985). Anatomy of the psyche: Alchemical symbolism in psychotherapy. La Salle, IL: Open Court.
12.
Eliade, M.
(1969). Yoga: Immortality and freedom. 2nd ed.Princeton: Princeton University Press.
13.
Feuerstein, G.
(1979). The Yoga-Sutra of Patanjali. Folkestone, Kent (UK): Dawson.
14.
Garrigou-Lagrange, R.
(1951). Christian perfection and contemplation according to St. Thomas Aquinas and St. John of the Cross. St. Louis: B. Herder.
15.
Grof, C.
, & Grof., S. (1986). Spiritual emergency: The understanding and treatment of transpersonal crises. ReVWsion, 8(2), 7-20.
16.
Happold, F. C.
(1970). Mysticism: A study and an anthology. Baltimore: Penguin.
17.
Johnston, C.
(1984). The creative imperative. Berkeley: Celestial Arts.
18.
Jung, C. G.
(1967). Symbols of transformation. In The Collected Works of C. G. Jung (2nd ed., Vol. 5). Princeton: Princeton University Press. (Translation of Symbole der Wandlung [1952]; revision of Wandlungen und Symbole der Libido [1912])
19.
Jung, C. G.
(1969). On psychic energy. In R.F.C. Hull (Trans.), Collected Works (2nd ed., Vol. 8). Princeton: Princeton University Press. (Original work published 1928)
20.
Jung, C. G.
(1969). Psychology and religion. In R.F.C. Hull (Trans.), Collected Works (2nd ed., Vol. 11). Princeton: Princeton University Press. (Original work published 1938, revised 1940)
21.
Kasulis, T. P.
(1981). Zen action/Zen person. Honolulu: The University Press of Hawaii.
22.
Levin, D.
(1988). The opening of vision: Nihilism and the postmodern situation. New York: Routledge, Chapman & Hall.
23.
Lukoff, D.
, & Everest, H. (1985). The myths in mental illness. Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, 17(2), 123-153.
24.
Macquarrie, J.
(1985). In search of humanity: A theological and philosophical approach. New York: Crossroad.
25.
May, R.
(1986). Transpersonal psychology. APA Monitor, 17(2), 2-2.
26.
Mookerjee, A.
(1983). Kundalini: The arousal of the inner energy (2nd ed.). New York: Destiny.
27.
Nasr, S. H.
(1989). Knowledge and the sacred. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.
28.
Otto, R.
(1958). The idea of the holy. New York: Oxford University Press.
29.
Perry, J. W.
(1953). The self in psychotic process. Berkeley: University of California Press.
30.
Perry, J. W.
(1974). The far side of madness. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
31.
Perry, J. W.
(1976). Roots of renewal in myth and madness. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
32.
Roberts, B.
(1984). The experience of no-self. Boston: Shambhala.
33.
Roberts, B.
(1985). The path to no-self. Boston: Shambhala.
34.
St. John of the Cross
. (1959). The dark night of the soul (E. A. Peters, Trans.). Garden City, NY: Doubleday.
35.
Schneider, K.
(1987). The deified self: A "centaur" response to Wilber and the transpersonal movement. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 27(2), 196-216.
36.
Silburn, L.
(1988). Kundalini: The energy of the depths. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.
37.
Underhill, E.
(1961). Mysticism. New York: E. P. Dutton.
38.
Washburn, M.
(1988). The ego and the dynamic ground: A transpersonal theory of human development. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.
39.
Wilber, K.
(1977). The spectrum of consciousness. Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House.
40.
Wilber, K.
(1980). The Atman project. Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House.
41.
Wilber, K.
(1981). Up from Eden: A transpersonal view of human development. New York: Doubleday Anchor.
42.
Wilber, K.
(1982). Odyssey: A personal inquiry into humanistic and transpersonal psychology. Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, 22(1), 57-90.
43.
Wilber, K.
(1983a). Structure, stage, and self. In K. Wilber, Eye to eye: The quest for the new paradigm (pp. 267-291). New York: Doubleday Anchor.
44.
Wilber, K.
(1983b). The pre/trans fallacy. In K. Wilber, Eye to eye: The quest for the new paradigm (pp. 201-246). New York: Doubleday Anchor.
45.
Wilber, K.
(1984). The developmental spectrum and psychopathology. Part I: Stages and types of psychopathology. Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, 16(1), 75-118.
46.
Wilber, K.
(1986). The spectrum of development. In K. Wilber, J. Engler, and D. Brown, Transformations of consciousness. Boston: Shambhala.
47.
Wilber, K.
(1989). Two humanistic psychologies? A response. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 29(2), 230-243.
48.
Wilber, K.
, Engler, J., and Brown, D. (1986). Transformations of consciousness. Boston: Shambhala.
