Northampton Electronic Collection of Theses and Research

Secular Buddhism as a materialist transpersonalism

Gordon-Finlayson, A. (2015) Secular Buddhism as a materialist transpersonalism. Paper presented to: British Psychological Society (BPS) Transpersonal Psychology Section 19th Annual Conference, Coughton, Scarborough, 18-20 September 2015. (Unpublished)

Item Type: Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)
Abstract: Must transpersonal psychology and the transpersonal world necessarily occupy an ontology that opposes materialist science? Must a “transpersonalist” necessarily accept the postulates of parapsychology, or of theistic religion? Can a “goat” hold a transpersonal worldview? I will use the example of modern Western expressions of Buddhism (including so-called “secular Buddhism”) to show how we can honour and express a truly transpersonal vision while retaining the best that modern and postmodern thought has to offer. I will examine how we can accept a materialist position without abandoning metaphor, symbol and meaning, still taking advantage of the best of the scientific method to explain the world in which we find ourselves. I will also explore the contributions of the non-materialist epistemologies of the postmodern traditions, showing how secular Buddhism questions the given narratives of traditional Buddhism while not abandoning the essence of the Buddha’s original message. Through all this, I will highlight the parallels between Buddhism and both the modern and postmodern traditions. Finally, I will reiterate how all of this does not undermine secular Buddhism as a truly transpersonal position, indeed one that can be used to critique some existing transpersonal systems (e.g. Wilber’s integral psychology).
Subjects: B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BQ Buddhism
B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology > BF204.7 Transpersonal psychology
Creators: Gordon-Finlayson, Alasdair
Faculties, Divisions and Institutes: University Faculties, Divisions and Research Centres - OLD > Research Centre > Centre for the Study of Anomalous Psychological Processes
University Faculties, Divisions and Research Centres - OLD > School of Social Sciences (to 2016)
University Faculties, Divisions and Research Centres - OLD > Faculty of Health & Society > Psychology
Faculties > Faculty of Health & Society > Psychology
Research Centres > Centre for Psychology and Social Sciences
Date: 18 September 2015
Date Type: Presentation
Event Title: British Psychological Society (BPS) Transpersonal Psychology Section 19th Annual Conference
Event Dates: 18-20 September 2015
Event Location: Coughton, Scarborough
Event Type: Conference
Language: English
Status: Unpublished
Related URLs:
URI: http://nectar.northampton.ac.uk/id/eprint/7862

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