Acquisition of a Novel View of Reality: a Study of Psycho-Spiritual Development in Zen Buddhism.

The resistance of 30 Soto Zen Buddhists to zazen (meditation) was studied using a semi-structured interview. They had meditated an average of 10 years. Subjects recalled the most intense resistance experienced in the six months prior to the interview. An eight stage model (the ZLSD) of developmental progress in Zen was constructed, and was reasonably reliable, assessed on the basis of agreement between independent judges. The findings were that neither strength of resistance nor ZLSD stage had any relation to the amount of either life stress or stressfulness of zazen. Subjects who had a generally resentful/angry attitude, as measured by clinical ratings of attitude by independent judges, did not progress beyond ordinary types of subjectivity (measured by the ZLSD). Twenty-five of 28 subjects were angry at the time of resistance. It was concluded that resistance was essentially anger for these subjects. Four difficulties presented by anger for zazen were discussed: First, anger is physiologically opposite to the physical state induced by zazen. Second, anger is inherently a desire to change forcefully a situation, while zazen is essentially a detached, accepting approach to experiences. Third, anger often arises out of narcissistic impulses, and always stimulates narcissistic fantasies. Zen requires ab and oning narcissism. Fourth, anger was viewed in this research as the foundation of the sense of being a separate self. Zen sees this sense of separate self as a delusion causing alienation. Although anger obstructs enlightenment, it was hypothesized that anger and aggression to protect one's survival need not prevent enlightenment. Three factors were found necessary for continued psycho-spiritual development: a knowledge of what the goal of Zen is, an accepting attitude, and a willingness to relinquish one's personal drama. Subjects who had developed an accepting attitude and who showed low resistance to zazen were significantly older than the resentful/angry subjects (accepting subjects = 45.7 years, resentful/angry subjects = 38.8 years, low resisting subjects = 44.9 years, high resistors = 38.4 years). The older group had apparently successfully negotiated Levinson's mid-life transition phase (one task of which is resolution of conflicts over anger). The younger subjects had not yet entered that phase.PhDClinical psychologyUniversity of Michiganhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/161382/1/8712100.pd