Materials found in chapters 1, 3, and 4 are from "Language, Epistemology and

Mysticism," in Mysticism and Philosophical Analysis by Steven Katz. Copyright

© 1978 by Steven Katz. Used by permission of Oxford University Press, Inc.

Material found in chapter 4 are from "Mysticism, Mediation and the Non-Linguistic"
by Larry Short in Journal of the American Academy of Religion, Vol. 113, No. 4
(Winter 1995), pp. 659-676. Reprinted by permission of Journal of the American Ficism
Academy of Religion.

Material found in chapter 5 are from Philosophy of Mind in Sixth Century China:
Paramartha's Evolution of Consciousness. Copyright © 1984 by Stanford University
Mind
Press. Reprinted by permission.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Forman, Robert K. C.
Mysticism, mind, consciousness / Robert K. C. Forman.
p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 0-7914-4169-5 (alk. paper). — ISBN 0-7914-4170-9 (pbk. :
alk. paper)
1. Mysticism. I. Title.
BL625.F64 1999
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 ontent<

Preface • ix

1. Mystics and Constructivists • 1

Part I: The Pure Consciousness Event

2. Reports of Pure Consciousness Events •11

3. Of Horses and Horse Carts •31

4. Non-Linguistic Mediation • 55

5. Buddhists and Constructivism • 81

Part II: A New Model for Pure Consciousness

6. Of Horse Carts and Space Capsules

Constructive Language and Spiritual Techniques • 95

7. Knowledge by Identity • 109

Part III: The Dualistic Mystical State

8. Silence, Thinking, and Cutting Carrots

Characterizing an Advanced Mystical State •131

9. The Janus-Faced Soul

An Epistemology of the Dualistic Mystical State • 153

10. Concluding Remarks • 169

Notes • 173

Bibliography • 201

Index •211

Vll
 Preface

that mysticism is constructed, and will open the door to much

broader and more far-reaching debates on both the deeper charac-
ter of mysticism, and on what mysticism has to show us about the
nature of human consciousness and life.
There are countless people to whom I would like to express my ,Iiaptep ne
thanks. In the two decade development of this work, I have learned
from my graduate school professors, especially Wayne Proudfoot,
Ewert Cousins, Joel Brereton, Peter Awn, Norvin Hein, and Robert
Somerville. Because they set the issues and clearly articulated the lt|stics and L^onsfpucfivists
conundrums I've pondered, I owe an enormous amount to my pro-
fessional colleagues and sparring partners, Steven Katz, Jerry Gill,
and Robert Gimello. Much of my insight has been gleaned from my
co-authors in earlier volumes and colleagues in various venues,
Intpoducfion
notably Anthony Perovich, R. L. Franklin, Paul Griffiths, Donald
Rothberg, Scott Lowe, Jeff Kripal, Sally Katz, and G. William ' hat, or who (or perhaps Who), causes mysticism? What
Barnard. Finally, or perhaps firstly, I learned more at the feet of does it signify? From whence does it come? Is it an au-
three teachers than from anyone else: Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, thentic experience of something real, or a revered self-
Ram Dass, and Meister Eckhart. To all these people I cannot ex- delusion? Some of each perhaps? Are mystics the fools of God, or
press my gratitude deeply enough, for together they have given my merely fools?
life meaning, direction, and value. Over the last quarter of a century, scholars—who are rarely
I also owe a debt of gratitude to my students at Vassar and mystics—have come to generally agree that it's not a Who but a
Hunter Colleges. They have taught me where my thoughts are what that plays the key formative role in mystical experiences. The
muddy, clear, or occasionally inspiring. They have helped show me "what" is the mystic's background: his or her beliefs, expectations,
the real value of this query. My mysticism students especially have hopes, wishes, needs, questions, etc. In academic shorthand these
been sources of a great deal, and a great deal of joy. are commonly referred to as the mystic's conceptual "framework" or
Finally my thanks are unending to my beloved and ever- background "set." This approach to religious experience, along with
patient wife, Yvonne, whose tireless support, sane council, and a range of relatively minor variations and shadings with which it is
thoughtful feedback have made both me and this book unquestion- taught, is called "constructivism." Constructivism is the view that in
ably stronger. She also kept me from selling Earth Shoes. significant ways the mystic's conceptual and linguistic scheme deter-
Finally, I thank my wonderful children Rosha and Avi, for the mines, shapes, and/or constructs his or her mystical experiences.
love we share, and for putting up with their often preoccupied dad. Constructivism has come to dominate an astonishing array of
recent books and articles about not only mysticism, but about reli-
gious experience, spirituality, and indeed much of religion as well. It
is the engine that drives most historical, theological, and contextual
studies of religious individuals:'scholars of particular religious people
commonly trace how that person's experiences were influenced by
his or her tradition or background. But this is to maintain—however
unconsciously—that that individual's religious tradition shaped and/
or constructed his or her religious experiences.
In the literature concerning Meister Eckhart's mysticism, for
example, with which I am somewhat familiar, scholars have shown

