Rodney Marsh’s ”A School for the Education of the Heart
Rodney Marsh, a member of this community, has written a fascinating essay on the need to... View more
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INTRODUCTION TO THIS GROUP
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INTRODUCTION TO THIS GROUP
I’ve participated in the groups on the McGilchrist Channel since the website was developed in September, 2022.
I think Iain has done a wonderful job of illuminating one aspect of the human psyche – but only one limited aspect. Also, I find the emphasis in discussions on neurological factors to be highly limiting – at least, in terms of my main interest, which is about practice, rather than theory.
At present, even the most advanced technology can barely tell you IF you’re thinking and can’t tell WHAT you’re thinking or feeling at all. In my own field of psychology, research is astonishingly primitive and often can’t be replicated (successfully repeated).
In striking contrast, the contemplative traditions around the world have a profound understanding of psychology which even with the interest in meditation over the past 50 years, has barely been touched.
Rodney Marsh, in April 2023, sent a link to an essay he wrote about an “Education With Heart.” It’s a very interesting and very well written essay. I chose to start a group with his essay as a starting point for several reasons.
The primary reason is his essay takes the reality of the Divine (of God, if you will, or Brahman or Allah or….) seriously. I don’t see much future for humanity unless we at least understand what this Reality is (in others, almost nothing to do with what most religions conceive of as “God” – the old guy in the sky with a beard, or some vague impersonal “Force” that probably has nothing to do with anything in our everyday lives).
But I also found the essay fascinating because of so much emphasis on the Heart (with a capital H) – which I believe is essential for understanding transformational practices – yet with what I consider a limited focus on a particular aspect of attention, open attention, which is only one of dozens of aspects of attention and awareness in contemplative practice.
I put this up with an intention to engage with these in a non judgmental, friendly spirit of open inquiry.
I’ve been suggesting for months that folks on this channel look beyond Iain’s works (though of course, referencing them, since this IS the McGilchrist Channel, after all). Les Fehmi, John Yates (aka Culadasa) and Dan Siegel – just to mention a few, provide neurological/psychological insights and connections far more complex than merely looking at LH/RH relationships and integrations.
And since I started out by mentioning the lack of understanding of the vast insights of the contemplative traditions, I would suggest the integral psychocosmology of Sri Aurobindo as a premiere example of a psychology vastly beyond anything that can be found in McGilchrist, Fehmi, Yates ,Siegel or just about any contemporary psychology.
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2 Replies
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Thanks Don for starting this group….
Schools, like many institutions in our LH society, need transformation in terms of McGilchrist’s analysis, but this transformation (revolution) can never come through the ‘bits’ analysis of the LH. Such analysis is wonderful (to me) but it cannot transform the inner person and, I believe, the ‘religious’ prayer practices of all wisdom traditions can provide a path. Practising regular silence and stillness of the LH mind and becoming ‘poor in spirit’ can bring one into the depth of one’s own being and becoming in connection with Being and Becoming – “Just do it” preferably with others and then do not stain the Tau by speaking about it (sorry Iain).
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I have added a pdf of the essay to the documents section of this discussion
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