3 6 S p i r i t ua l i t y S t u d i e s 8 - 1 S p r i n g 2 0 2 2 Unknowing 1978, 72). This was expressed slightly differently by Ananda K. Coomaraswamy (1877–1947): “Our Inner Man is in the world but not of it, in us but not of us, our Outer Man both in the world and of it.” (1978, 371). Mainstream psychology focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of the outer human being, unaware that its materialistic science, of necessity, excludes “inward man” (Romans 7:22) and has no framework to bridge the traditional doctrine of these two natures within us. There are several texts in the Upanishads that speak of the “two birds who dwell on the same tree” (Mundaka Upanishad 3:1:1; Shvetāshvatara Upanishad 4:6). These birds illustrate the nature of the human being: one of them eats the fruit of the tree, meaning that it engages in the world of phenomena, while the other looks on without eating – witnessing the transitory nature of all phenomena with equanimity. This describes the distinction between corporeal and spiritual nature that exists in all of us. This same teaching can be framed as the inner and outer dimensions of the human being which need not be opposed to one another; rather, they are interconnected and work together when integrated into our transpersonal presence. Eckhart (1981, 290) observed: In every man there are two kinds of man: One is called the outer man, which is our sensuality, with the five senses serving him, and yet the outer man works through the power of the soul. The second man is called the inner man, which is the man’s inwardness. Now you should know that a spiritual man who loves God makes no use in his outer man of the soul’s powers except when the five senses require it; and his inwardness pays no heed to the five senses, except as this leads and guides them, and protects them, so that they are not employed for beastly purposes, as they are by some people who live for their carnal delight, as beasts lacking reason do. Such people deserve to be called beasts rather than men. The perennial psychology provides spiritual teachings and methods to integrate our outer and inner selves. Again, in our true identity as the “primordial nature” (Arabic fitrah), the “image of God” (Lat. imago Dei), “Buddha-nature” (Sa. Buddha-dhātu), or the “Self” (Sa. Ātmā), we are the eternal witness that does not partake in the activities of the temporal world. No matter how many transgressions we may incur in this life, it must never be forgotten that our primordial nature can never be lost or destroyed, as it contains within itself the transpersonal human archetype. It is our essential identity in the Divine that prevents our fallen or samsāric state from becoming absolute or terminal. We are subjected to may trials in this life, making the path to wholeness and healing difficult; yet spiritual traditions confer on us the necessary discernment to traverse these hallowed paths. It is through the hardships faced in life that we discover who we are. Grace does not always come into our lives gently and can sometimes appear contrary to what is expected. Tibetan Buddhist master Gampopa (1079–1153) went as far as to say, “[o]ne must know that misfortune, being the means of leading one to the Doctrine, is also a ‘guru’” (Evans-Wentz 1967, 71). The Islamic tradition speaks about human beings’ misunderstanding of the deeper significance of trials and tribulations on the spiritual path: “And when harm befalls man, he calls upon Us. Then, when We confer upon him a Blessing from Us, he says, ‘I was only given it because of knowledge.’ Nay, it is a trial, but most of them know not.” (Qurʼān 39:49). Rūmī (2004, 33) speaks about the importance of encountering ordeals in life and how they can catalyze the search for a spiritual path: “It is pain that guides a man in every enterprise. Until there is an ache within him, a passion and a yearning for that thing arising within him, he will never strive to attain it.” Again, without facing obstacles and ordeals, many people would not find their way to religion. Christian monk and ascetic Evagrius Ponticus (345–399) went as far as to suggest: “Take away temptations and no-one will be saved.” (Sayings of the Desert Fathers 1975, 54). St. Anthony the Great (251–356) expressed something similar: “Whoever has not experienced temptation cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.” (Sayings of the Desert Fathers 1975, 2). It is through a correct understanding of trials that we can come to understand that, not only are we seeking the Divine, but the Divine also seeks us. A way of overcoming our lower impulses has been known since the earliest times in the world’s valid traditions: namely, spiritual warfare. Ultimately, we are faced with a real con-
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