1
2 ^ Mysticism, Mind, Consciousness
Mystics and Constructivists ^ 3

how Eckhart's thought and experiences were influenced by Neo- and categories "mediate" any possible experience. If some experi-
Platonism,1 Augustine,2 Thomism,3 etc., etc. Hidden in all these ence came to us in other terms, we simply could not entertain it_
accounts is the claim that the mystical experiences to which Eckhart we would have no category for it.
avers must themselves have been influenced by his background. Wittgenstein, in his suggestive and evocative way, dispensed
Typically, such articles do not argue for the purported connection with the notion that our concepts mediate, for any human being,
between background set and mystical experience. They don't have some unidentifiable noumenon "out there." Rather, his dominant
to argue for it: given the general scholarly agreement on this ap- model is that we "construct" our world in and through our lan-
proach, they can assume it. Those that are alert enough to recog- guage, concepts, beliefs, and actions. The world does not come "at"
nize that they need to justify this connection, do so by merely us, he said, with our concepts passively filtering certain things out.
referring the reader to the recent theoretical literature (purport- Rather, we more actively "construct" our experience. The world is
edly) establishing this link. Among Eckhart scholars, for example, as we build it. And having built it, we live in what we have our-
both Bernard McGinn and Kenneth dark refer to Steven Katz's selves built. In living and understanding it in certain ways—which
well-known article for an articulation of this connection.4 we learn from language, culture, behavior patterns, etc.—we con-
Hence, to understand the linkage between background and struct our sense of the real.
mystical experience the reader must turn to the philosophical lit- This insight, that we construct our own reality, has had enor-
erature that defends this claim, the so-called "constructivist" claim. mous impact on modern Western humanities and social sciences. I
William Wainwright,6 Ninian Smart,6 John Hick,7 Terence cannot begin to demonstrate the full ramifications of this con-
Penehelum,8 Jerry Gill,9 Wayne Proudfoot,10 Peter Moore,11 and structivist model, but here are a few of its more obvious ones: the
others have all offered excellent defenses of constructivism. Steven sociology of knowledge and anthropology have both detailed how a
Katz, with his two articles, "Language, Epistemology and Mysti- culture's world view structures and controls perception and be-
cism" and "The 'Conservative' Character of Mystical Experience," is liefs.14 Psychologists since Freud (and perhaps before) have argued
perhaps the most outspoken and renowned defender of the that childhood concepts and experiences control, shape, and deter-
constructivist claim.12 So frequently glossed are these articles, es- mine adult emotions and perceptions.16 Historians of culture and of
pecially those of Katz, that this view became virtually the received ideas, and, of course, of religion all write explicitly out of this
view in the 1970s and '80s on mysticism.13 Because it has been so model. Even fields like Modern Art16 and Art Criticism17 may be
central to the recent discussions, I will focus much of my thought viewed as grappling with the notion that we see only what we are
and attention on this viewpoint. conditioned to see. Writers work with it: Iris Murdoch, for example,
I will explore constructivism by both addressing the key articu- said, man is a creature who makes pictures of himself and then
lating articles of this position, especially those of Katz, as well as comes to resemble the picture."18 Thus, when we explore the thesis
the theories of the construction of experience in general. For mys- that all experiences (including mystical ones) are constructed, we
tical constructivist philosophers are writing squarely from within are in effect exploring a room whose corners are inhabited by the
the great constructivist traditions of British and American analyti- full panoply of humanists and social scientists.
cal philosophy. Proudfoot, Katz, and Gill are the grandsons of phi- Because this model is shared by so many, a challenge to such
losophers like G. E. Moore, Gilbert Ryle, and Ludwig Wittgenstein; a widely accepted way of looking at things is likely to be either
and the great-grandsons oflmmanuel Kant. In his Critique of Pure ignored, scoffed at, or seen 'as a threat.19 Be that as it may, chal-
Reason, Kant maintained that we cannot experience reality in it- lenge it I will. For I am, in effect, asking in this book; is there a
self (which he called the "noumenon") directly. Rather, we can only limit to the constructivist model of human experience? lAre there
encounter the world through a limited number of categories—space any experiences, types of experiences, or phenomena that a human
and time, the concept of unity, etc. We humans supply these cat- being may consciously undergo, which may plausibly be said to be
egories, he said. We can see only in their terms. These concepts not determined or constructed by the subject's set? Can anyone,
4 (H Mysticism, Mind, Consciousness Mystics and Constructivists ^ 5

i.e., a mystic or anyone else, escape the self-constructed world, encephalogram (EEG) patterns differ sharply. Given such different
even for a moment? signatures, these two scales are unlikely to have identical psycho-
If the answers to my questions are affirmative, as I believe logical characteristics, mental features, and, most interesting,
they are, then we will be faced with another question: if the mystic causes. One should not explain feelings of love as if they were just
does not construct her own experience, then what does cause and/ like the feelings we have in a foot race, at least not without further
or shape the experience(s)? This means we must offer our own rationale.21 We must be careful, for models developed to explain
theory of mysticism, one that is more adequate to the task. And, phenomena on the ergotrophic scale may very well not explain
given the deep acceptance of the constructivist thesis in general, trophotropic phenomena.
our answer may turn out to have ramifications that reach far be- I propose reserving the term mysticism for trophotropic states.
yond the narrow confines of mysticism studies. I will call ergotrophic phenomena such as hallucinations, visions,
auditions, etc. ^visionary experiences." Thus, the following vision
record of the thirteenth-century Christian, Mechthild ofHackeborn,
however fascinating, is ergotrophic:
^etinifion o\ Mysticism
The King of glory once appeared in indescribable splendor in

Before analyzing the constructivist model in detail, I want to define the fullness of his joy, wearing a golden robe embroidered
with doves and covered by a red mantle. This garment was
mysticism as I will use the term. The word mysticism, like religion,
open on two sides to indicate that the soul has free access to
truth, and modernity, is pivotal but murky. It can denote the unintel- God.22
ligible statements of an illogical speaker, a schizophrenic's vision,
someone's hallucinations, a drug-induced vision, the spiritual "show-
The Beguines, St. Teresa when she speaks of her visions and au-
ings" of a Julian of Norwich or a Mechthilde of Magdeburg, the un-
ditions, Mohammed, Isaiah, Nichiren, etc. are all known for being
spoken, silent experience of God that Meister Eckhart called the "Divine visionaries.
Desert," or the Buddhist Nagarjuna's empty shunyata. Clearly, before
I will reserve the term mysticism only for those people who
we can progress we must be more precise about our field of inquiry. write about experiences on the trophotropic side of our chart. Such
Roland Fischer has put forward a "cartography" of states of
authors as Eckhart, Dogen, al-Hallaj, Bernadette Roberts, and
conscious arousal which includes all of these so called "mystical" Shankara are all, in my usage, "mystics" rightly so called. A pas-
states.20
sage like the following, from the Hindu Bhagavad Gita, then is
Hallucinations, acute schizophrenic states, and the visions and "mystical" as I will use the term:
auditions of a Julian of Norwich fall on the ergotropic side of the
chart. These are states of hyperarousal: cognitive and physiological But with desire-and-loathing-severed
activity are at relatively high levels. On the trophotrophic side are Senses acting on the objects of sense,
hypoaroused states, marked by low levels of cognitive and physi- with (senses) self-controlled, he, governing his self,
ological activity: here we find Hindu samadhi, mushinjo in zazen, Goes unto tranquillity.
the restful states associated with The Cloud of Unknowing's "cloud
In tranquillity, of all griefs
of forgetting," or Eckhart's gezucket. Riddance is engendered for him;
Levels of metabolic excitation, emotional arousal, mental activ- For of the tranquil minded quickly
ity, etc. indicated on the trophotropic and ergotrophic scale move in The mentality becomes stable.23
opposite directions. Physiological parameters such as heart rate,
skin temperature, spontaneous galvanic skin responses, etc. in- I can thus concur with Ninian Smart's definition of mysticism:
crease on one side of the chart, and decrease on the other. Electro- "Mysticism describes a set of experiences or more precisely, conscious
6 iH Mysticism, Mind, Consciousness
Mystics and Constructivists ^ 7

