Devdas Menon
(Text of an
invited article that appeared in the July 2006 edition
of the Journal of Krishnamurti Schools)
Pre-conventional,
Conventional and Trans-personal Stages of Development
Recent psychological
studies in human development suggest an interesting
three-stage model of development: pre-conventional,
conventional and trans-personal
(or post-conventional). Most people successfully
reach and settle into the second stage, conforming
to accepted patterns of social conventions. The third
stage, which reflects authentic individual maturation,
is relatively rare, and is generally not supported
by society.
As children, we are
born innocent into a bewildering world. We are gradually
conditioned into accepting the ways of the world,
and we begin to derive a sense of identity and security
in society, based on how well we conform to the accepted
norms. This process of enculturation is so overwhelming
that the maturation from the pre-conventional to the
conventional takes place automatically, and is considered
‘normal’. It operates in all kinds of
informal and formal ways: at home, in the neighbourhood,
at school, through the newspapers, TV and movies,
at the workplace, and in practically all our social
interactions. The indoctrination is so strong and
complete that we generally end up believing in the
accepted worldview and treat it as a true representation
of reality. Society supports and encourages this,
and in fact, blocks the stage of trans-personal growth
in individuals, because this often implies breaking
out of or going beyond accepted conventions.
There are many things
of considerable value in the conventional world-view,
but ultimately they are limiting and cannot satisfy
the evolutionary quest for self-actualisation that
lies dormant in every individual. The primary limitation
of conventionality, as many wise people have repeatedly
pointed out, is that it tends to be deadening, inauthentic
and essentially unfulfilling. In a spiritual context,
it is a kind of ‘collective hypnosis’
or ‘consensus trance’, from which we need
to break out if we are to discover for ourselves,
first-hand, authentic fulfilment, aliveness and sacredness,
all of which is ever-present in the core of our being
and in the universe.
Dimensions
of Trans-personal Growth
Every individual
has the potential for development to the trans-personal
realm, and there are many dimensions in which this
development is possible, not just the spiritual. Those
who have advanced considerably in one dimension (say,
cognitive brilliance or meditative awareness) may
be at a rudimentary (pre-conventional) stage or a
conventional stage of development in other dimensions,
such as the interpersonal or psycho-sexual. Even within
one dimension (say cognition), there is a fairly wide
spectrum of areas (such as humanities and sciences),
all of which cannot be developed to the same depth
by a single individual. Hence, persons, who may be
‘masters’ in certain areas of ‘specialisation’,
will find it difficult to understand deeply in other
areas, or feel compassion.
It is not always
that we have the self-awareness and humility to acknowledge:
I really don’t know; my understanding in
this area is rudimentary. It is more common to
blunder forth blissfully, talk authoritatively, and
make sweeping generalisations on issues that we have
little understanding or appreciation of. It is neither
necessary nor possible to accomplish development at
a trans-personal level in all dimensions. But, it
is indeed desirable to discover the trans-personal
in those areas for which one has an aptitude, to recognise
one’s own limitations in other areas, and to
discover the space and grace to accommodate all viewpoints.
Evolutionary
Progress
Growth into the trans-personal
(post-conventional) level is evolutionary in nature,
in the sense that it progresses from the pre-conventional
and through the conventional. The progression into
the trans-personal is usually triggered by a strong
dissatisfaction with the conventional, and is realised
after significant inner transformation that varies
from person to person. The trans-personal is unconventional;
but being unconventional per se does not imply being
trans-personal.
The trans-personal
contains within its realm the conventional and the
pre-conventional. This is what enables an individual
at the trans-personal stage of development to understand
deeply and empathise with the conventional and the
pre-conventional.
The trans-personal
can often appear to be bewildering to the conventional
and pre-conventional. It begins to make sense only
when the individual has ripened to a stage where he
or she, troubled by the limitations of the conventional,
is ready to move on and transcend. It may be perhaps
possible, in some rare cases, for someone at the pre-conventional
level to bypass the conventional and reach the trans-personal.
Trans-personal
Spirituality
Trans-personal growth
in the spiritual dimension is recognised by the wisdom
of the ages to be a realisation of the ultimate purpose
of human life. Elements of the spiritual dimension,
such as a sense of blissful oneness with Nature, do
manifest in earlier stages, and in particular, in
the pre-conventional stage, but there is a significant
difference in the type of realisation.
