Zen And Psychoanalysis: Levels of consciousness.
Throughout time, human beings have explored various methods to address existential questions about their personhood and existence, spanning both the material and metaphysical realms. Logical approaches like philosophy and psychology, alongside spiritual avenues like religion, have given rise to therapies and practices aimed at deepening our understanding of our existence. In the forthcoming sections, I will delve into psychoanalysis, a Western psychological therapy, and Zen Buddhism, an Eastern religion and philosophy. Both methods emphasize different levels of consciousness, guiding us to access and be aware of these levels for a more harmonious life. I will highlight the similarities in their goals and origins, followed by an exploration of the differences and limitations of psychoanalysis compared to Zen. Additionally, I'll propose a way to integrate ideas from both schools in a therapeutic setting, emphasizing the relevance of Zen in contemporary psychology.
Psychoanalysis and Zen levels of consciousness
In the late nineteenth century, a pivotal figure in psychology, Sigmund Freud, proposed a theory aiming to explain the roots of human behavior. Freud's theory, encompassing various elements, centered on the differentiation between consciousness, preconsciousness, and unconsciousness, along with the ego, superego, and ID. According to Freud, every human mind harbored three levels of awareness:
The level of consciousness, involves "everything a person is aware of at a given moment in time"; the preconsciousness, comprising "memories that can be easily brought back into awareness"; and the unconsciousness, encapsulating "everything that a person is unaware of at a given time" (goodtherapy.com).
Freud further introduced; the Ego, the part of the mind that seeks to control and rationalize urges and desires; the superego, focused on morality and righteousness; and the ID, existing in the unconscious and driven by the pursuit of pleasure. For example, when you are making a decision to eat another piece of cake your ID would be the part of you fantasizing and reaching for the cake while the ego is trying everything to resist this urge based on the fact that you are already ate 3 pieces. Meanwhile the superego goes on and on about how you always tend to find yourself In situations of overindulgence and that you will never lose weight and be successful if you continue these behaviors.
This groundbreaking psychological insight shed light on a profound reality – there is more to our being than what meets the eye. Logical conscious thinking merely scratches the surface, and to genuinely comprehend our motivations and conditions, a deeper exploration is required. This endeavor to bring what lies beneath the surface into our awareness is the essence of psychoanalysis.
Where does the process of desire, criticism, and ideal begin? In Freudian's view, it originates at the self. His theory of "self-object" suggests that the self perceives the other as serving the self, emphasizing the self as a distinct entity. According to this theory, individuals possess the capacity for narcissism and narcissistic object relation, leading to a perpetual separation from the object in their awareness. This can be seen everywhere in the modern world, we see most things around us as seperate entities asserting power and control over these said things.
”He projects his own feelings and ideas on objects ,and then does not experience himself as the subject of his feelings, but is ruled by the objects which are charges with his feelings.”
-Eric Fromm
In Zen philosophy, consciousness transcends individual boundaries and selfhood. The concept of "anatman" or No-Self is fundamental in Buddhist philosophy, asserting that consciousness is interdependent and exists universally (Note: anatman is not denying the existence of personhood rather a persisting essence or substance of self, check out this article to learn more). One who can achieve this Inner knowing of interconnected nature of all things is at the core of Zen practice. Though the experience of Enlightenment (satori in zen practice) is deeply personal and cannot be expressed through words, this expereince of the limitless self is thought to be a key element of Satori. As stated by Erich Fromm in his book Zen and Psychoanalysis written with Zen master D.T Suzuki ,“To the degree to which I can rid myself of this filter and can experience myself as the Wliversal man, that is, to the degree to which repressedness diminishes, I am in touch with the deepest sources within myself, and that means within all ofhumanity, all ofthe cosmos.” (Fromm, E. (1959). Zen and Psychoanalysis). In this state there is no distinction between the levels of conciousness, in fact there is no distinction at all, all is one and one is all.
D.T Suzuki describes this boundless consciousness as The Cosmic Unconsciousness. A level of consciousness that is overarching what we refer to as the relative field of individual consciousness.
“What we generally call the relative field of consciousness vanishes away somewhere into the unknown, and this unknown, once recognized, enters into ordinary consciousness and puts in good order all the complexities there which have been tormenting us to greater or lesser degree”.
D.T Suzuki
In short, this form of consciousness is not contingent on a separate entity and permeates everything once released from the conceptualization of self. Carl Jung, a Western psychology pioneer and Freud's student, describes this state as an empty consciousness open to influences beyond ego-like consciousness. He notes that in this state, the ego is overwhelmed, leading to the interpenetration of self and other, which will in turn lead to an erasing of limitations and separations. The ego becomes synonymous with the surrounding environment.
Suzuki illustrates this level of consciousness by stating, "To know the flower is to become the flower, to be the flower, to bloom as the flower and to enjoy the sunlight as well as the rainfall." The consciousness within our divided self is inseparable from the flower we observe or the rain we disregard.
"By knowing the flower I know myself. That is, by losing myself in the flower I know myself as well as the flower."
D.T Suzuki
Continue to Part 2: Methodologies and Practice.