events, which are not described in terms of sensory experience or

ing and relatively common form of introvertive mysticism29_I do
mental images."24 In so restricting the term mysticism to experi-
not claim that this form of mysticism is the only important mysti-
ences not described with sensory language, I believe I am in accord cal phenomena. There are many other interesting mystical phe-
with the original meaning of "mystical," i.e., "to close," and to the nomena, sahaja samadhi being one, and we will turn to that one
overtones of the term as it was brought into the Christian lexicon toward the end of this inquiry. I will first focus on the pure con-
by Pseudo-Dionysius, that is, separate from the sensory ("rapt out sciousness event because:
of himself').25
Let us focus the searchlight of our inquiries even narrower. 1. it is relatively common;
W.T. Stace distinguishes between "introvertive mysticism" and 2. it is rudimentary and hence may indicate key features of
"extrovertive mysticism."26 In extrovertive mysticism one perceives more advanced mystical phenomena;
a new relationship—one of unity, blessedness, and reality—between
3. most important, it seems an excellent philosophical case
the external world and oneself. This Stace distinguishes from
study of one of the peculiarities of mysticism, one that stands
introvertive mysticism, the nonspatial experience of a void aware-
as Stprima facie counterexample to the constructivist model.
ness or "pure consciousness." Although he does provide seven char-
acteristics of each type, he overlooks what seems to me to be the
I want to emphasize that I do not claim, and I do not believe, that
central fact that distinguishes them. It can be seen most readily in
it is everywhere believed to be ultimate or salvific. Indeed, I do not
a distinction made by twentieth-century Hindu mystic Ramana
regard it as salvific in and of itself, although it may play an impor-
Maharshi between samadhi and sahaja samadhi.m Samadhi is a
tant role in the more advanced forms of the mystical life.30
contemplative state, and is thus "introvertive" in Stace's sense of the
term. Sahaja samadhi is a state in which a silent level within the
subject is maintained along with (simultaneously with) the full use
of the human faculties. It is, in other words, a state that is continu- ^pucfupe of the bool
ous — either permanent or lasting a long time—through activity. The
distinction between a state maintained only during meditation and In sum, my question is, how shall we best account for mysticism?
one maintained along with activity seems to be key here. By mysticism I mean "trophotrophic" mystical experiences. I will
Because it involves several aspects of life—that is, external look at two common types of them, a transient experience called
activity and some sort of internal and quiet aspect—and the the pure consciousness event (PCE), and a permanent or semiper-
relationship(s) between them, sahaja samadhi seems inherently manent experience called the dualistic mystical state, (DMS). What
more complex than samddhi. And it seems to be a more advanced is the best way to understand these experiences?
state in the sense of coming later in the developmental process.28 The book is divided into three parts. In Part I I will look pri-
It seems to me that much misunderstanding has arisen because marily at the pure consciousness event, and ask whether
people have looked at the more advanced, sophisticated, and per- constructivism adequately accounts for it. Here I will, of course,
haps more interesting form of experience—sahaja samadhi, extro- detail several reports of this sort of experience (chapter 2) and then
vertive—prematurely, that is, without first understanding the explore constructivism and its philosophical underpinnings (chap-
simpler more rudimentary form(s) of mystical experience. In this ters 3 and 4). The question hereis, does constructivism adequately
book I will first look at this more rudimentary stage, and then, account for these events? I will argue that is does not.
with our understanding of it firmly in hand, turn to a more ad- In chapter 5, I will show how a well-respected ninth-century
vanced form. That is, I propose to begin at the beginning. Eastern thinker, Paramartha, tends to support my thesis that
In so doing I want to emphasize one point: while I will start by constructivism does not adequately account for these pure conscious-
looking at the pure consciousness event (PCE)—one quite interest- ness events. Paramartha offers an account of ordinary experience
8 Mysticism, Mind, Consciousness

that is in profound accord with the current constructivist model,

but goes on to say that it is not applicable to mysticism.
The hypothesis of Part I then is that constructivism is ill suited
to explain these "introvertive" mystical experiences. But that leaves
us with the problem of offering a more adequate account. This I Port I
will offer in Part II. Because constructivism so focuses on language,
in chapter 6 I will explore in some detail the role of language in
bringing on the pure consciousness events. In chapter 7 I will turn
to the place of consciousness in them. ie 1-^upe onsciousness ~- vent
But this touches only on the pure consciousness event. In Part
Ill I will turn to the dualistic mystical state. First, in chapter 8 I
will present some data about its existence and precise phenomeno-
logical character. In chapter 9 I will explore this interesting expe-
rience by drawing a parallel between Sartre, Hui Neng, and the
observations of several mystical thinkers. With that in hand I will
offer what seems to me a more sensible account of human con-
sciousness, which both makes sense of the insights of the mystics
and also has a lot to say about the nature of ordinary human
consciousness. And this may serve to call into question some of the
academic orthodoxy about the constructed nature of all human
awareness and experience.
 laptop / wo

lepopls ol l-^ure v^onsciousness Lvenls

efore beginning our philosophical investigations, I want to

put several reports of mystical phenomena on the table, so
we know just what it is we are discussing. In Part III of this
book we will look at a permanent experience, the DMS, the Dual-
istic Mystical State, which is something that lasts continuously. In
this first part, we will look at something more short lived and
hence, as William James' put it, transient: the Pure Consciousness
Event (PCE).

in Upanishadic Uescpiption

Let us begin by looking at several classical descriptions of pure

consciousness events. The first is taken from a fairly late Upanishad,
the Maitri 6:18-19.

To the unity of the One goes he who knows this. (18) The
precept for effecting this [unity] is this: restraint of the breath
(pranayama), withdrawal of the senses (pratyahara), medita-
tion (dhyana), concentration (dharana), contemplation (tarka),
and absorption (samadhi). Such is said to be the sudbld Yoga....

(19) Now it has elsewhere been said, "Verily when a knower

has restrained his mind from the external, and the breathing
spirit (prana) has put to rest objects of sense, thereupon let
him continue void of conceptions. Since the living individual
(jiva) who is named "breathing spirit" has arisen here from
what is not breathing spirit, therefore, verily, let the breath-
ing spirit restrain his breathing spirit in what is called the
fourth condition (turya). For thus it has been said:

