Contra Transcendence

FAQs about Transcendence

Transcendence is about rising beyond one's self (ego) and the world.

To what does one transcend? It's given various names: God, Heaven, Higher Self, Nirvana, Brahma, Enlightenment, the All, Ultimate Being, and the Source. They're all religious, metaphysical, mental concepts.

How does one transcend one's self? There are various ways: living a morally right life, silence, solitude, intention, just being, meditation, prayer, mantra, and deep relaxation. More serious methods include self denial, fasting, vigils, poverty, and martyrdom.  All involve withdrawing from the world and life, closing one's eyes, and turning inward. For some, death is the ultimate way to transcend one's self and the world.

Who or what does the transcending? How can one's self transcend one's self? What experiences transcendence if not one's self? Some believe that the eternal soul does the transcending. Others believe that transcendence is a metaphor for becoming aware that there really is no difference between us and ultimate being. In reality we are ultimate being, so they believe.

Why would one seek transcendence? Because it's believed to be reality, our true being, and our true home. All else is a fallen state, ignorance, darkness, unenlightenment, an illusion.

My View: Not Transcendence But Engagement

In my view, transcendence is the apotheosis of fiction: escapism deified..

It's an imaginary tale one tells oneself in order to avoid oneself and the world.

Those with low evaluations of themselves and the world indulge in this form of entertainment taken too seriously.

Those who value life and this world have no need for transcendence. They practice the opposite: engagement.

They're in and of this world. They are their egos.

They keep their eyes and other senses open. They live by sight not by faith. 

They accept and embrace life as it is and cower not from living it.

They welcome, seek, and cherish the mystery, beauty, and pleasures of life and this world. They accept the tragedies of life and its pains. They accept life's mortality. 

They rise, not to avoid or escape, but to face life's many challenges. When they're overwhelmed, they take refuge, rest, recover as best they can, and resume living the adventure that is their life.

With family, friends, companions, strangers, and enemies, they co-author the adventure of their life.

Whenever and however their story ends, it ends. No one really knows what happens next, except decomposing and continued life in the bones, blood, and memories of the living.

It's called non-fictional living. 

Contra Tolle, Part 2

Another belief common to Vedanta, some traditions of Buddhism, and many New Agers, especially Eckhart Tolle, is the belief that we all are part of a Great Unity or Ultimate Source.

There are two beliefs here: belief in a Great Unity/Ultimate Source and belief that we humans are part of the Great Unity/Ultimate Source.

Belief in a Great Unity/ Ultimate Source begs several questions: 

Why believe that there is a Great Unity/Ultimate Source? 

What is the Great Unity/Ultimate Source? 

How do we know for ourselves it is there? 

Do we just have to take a leap of faith and believe it is there?

Does it require a mystical experience?

Are mystical experiences more than chemical reactions in our brains?

The belief that we humans are part of the Great Unity/Ultimate Source carries with it the belief that the Great Unity/Ultimate Source is our true self and that our sense of being separate individual egos is an illusion.

Again, such beliefs beg several questions:

Why believe we are part of some Great Unity/Ultimate Source and therefore one?

Why devalue our individuality to the level of an illusion in favor of all being one?

What purpose do such beliefs achieve?

How do we know for ourselves that these beliefs are true?

Do we just take a leap of faith and believe, have a mystical experience, something else?

In my view, belief in a Great Unity/Ultimate Source and illusory individuality devalues all human beings. It has us devalue ourselves in favor of faith in a great metaphysical being beyond us.

Such beliefs might help the sick, depressed, and anxious cope with the challenges of their life. They helped Tolle when he was so miserable. They enabled a euphoric, opiate-like state for him. 

However, such beliefs might be harmful to those of us who are relatively healthy and able to rise up to face the challenges  of our lives with nobility and a sense of humor. They could seduce us into devaluing our life, withdrawing into a mystical Now, and disengaging from living our lives to their fullest.

Contra Tolle, Part 1

A belief common to Vedanta, some Buddhist traditions, and many New Agers, in particular Eckhart Tolle, is that our 'ego self', or 'mind', is not our 'true self'.

In my view, I am not split into an ego and a true self. I do not have an ego. I am an ego. I am my true self and my true self is me. There is no other me but me.  

To devalue my ego is to devalue my true self. To devalue my true self is to devalue my life. To devalue my life is to devalue my spirit. 

To devalue my spirit is to practice an anti-spirituality rather than a spirituality.

So, in my view, the "ego vs true self" belief is a belief that when acted on is actually harmful to healthy and strong individuals. It promotes withdrawal from rather than engagement with life. 

Perhaps such a belief can at times be helpful when one is very sick, depressed, or anxious like Tolle was. Then it can provide a way of escaping one's miserable life. It's a kind of mental opiate for those unable or unwilling to live life fully.

