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 (Unpublished)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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