11
12 The Pure Consciousness Event Reports of Pure Consciousness Events 13

That which is non-thought, [yet] which stands in the this." Is one aware of some One, as one might be aware of a vision
midst of thought, of God or of the number one? This, I believe, would be a mistake.
The unthinkable, supreme mystery!— "To the unity of the One" needn't necessarily mean one becomes
Thereon let one concentrate his attention
consciously aware of some thing. Rather, I believe that our passage
And the subtle body (linga), too, without support.1
is saying something analytically (that one moves into a state of
unity with the One), not descriptively (that one thinks or feels some
This is a passage that touches upon many of the themes com-
One). If one was thinking or feeling some one thing, then we would
monly seen in mysticism. It is obviously concerned with some ex-
not read that one has "put to rest objects of sense" or remains "void
perience. It mentions meditation, something ineffable (the
of conceptions." Rather, it would say one experiences the one, or
unthinkable, supreme mystery"), an experience of unity ("the unity
thinks the one, or some such. But here one is said to move to that
of the One"), etc.
which is "non-thought, yet which is in the midst of thought." Thus,
Our passage first tells us what it takes to bring on the experi-
one is not perceiving or thinking about some thing, even a one, but
ence its author has in mind. Clearly, it takes place while sitting
rather is coming to be that one thing which one inherently is, if you
quietly in something like meditation, dhyana. One undergoes
will, without any additional mental content.
pratyahara, withdrawal of the attention from the senses. One fo-
In other words, as I understand this passage, it is suggesting
cuses one's attention, dharana, until one gains full absorption. An-
that one moves to a condition of being entirely without any sensory
other way of saying the same thing is that one has put to rest
or mental content, or without any intentional content for the aware-
objects of sense" (6:19). One is thus not seeing anything, noticing
ness. One simply persists "without support."
some tactile sensations, hearing sounds, etc. One is also not think-
ing during this event: one "continues void of conceptions." Not
thinking, restraining the mind from the external and sensory, one
is left fully focused but devoid of any sensory or imagined object for
on ^ezucken
the mind. Thus one becomes fully "absorbed," gaining the state
known as turya.
Meister Eckhart (c. 1260-c. 1328) was a Dominican friar, prior,
Turya means "fourth," and in the Upanishads denotes the state
abbot, lecturer, and preacher.2 Although in his earlier university
gained in meditation that later came to be more commonly known
days he wrote several Latin works in scholastic style—the Parisian
as samadhi. By "fourth" is meant the fourth "condition." The first
Disputations and Prologue to his Opus Tripartitum3—he is most
three mentioned in the Upanishads are the waking, dreaming, and
renowned for his later German Sermons and Tractates. While it is
deep sleep "conditions," (what we might call "states of conscious-
not his focus, in them he not infrequently alludes to an experience
ness"). It is sometimes also called caturtha, which is the ordinal
he calls "gezucken," or rapture.
numeral adjectival form of four, but it is more commonly named
One of the clearest characterizations of gezucken is found in
turya. Later philosophical treatises more typically use the form
the sermon Dum Medium Silentium, a sermon on which we will
turlya, which came to be the accepted technical term. Tunya, then,
focus.4 Eckhart there introduces the medieval notion of the pow-
is the fourth state of consciousness, after waking, sleeping, and
ers of the soul.
dreaming. Unlike any of them, it involves neither sensing nor think-
ing. Indeed, it signifies being entirely "void of conceptions," by which
Whatever the soul effects, she effects with her powers. What
I understand that there one one does not encounter images, imag-
she understands, she understands with the intellect. What
ined sounds, verbalized thoughts, emotions, etc. In short, in tunya she remembers, she does with the memory; if she would love,
one encounters no content for consciousness. she does that with the will, and thus she works with her
Now, one might think that one has some sort of mental object powers and not with her essence. Every external act is linked
herein, for it says, "To the unity of the One goes he who knows with some means. The power of sight works only through the
14 The Pure Consciousness Event Reports of Pure Consciousness Events 15

eyes; otherwise it can neither employ nor bestow vision, and anger, and desire—the powers by which we notice and respond in
so it is with all the other senses. The soul's every external act rudimentary ways to the external world. The "internal" powers are
is effected by some means.5 intellect, will, and desire, the "higher" powers with which we gen-
erate thought and desire. Hence, withdrawal of both implies that
In addition to the five senses there are six powers: three lower
neither the powers of thought nor of sensation "flow out" into their
(lower intellect, desire, and anger) and three higher (memory, higher
usual activities. In other words, both the sensing and the thinking
intellect, and will). It is by their activity that the soul enters into
aspects of the mind are inactive. Responding to his conditionaL
and interacts with the external world.6 We look at objects with our
Eckhart continues, "... then he will find himself in a state in which
eyes, hear sounds with our ears, etc.7 The activity of the six higher
there are no images and no desires in him and he will therefore
powers generates thought and desire, that is, willing and cognitive
stand without any activity, internal or external."9 With both inter-
or mental activity. Eckhart is here using fairly standard scholastic
nal and external powers withdrawn, one experiences neither
psychology. thought, affective feeling, sensation, nor vision.
Having introduced the powers and alluding thereby to the
In gezucken, then, one is aware of, according to Eckhart, nei-
normal phenomenon of the mind's attending to some thought or
ther thought, word, speech, or even vague daydreams. Even oblivi-
sensory object, Eckhart goes on to describe the gezucken of St.
ous of "himself," such a man becomes completely silent and at rest,
Paul, his archetype of someone having the mystical experience he
without cognitive content: he is contentless yet open and alert. ;
wishes to describe.
Restated according to this passage ingezucken the subject is merely
awake, simply present, but devoid of a manifold for awareness,
[T]he more completely you are able to draw in your powers to
either sensory or mental. Once again, we have a description of a
a unity and forget all those things and their images which you
have absorbed, and the further you can get from creatures state in which there are no thoughts, no sensations, no cognitive
and their images, the nearer you are to this and the readier content: a nonintentional, yet wakeful moment.
to receive it. If only you could suddenly be unaware of all
things, then you could pass into an oblivion of your own body
as St Paul did,... In this case. . . memory no longer func-
tioned, nor understanding, nor the senses, nor the powers .>eing without I Iwughts in Zen Buddliism
that should function so as to govern and grace the body.... In
this way a man should flee his senses, turn his powers inward Zen, as is well known, teaches a disciplined technique of sitting in
and sink into an oblivion of all things and himself.8 a prescribed, erect fashion and concentrating the mind on an object
assigned by the Roshi. While koans are in the West the most' fa-
As we saw in the Upanishadic passage, Eckhart specifically asserts mous of these meditative tools, these are used principally by the
the absence of sensory content ("nor the senses") in this experience, Rinzai tradition. Soto Zen, the other main school, frequently teaches
as well as mental objects ("devoid of memory, understanding, its novices to focus the attention on the breath. The aim of such a
senses, etc.). One has become oblivious of one's "own body" and "all technique has nothing to do with some knowledge of respiratory
things." One even loses the awareness of oneself. In short, in this physiology. Rather it is designed, in part, to help one temporarily
phenomenon ofgezucken one is "unaware of all things," i.e., devoid cease having any objects for consciousness.
of all mental and sensory content. This process and its meditative experiences are described in
In another passage Eckhart specifically notes that the contem- one of the earliest and most renowned Soto texts, the Fukan Zazen-
plative "withdrawal" from cognitive activity includes both "inter- gi, byDogen, the abbot who is traditionally credited with bringing
nal" and "external" powers. "If a person wanted to withdraw into Soto Zen from China to Japan. It was written in 1277, soon after
himself with all his powers internal and external. . ." The "exter- its twenty-eight-year-old author had returned from China. Needing
nal" powers are the senses, the lower intellect (common sense), a brief work in which his teachings about zazen were codified and
16 The Pure Consciousness Event Reports of Pure Consciousness Events 17