Reincarnation? A Different Perspective

After being a spirited-minded-bodied ego can I die and yet remain as a spirited-minded ego? No, every spirited-minded-bodied ego is unique. When one dies it ceases to exist.  We only live metaphorically after we die. At best we live on as an influence in the lives of those who knew us.

However, it does seem possible that in some instances our spirited-mind can continue to exist. However, as a spirited-mind I would be less than I was as a spirited-minded-bodied ego. I would be only a shadow of my true self, a shade. The Ancient Greeks understood this well.  So did the Ancient Germanic tribes.

Can a spirited-mind be reincarnated? It's possible. However, since the body is not the same, neither is the ego, the person. Essentially, a reincarnated spirited-mind is a new and unique spirited-minded-bodied ego. As such it is possible that it could recall memories of being a previous spirited-minded-bodied ego.  

After being a spirited-minded-bodied ego can I die and yet remain a spirited ego? I think not. Spirit is simply that which makes alive. It is the same in everything that is spirited. I have no sense that my spiritedness is imprinted with my ego or unique or in any way.

I could, however, have it all wrong.  Right or wrong, I'm not sure it matters.

Just Say No to Transcendence

I do not seek to transcend my self. My ego is not something I want to transcend. I cannot both transcend my self and be my self. Why would I want to be something other than my self?

I might want to transcend myself if I believed there was something wrong with me or something "higher". However, "I" am not a problem that needs transcending. "I" am not a caterpillar in a cocoon. There is nothing "higher" for me to become than me. "I" am a one-of-a-kind gift. That means I am very rare. I am valuable, of inestimable worth.

Rather than transcendence I seek transformation. Rather than seeking to escape my self, I seek to become the full, strong, mature, unique ego I am meant to become.  Then I will be the best gift I can be for the world.

Contra Vedantists and New Agers: No "Self", Just "self"

Some believe in a Self, an ultimate, eternal, infinite Self. It's like an ocean. 

They believe their self, their ego, interferes with their awareness of Self. They desire to transcend their ego and, like a drop of water, be absorbed into the boundless oceanic Self. Then they will be without limits. Nirvana.

Let's be clear. They're not talking about something they know. They're talking about something they believe, a matter of faith. They are certainly free to believe what they believe. 

They might have had what I call an ecstatic unitive experience. They might have experienced being absorb into the ocean. It's an experience based on what they believe. As we believe so we experience.

I do not share their faith. I do not believe in an ultimate, eternal, infinite, oceanic Self. What I see and experience are drops, egos, individual selves: your self, my self, and all other selves. "Drops" is not the best metaphor. "Stories" is better. 

For the time of my life, until I die, I am a story, forever changing, always in the process of becoming. My story is an adventure. I make it up as I go, one action at a time.

As the main character of my story, I do not seek to vanish like a drop in a boundless ocean. Like an acorn lives to become an oak tree, I live to become me. I am always becoming me. "Me" is an ongoing creative process of development. "Me" is a narrative of revelation in a network of other narratives of revelations. 

We all play roles in each other's stories. Our lives are interwoven networks of spirited

narratives. We are living threads in a potentially eternal weave.

"Me" is always new. So are you. There is always more of us to become.

Why would anyone want to extinguish their self? Extinguishment. That's what nirvana is. It's the opposite of being truly alive and becoming who we are meant to become. Turning inward to seek nirvana is another way of avoiding and denying our life. It's another form of self-medication. 

I prefer opening my eyes, engaging in life, and living it fully.

Low "Low self" Esteem

Some believe we have a "Higher Self". This implies a "low self" as well. 

They believe that the Higher Self is better than our low self, our ego. Oh, how they exalt the "Higher Self." They can't get away from ego fast enough.

If I am split into a Higher Self and low self, I have high "low self" esteem. 

However, I'm not split into a higher and lower self. I do not have an a ego. I am an ego, one that is multifaceted and constantly developing. 

When asked by High Selfers, "When you observe yourself, who observes you?" I say, "I observe myself. I have the ability to self observe. It's not that big of a deal really."

I sometimes wonder if those who believe they have a "Higher Self" do so because they loathe their self. Well, of course they do. They want to escape their ego; that is, they want to escape themselves and be someone else.

Some want to dissolve completely, like a drop of water in the ocean. Now that's low "low self" esteem.

I Do Not Have a Body

I do not have a body. I am a body. I do not have a mind. I am a mind. 

Likewise, I do not have a spirit; I am a spirit. I am a spirited body-mind. 

As a spirited body-mind I do not have an ego. I am an ego, a unique self. My ego is not a part of me. My ego is me. 

There is only one of me. When I am here, I am here. When I am gone, I am gone.

While I am here, I cannot lose myself. I cannot find myself. I am my self.