stated simply, he set down this relatively short work. He must How do you think of not-thinking" asked the monk.
have considered it important since toward the end of his life he
"Non-thinking," answered Yueh-shan.17
undertook to reedit it.10 It introduced Zen so clearly and success-
fully that it has become quasi-canonical: "the Soto sect's single The key element in both these passages is that the Zen prac-
most cherished writing, being recited at the regular night sitting in titioner is to gain a state in which no thinking occurs. At that time
Soto Zen temples and at other appropriate occasions."11 the mind is simply present; one "just sits," if you will, without any
When the Fukan Zazen-gi was written, Rinzai, which empha- mental cogitations or perceptions. Being simply present is a sign
sized koan use, was the dominant Zen school. By laying such a that one is no longer making any discriminations, not attentive to
stress on the differences between those who had "answered" the any of the "ten thousand things."
koan and those who had not, Dogen believed that this school's As things one does not think in Zazen, Dogen expressly includes
teachings could lead to "word attachment"—i.e., differentiating all thoughts of Nirvana, becoming a Buddha, and any of the other
between enlightenment and the ordinary samsaric world.12 Dogen Buddhist notions. "Give up even the idea of becoming a Buddha.
taught a more straightforward "just sitting" (shikan taza) or "wall This holds true not only for zazen but for all your daily actions."18
gazing" technique which was intended to help eliminate the disjunc- This emphasis will become important in the next section.
tion between samsara (the world) and Nirvana (enlightenment). Dogen
In this claim, Dogen is neither idiosyncratic nor even atypical.
did not consider dhydna (meditation) to be a means to Nirvana, but
Such experiences are described and thought to be significant in
rather considered it to be fundamentally one with Nirvana. both earlier scriptures and later Zen writings.19 Indeed, according
According to Dogen, the problem that prevents one from real- to Conze, reports of non-thinking can be found in the full range of
izing this is the tendency to discriminate, especially between what Indian Buddhist Scriptures.20
one thinks is "good" and "bad." One must simply stop discrim-
inating. "Do not judge things as good or evil, and cease such dis-
tinctions as 'is' and 'is not.' Halt the flow of the mind, and cease
conceptualizing, thinking, and observing."13 Dogen advocated being
m Autobiogpaphical Account
rid of all "dualistic (relational) thinking."14 "Zazen is a practice
beyond the subjective and objective worlds, beyond discriminating
thinking."16 Rather than discriminating and thinking, according to Modern academic studies of mysticism have focused virtually ex-
the Fukan Zazen-gi, in Zazen one should simply allow all thoughts clusively on textual reports and analysis of traditions of them.
to subside. After having given instructions about posture, breath- Some have even gone so far as to argue that texts are our only
ing, etc., Dogen states, "When your body posture is correct, breathe source of data about mysticism.
in and out [once deeply]. Sway left and right [several times] and
then sit firmly and resolutely. Think about the unthinkable. How [TJhe only evidence we have ... is the account given by mys-
do you think about the unthinkable? Do not think. These are the ties of their experience. These are the data for study and
essentials of Zazen."16 In a gloss to this important but aphoristic analysis. No scholar can get behind the autobiographical frag-
ment to the putative "pure experience"—whatever one holds
passage, Waddell and Masao state,
that to be. Whatever the truth of the nature of the commin-
These words derive from the following dialogue, which is the gling of theory, experience and interpretation that goes into
central subject of [Dogen's] Shobogenzo Zazenshin: the mystics' "report," the only evidence one has to call upon to
support one s analysis of this material, and hence one's de-
A monk asked Yueh-shan, "What does one think of when sit- scription of this relationship [between set and experience], is
ting immobilely in zazen?" Yueh-shan replied, "One thinks of the given recording of the mystic—the already "experienced"
not thinking. and "interpreted" first person recording.21 (Emphasis mine)
18 The Pure Consciousness Event Reports of Pure Consciousness Events 19

Professor Katz is here arguing that the only evidence we have describe their experiences, they may do so in the service of their
about mystical experiences are post hoc reports and descriptions. rhetorical goal(s). Thus, their primary agenda may or may not be—
Inevitably, interpretation is involved in such reports. Katz amplified indeed, rarely is—to describe their experiences accurately or clearly.
this thought at a recent conference, where he added that there are In the service of an author's agenda, descriptions may be nuanced,
only a limited number of subjects, the "great mystics," whom he shaped, or even misleading. Furthermore, even as descriptions texts
regards as the legitimate subjects of inquiry.22 are often unclear. Their authors may not have a talent for descrip-
While I would not like to lay too much stress on what may have tion, they may have been edited or transcribed by another (as were
been an ill-advised comment, I do believe it fairly represented both St. Teresa and Meister Eckhart), etc. Thus, as sources for philo-
his personal attitude (as shown in his articles) and those of his sophical analyses, classical texts may be themselves flawed.23 Since
colleagues. For texts by "classical mystics" are certainly the pri- their authors have long since passed away, it is impossible to verify
mary if not the exclusive focus of both of Katz's edited volumes as the accuracy of the descriptions we have. Mystical texts may make
well as most scholarly literature on mysticism. But whether this is interesting reading, but unreliable phenomenology.
intentional or not, this approach does mean that the constructivists' Third, modern scholars who claim that texts are influenced by
study of mysticism is a study of highly interpreted, generally fa- their faith context may be unconsciously or perhaps consciously
mous texts, whose authors (the great mystics) have typically long limiting their sources to textual ones as a way to protect their
since died. thesis. Complex texts certainly are, at least in part, shaped by their
Whether intended or not, this selection process may be skewing context. If we recognize no other descriptive sources than these,
our understanding of mysticism. First, while the so-called great then it is easy to argue that these descriptions are clearly shaped
mystics—the St. Teresas, Meister Eckharts, Nagarjunas, and by their context, and thus that the experiences also must have
Dogens—may be among the most articulate and therefore most his- been so shaped.24

torically significant mystics, they are certainly not the only mystics. But analyzing such complex, apologetic texts is not the only
For every highly revered St. Teresa, there have been many many available methodology to identify the phenomena of mysticism.
colleagues and disciples, some of whom have no doubt had some For today, in both America and Europe, we are not limited to
mystical experiences. Even the constructivists will agree that there such texts. There are thousands upon thousands of people prac-
have likely been non-renowned people who have had extraordinary ticing meditation of one variety or another, and again thousands
mystical experiences. A mystical experience does not guarantee fame. have had mystical experiences.26 Since many of these people are
Nor does a mystic's fame guarantee that his or her experiences have alive, it is possible to ask them questions about their experiences
been either unusual even particularly interesting. A mystic's fame per se, and to pursue something when it is unclear, as many
derives from the quality of their writings, and perhaps the influence textual descriptions are. In a personal interview, one can ask
of their followers. Writings and followers make a "great" mystics certain obvious questions that would confirm or deny the con-
great, not the depth or idiosyncrasy of their experience. structivists' thesis: "Did you take this 'as' Brahman while it was
An unnoticed side effect of this particular focus is that our going on, or was that a later naming?" Another is, "Did you know
information about and understanding of mysticism may be skewed about thus and such before you underwent this?" Negative an-
toward the writing, educated elite. Great writers may not be the swers to either question would prima facie call the constructivist
greatest mystics. hypothesis into question.
Secondly, texts are, by their nature, complex. A religious text Interviews with people who changed traditions might also be
is written within a particular intellectual, historical, and faith instructive: "Have you changed how you think about this experi-
context. A mystical author writes to a particular audience, and is, ence?" "Do two different words adequately describe that phenom-
in part, generally trying to persuade that audience of the truth of enon?" If someone said that they did not know of, e.g., Brahman
a particular position or to explain something. If mystical authors before undergoing samadhi, or if someone only regarded it "as"
20 The Pure Consciousness Event Reports of Pure Consciousness Events 21

Brahman after some experience, this too would call the constmctrvist to clear to full alertness. On the other hand, after one of these
hypothesis into question. experiences I am clearheaded, and indeed my perceptions have more
Finally, I also believe that it is appropriate to include autobio- clarity and vibrancy than usual. I also feel especially calm.
graphical descriptions. While the normal academic posture is to I tend to undergo this phenomenon more often when I have
remain aloof from one's own personal experience, I feel that in a been getting enough sleep. Other than that, I have not been able
discussion about mysticism, this may be counterproductive. In my to correlate this phenomenon with any other process: for example,
case, I know that the way I read first person accounts, theoretical it does not happen more often when I have eaten certain foods,
accounts, and philosophical analyses of mysticism is colored in ways wear certain clothes, or sit in a particular chair (though, since I
great and small by my own experience. Thus, to help clarify the have a bad back, being very uncomfortable tends to preoccupy me
source of some of my thinking, I believe it is incumbent upon me with pain, and thus discourage letting go of sensations).
to include an autobiographical account, and I will begin with that. I may undergo this PCE as often as several times a meditation
I have been practicing a Neo-Advaitan form of meditation twice or only once every few months. As the years have progressed it is
daily since November 1969. The technique involves the use of a my impression that it has happened with increasing frequency,
bija mantra, a short verbal sound, which is not said aloud but though I have never kept careful count.
repeated mentally with minimal effort. Often when I meditate, the
mantra seems to drift away from my attention, and I find myself
lost in thoughts and dream-like imagery. Sometimes when the
en Abbots Account
mantra fades away, my thoughts and perceptions also quiet down.
Things seem to get very settled and vague, as if even my own
I interviewed John Daido Sensei Loori, the abbot at Zen Mountain
thoughts and perceptions are vague and dim.
Monastery in Mt. Tremper, N.Y.26 A charming, lanky, fiftyish man,
Occasionally my thoughts drift away entirely, and I gain a
he was a scientist, an engineer, and a nature photographer before
state I would describe as simply being awake. At those times I'm not
he became a Zen Roshi. Daido Sensei Loori trucks no pretense: he
thinking about anything. I'm not particularly aware of any sensa-
met me in jeans and a blue denim shirt with huge embroidered
tions. I'm not aware of being absorbed in anything in particular. Yet
eagles. For one with so lofty a title, he was refreshingly frank,
I know (after the fact) that I haven't been asleep. I am simply
thoughtful, and open about both his own and his students' mystical
awake, simply present.
experiences.
It is odd to describe such an event as being awake or being
Daido Sensei Loori distinguished two types of (what I would
present, for those terms generally connote an awareness of some-
call) pure consciousness events he and his students have under-
thing or other. Yet in this experience there is no particular or
gone: absolute samadhi, a contentless state in which there is abso-
identifiable object of which I am aware. I am driven to say I am
lately no possibility of a response to the world, and working samadhi,
awake for two reasons. First, I emerge with a quiet, intuited certainty
in which one can respond if necessary. His first experience of ab-
that I was continually present, that there was an unbroken continuity
salute samadhi came during a photography workshop with Minor
of experience or of consciousness throughout the meditation period,
White, before he had looked into Zen. He had been out on assign-
even if there were periods from which I had no particular memories.
ment, photographing this and that when he came on a tree,
I just know that I was awake without a break, that there was a
continuity of myself (however we define that) throughout.
which was basically just a tree, just a plain old tree like a
The second reason I am driven to say I am awake therein is that hundred thousand other ones. But this one was very special
there is a difference in how I feel after a meditation in which this for some reason. And Minor used to say, sit in the presence of
occurs and after a meditation in which I fall asleep. After a sleep in your subject until you have been acknowledged. .. . So I set up
meditation I wake up groggy, and it takes a good while for my mind my camera and I sat with this tree, and it was in the middle
22 The Pure Consciousness Event Reports of Pure Consciousness Events 23

of the afternoon, and that's all I remember until it was dusk, Had he been asleep, he told me, he probably would have emerged
the sun had gone down and it was cold. And I was feeling just with a sense that he had been asleep. But here he was certain that
totally elated, just wonderful. he had not. Hence, he enjoyed a "continuity" of being awake.
He also associated a very good feeling—"just totally elated" —
From the fact that he had started in the early afternoon and came out
with this absolute samadhi. So I asked him,
after dusk, when it was cold, he deduced that he had been in front of
that tree for roughly four hours. Yet he had no recollection of anything
Q. I want to be real exact here. [Did] you become aware of
from that entire period.27 He states that when he first came out, he
how good you felt [during the event? or after it?] During [it]
hadn't thought anything odd had happened. I understood by this re-
would you say there was any particular awareness?
mark that he did not come out with the sense that he had blacked out
D. No. No awareness at all. No reflection on it at all.
or lost awareness. He was certain, he told me, that he had not slept.
His second experience of absolute samadhi came several years
later, after he had been practicing Zen for some while. He was on He was not aware of any feelings of elation until he came out.
a week-long meditation course, a sessin, and had been feeling ex- Again, rather than any particular content, the distinguishing fea-
cruciating physical pain. His teacher had told him, in typical Zen ture was the absence of content and the loss of time. All seemed
fashion, to "be the pain. normal enough, except that he "lost" some six hours.
Daido Sensei Loori also described a second type of samddhi,
D. I was desperately trying to figure out what he meant by "be "active samddhi," in which the mind can respond to the world if
the pain." It didn't make sense to me. And at one point he needed. It has come to be quite regular for him as well as many of
walked through the zendo, and his sleeve brushed against me his students. I had earlier described my own experiences of pure
as he went by. I realized that the pain was gone. And the consciousness to him (much as I described them above), and he
second I realized it, it was back. And then shortly after that
described this active samddhi by saying,
was the last thing I remember until the noon meal.

Q. So it was probably how [long]? D. I do this thing that you do, I do it almost every
period. . . . Now when I sit, and I sit for a long enough period
D. About six hours.
of time, my mind is not moving. I know, when I finally become
Q. Can you describe the experience during that six hours? aware of the room and I'm getting up to move, I know that I
was present during that whole period of time, and I'm confident
D. All I know is that I was in terrible pain one minute and the
that I didn't miss anything. Yet I have no awareness of what
next minute I was carrying my bowl into the dining hall and the
sun was up and everything was very, very vivid. The food which went on. ... Sometimes that happens right before I give a
I normally hated tasted wonderful. ... At first I didn't think that talk. Usually right before a talk happens we sit for just two
anything unusual had happened. But . .. after the meal I began or three minutes. After [the microphones and lectern] have
to put two and two together, that there was a big part of that been taken care of and the cup of coffee is there ... I usually
morning that I had no recollection of. I didn't get verification on close my eyes and drop everything. During that two minutes
or three minutes there is nothing. I know that if something
these things until after the sessin. I found out that I had actually
had happened I would be aware of it. But nothing is moving,
sat through [the entire work time] without moving.
there is no feedback that is happening to me.
Q. Its not like you had [blacked out or] gone anywhere.... It
was a simply being present. ... Is that fair? In sum, Daido's absolute samadhi experiences were of a passage of
D. I think so. It was [only] because somebody . . . told me that time—four or six hours—in which he utterly lost all conscious
I had sat for that time [that I knew anything unusual had awareness of the sensory and thinking world. He came out think-
happened]. ing all had been perfectly normal; that is, there had been no gap
24 The Pure Consciousness Event Reports of Pure Consciousness Events 25

in awareness. He had not passed out, he knew, nor asleep. But ences, like seeing cosmic lights or anything. ... I didn't even
more than that he couldn't say. This he distinguishes from a more realize I was there for that long. .. . Time just passed. Time
regular "working samadhi," which is something that he gained just didn't exist. I thought only ten minutes, maybe fifteen
minutes [had passed]. . . .
from regular Zen practice and which happens "almost every pe-
riod." In this phenomenon, he "drops everything," i.e., is without Q. Would you say [during this experience that] you were
awareness of anything in particular. Yet he can emerge, he knows, thinking?
if the need arises.
D. No. I mean, I was completely out. I didn't, well, no.
I have never undergone something like his absolute samadhi,
but this latter experience sounded quite familiar to me. We dis- Q. Can you describe anything about that experience . . . during
cussed this similarity. I stated, the four hours?

D. No. The only thing I know is just that I was sitting there.
Q. From what I can tell, and one can never get in the body of I was very very comfortable but I didn't know I was sitting
another, we are describing an identical experience here. there. It was like I wasn't even there. . . .

D. It could be. Q. Were you asleep?

D. No.
By this "could," I understood him to mean that he sensed that we
were describing an identical experience, but we could never be abso- Q. How do you know?
lately certain of identity in such private matters. Later he said:
D. 'Cause I know when I'm asleep. My head falls and I start
dreaming or whatever. But, it was still up and I [just know I]
D. I think when we talk about samadhi, that we are talking
wasn't.
about... that we're probably very close to saying the same thing.

She was quite adamant that she was not asleep. She reiterated it
several times. So I wondered:
liddha Voqa novices Account
Q. [Did] you have the sense that you had been awake?
The second interview on which I would like to report was with D. I don't know if I was awake. I wasn't sleeping. It wasn't
Danielle, a twenty-one-year-old female practitioner of Siddha Yoga.28 like a lot of times during meditation[. When] I do fall asleep,
A somewhat nervous, energetic, and earnest student of mine at my head falls and I know when I've been asleep. I know I
Hunter College, Danielle mentioned in a Hinduism class that she wasnt sleeping but I don't know what I would call it.
had had an experience much like those described in the Upanishads.
Q. So, you weren't awake in the usual way.
I asked her to come to my office, and asked her if I could record her
description of her experience, to which she agreed. D. No, not really.

Unlike Daido Sensei Loori, Danielle's first experience of this Q. How would you distinguish it from being awake in the
sort happened while she was meditating. She had been feeling usual way?
particularly anxious about something one afternoon, she said, so
D. Well, when I'm awake I'm thinking and I know what's
going on. I wasn't thinking and not because I chose to.It just
D. I went into [the room we] called "the cave." It's black, you
happened. It wasn't like I told my mind "okay, don't think. ..."
can't see anything.... I was sitting there and I was only going
to stay for like ten minutes. But I was out for four hours and Q. So you know you weren't awake and you know you weren't
I didn't even realize it. I didn't have any incredible experi- asleep. Well, that's funny . . .
26 The Pure Consciousness Event Reports of Pure Consciousness Events 27

D. No. I was in some other world; I don't know. still working. You can see it: you can look down [and see it].
The tendency is, when that first begins to happen, an invol-
Q. Did you have an experience like being in another world?
untary thing like [a twitch] will happen. A person will just
D. I didn't have any experiences. I didn't feel anything. . . . kind of jump... . That's the first thing that precedes samddhi.
And then, usually, the mind stops reflecting.
Q. When you came out, did you have any particular thoughts
like, "oh, boy that was nice," or something?
I too have sometimes experienced something like a twitch, a sort
D. Yeah. I loved it. I mean, I couldn't believe I was there for of quiet off sensation" that occasionally comes upon me before mental
four hours in that spot. I didn't move once and I didn't want
operations settle down. It seems to have, we might say, a will of its
to get up.
own. As Danielle described, it also feels to me somewhat autonomous.
Q. So, for once in your life you were doing nothing else, just
sitting.

D. Yeah, I guess so. iimilapilies and v^onclusions

Q. Would you describe it as like that? Just sitting?

Several commonalties within these reports strike one.
D. Just sitting but not as if I just sat down on the floor right
1. For everyone involved, these events seem to be beneficial.
now and closed my eyes. I didn't hear anything. I didn't see
After both of my interviewees' samadhis, the problems that had
anything. I didn't feel anything. I didn't think anything.
been plaguing them had lifted, and remained absent for many
months after their experiences. Daido felt remarkably good for many
I was struck with how Danielle stated that she had no thoughts
months after both his experiences, he told me. After the experience
during the period: "I wasn't thinking," she said, "and not because
in front of the tree, he said, "I was feeling just totally elated, just
I chose to. It just happened. It wasn't like I told my mind 'okay,
wonderful. All my questions and my problems had dissolved. All
don't think ...'" With this she communicates a sense of effortless-
my problems I tried to bring them up and they just weren't there
ness, almost as if someone or something other than herself had
any more." After that experience, he continued,
turned a switch off. Rather than her actively trying to not think,
she just found herself without thoughts. It seems clear that had
[T]he only thing that remained with me was my surprise at
she actively been trying not to think, that effort alone would have
how good I felt, for months thereafter. All my questions had
been enough to pull herself out of this state. The state seems to
gone away. All these things that seemed like these impossible
assume a total absence of effort. She also communicates that, rather problems were no longer there. I mean like nothing had
than her being able to bring on this state at will, it just happened changed. All the things that were bugging me before were still
to her. Her mind seemed to just stop on its own, autonomously. present, but they somehow weren't bugging me. That was the
Daido Sense! Loori described the onset of samadhi as often astonishing thing.
coming with an "off sensation," as if some switch within the mind
or body clicks off: The feeling of well-being stayed with him after his second experi-
ence for some six months. After, his second samadhi, he told me,
One of the things that happens is—and this is particularly
true during sessin—is an "off sensation" usually sets in I felt terrific and I was experiencing things very intensely like
first.... If you sit for long periods of time, especially during the food—[this was] right after—and the smells and I remem-
sessin, you [sometimes] lose sensation of your body. . .. [WJhen ber it was a beautiful sunny day. The sunlight was coming
you are not moving any more you lose [the tactile awareness right into the dining room. Everything, all the colors, seemed
of your body]. Yet you know your body is there. Your mind is very vivid and warm and comfortable. I had incredible loving
28 i5^ The Pure Consciousness Event Reports of Pure Consciousness Events 29

feelings for all the people there.... I just felt an incredible each of us had trouble categorizing these experiences. We all had
presence of all these people. Everything felt good. trouble saying that we were awake in anything like the normal
way. Yet we all emphatically denied that we were asleep. Asked
Although this feeling of well-being gradually became less intense,
how she would distinguish it from being awake in the usual way,
it stayed with him for six months. Danielle said,

Danielle reported a similar sense of well-being:

D. Well, when Im awake Im thinking and I know what's
I just felt lighter. Like I went in heavy and depressed and going on. I wasn't thinking, and not because I chose to.It just
nervous. I had all these bad feelings, anxiety, and that just all happened. It wasn't like I told my mind "okay, don't think. .."
left. I walked out and I felt completely fine and better and
Q. Okay, so you know you weren't awake and you know you
peaceful.
weren't asleep, well that's funny . ..

Her problems had lifted. Although she did not mention how long D. No. I was in some other world; I don't know.

her sense of well-being persisted, the day after her experience in Q. Did you have an experience like being in another world?
the "cave" she left the ashram on a trip and resolved some long-
D. No. I didn't have any experiences. I didn't feel anything.. ..
standing family troubles.
In my own case, while I often feel particularly calm and clear-
Like many of us, by "awake" she understands some activity of per-
headed after pure consciousness events, I have never resolved any
ceiving or thinking this or that. She "knows what is going on." Yet
specific deep-seated problems immediately after one of these expe-
in this event, since she was not thinking or perceiving, she did not
riences. I am convinced that meditation as a whole has done me a
"know what was going on." She was entirely without perception. Nor
world of good, but I cannot say that any single meditation experi-
did she know whether or not any auditory stimuli had been present.
ence has ever radically changed the way I felt. Perhaps this can be
Thus she expressed perplexity in that she could say neither that in
related to the fact that I have never had a multi-hour event like
her pure consciousness event she was asleep nor that she was awake.
theirs.
Daido Sensei Loori also had trouble categorizing his samadhi
I should emphasize, however, that none of us holds that it is
experiences. They were not sleeping:
these unusual quiet events which transform one permanently. Truly
significant changes, I believe, result from a life of regular medita-
Q. [WJould you distinguish it from being dead asleep?
tive practice. The emphasis I am placing on these events may suggest
that they are the key transformative moments on a path, but I do D. Yeah!
not believe that they are. Far from it! The paths on which we have Q. How?
each embarked are long and complex meditative, conceptual, thera-
D. First of all, (little chuckle) you know that you weren't asleep.
peutic, devotional, and existential paths which, hopefully, have and
I mean, you know after the fact that you weren't asleep. If I've
will continue to profoundly change each of us. The goal of such a
fallen asleep on the cushion; I know when I've fallen asleep.
path is not a flash that lasts for a few moments or even hours, such
When you wake up from sleep, your mind is kind of groggy.
as those I am discussing, but rather a permanent life change. I see When you wake up out of-samadhi you mind is so sharp and
the samadhi events, as it were, as mile markers on a road, not goal focused, everything is so vivid and alive. Your body even feels
posts. They have some effect, but only within the context of a path that way. So it's different in that way.
as whole.
2. A second feature of these reports is that while we all were But nor is it waking, if by waking we understand the process of
certain that these experiences were not experiences of being asleep, perceiving, thinking, speaking, acting, etc. As the Heart Sutra
30 The Pure Consciousness Event

describes this event, said Daido Sense!, "there can be no "world"

existing for its duration:

D. The Heart Sutra describes it. The Heart Sutra says, no eye,
ear, nose, tongue, body, mind; no color, smell, taste, touch
lapfer / hpee
phenomena. No world of sight, no world of consciousness.
Because the mind has stopped functioning, and the senses

Of H OPSGS an
have stopped processing, there can no longer be any "world of
waking consciousness." lopse L^apfs
I too have trouble describing this sort of event as either waking
or sleeping. When I come out it, I am certain that I was awake for
the full length of meditation. But on the other hand, it certainly is
not "waking" in the usual sense of the term: no objects, thoughts,
etc. But I do want to apply the term "consciousness" or "wakeful-
ness" to this event, because I know I was present, persisting, awake
throughout. My sense is that it was only my consciousness itself ie bopdepless AnonijmitL) o1 'epennialism
that persists.
Perhaps this is why our Upanishadic passage resorts to such "ow that we have seen several reports of pure consciousness
odd language as, "To the unity of the One goes he," or, "That which events, let us see how several recent philosophers will
is non-thought, [yet] which stands in the midst of thought, the account for reports like these. The dominant model for
unthinkable, supreme mystery!" It must be spoken of in peculiar mysticism through the 1970s and and 1980s was, as I noted,
terms because, compared with ordinary intentional experiences, it constructivism. This model for mysticism emerged largely as a
is peculiar! response to the so called "perennial philosophy." Perennialists—
Aldous Huxley/ Rudolf Otto,2 Evelyn Underhill,3 Frithjof Schuon,4
Now, the parallels between these accounts of samadhi are re- Alan Watts,6 Huston Smith,6 and perhaps W. T. Stace,7—claimed
markable, are they not? We have a wakeful persistence going on that all religious experiences are similar and, further, that those
for many hours, yet the subject recalls no content. All our subjects experiences represent a direct contact with a (variously defined)
were certain that they were not asleep; there was no sense on absolute principle. Religious traditions, they argued, all teach a
emerging of having blacked out, of being groggy, as one is when cross-culturally similar philosophy that does not change over the
waking up, or of a hiatus in the continuity of wakefulness. There centuries, i.e., a perennial philosophy. Perennialists claimed not
was, rather, a gap in time: the two interviewees had "lost" some only that all mystical experiences were parallel; in part because
four to six hours. they are, there is a parallel in metaphysical philosophy or theology
between the major, or perhaps the primordial, traditions.
Perennialists were criticized for two very good reasons. First,
the general conceptual paradigm in the humanities shifted toward
the notion that language and culture shape experience. As Philip
Almond put this in an excellent recent article, perennialism

was vitiated by what amounts to a contemporary paradigm

shift in epistemology toward the view that there are no human

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