During infancy, there
is barely any clear awareness of a separate self,
and the world is a part of oneself. The child, in
fact, often refers to itself in the third person.
As the child grows and begins to discover its own
urges which run into conflict with the outer world,
awareness of a separate ego-self begins to emerge.
The fragmentation into the separate ego-self gets
full-blown in the conventional stage of development.
Subsequently, if and when the individual advances
into the trans-personal stage, there is a growing
realisation that the ego-self is but a false mental
construct, and liberation lies in its dissolution.
Being in the pre-conventional
stage, the child largely experiences things from its
own point-of-view and is unable to comprehend or feel
compassion for the needs of others, whereas in the
trans-personal stage, there is a deep understanding
of and compassion for others. Trans-personal spirituality
is inclusive in an absolute sense, without fragmentation.
Role
of Education
Education is the
flowering of the individual from the pre-conventional
to the trans-personal stage of development. It is
a life-long endeavour.
Formal education
in today’s society is limited to the initial
period of one’s life, and its primary objective,
as viewed conventionally, is to enable an individual
to earn a livelihood. Conventional formal education
in schools and colleges is aimed at enabling a maturation
of the individual from the pre-conventional stage
to the conventional stage. Individuals may subsequently,
out of their own interest and initiative, unlearn
and learn afresh, to progress further into the trans-personal
stage. Self-education is a powerful and sure way to
trans-personal growth, provided there is sincerity
of purpose and a strong inner drive. One then discovers
the beautiful inter-connectedness of the universe,
and marvels at the way one is led onwards, through
trial and error, and through teachings and insights
that appear and disappear endlessly.
But there are schools
where education is more enlightened, and these are
schools that are either founded by great educational
thinkers who have delved deeply into the trans-personal
dimension, or schools that are inspired by their teachings
(this includes the Krishnamurti Schools). The education
here is less formal, more natural in its evolution,
and certainly positions the student better for trans-personal
growth. However, the conventional stage of development
cannot be bypassed or wished away. Students must also
be prepared to understand and meet the ways of the
world; otherwise, the transition from such a school
to the real world can be extremely difficult and bewildering.
Hopefully, the trans-personal flavour of the teachings
will sustain in the individual through the turbulent
period of dealing with the existential problems of
the real world, and make it possible to be in the
world, but not of it.
Freedom
or Bondage?
However, it is not
easy for any system of education or any organisational
set-up to realise trans-personal wisdom. The very
nature of an organisation, and the fact that it is
set up to promote or propagate some value system or
teaching, no matter how noble or evolved, pushes it
into a conventional mode. Although the conventions
adopted may be completely different from others, and
far more enlightened, they can, and often do, end
up as conventions. There is the danger of becoming
institutionalised, of the original vision losing its
vibrancy and becoming static and authoritarian. And
this is perhaps as true of Krishnamurti Schools as
any others. This is something that the teachers and
administrators need to be aware of and try to guard
against.
Perhaps in the Krishnamurti
Schools the teachings have truly resulted in a fundamental
change in attitude. But is this the radical
transformation that Krishnamurti was pointing at,
something that was clearly reflected in his own life?
Or, over the years, has there been a plateau in the
transformation process, and instead of freedom
from the known (which includes the teachings
or the vision), there is bondage? In which case, is
there not a need to till the soil of the psyche again
and again, to root out the weeds of dead insights,
and to allow for the fresh and the new to take birth
and flower? The fresh and the new may spring from
within one or be inspired from outside, but this is
possible only if the mind is open and free from enculturation
and bondage to any teaching. Enculturation of the
mind manifests in going around repeatedly through
the same old familiar grooves of thought and enquiry,
without breaking through to that which is beyond thought.
It is not easy for
individuals within a system to see whether or not
they are falling into the ‘consensus trance’
that is characteristic of the conventional realm,
unless they are very alert and self-aware. Typical
tell-tale signs are a cult-like adherence to conventions,
in terms of ideology, style of discourse and even
choice of words that seem to be an echo of the original
founder. These may be good conventions, but their
‘goodness’ is suspect when they tend to
be binding. The beauty about authentic trans-personal
realisation is that it cannot help but manifest in
original, spontaneous and creative expression, which
is not cultivated, but is born from first-hand living
experience.
Century after century,
and sage after sage have pointed to the trans-personal
realm. It is that which they are all pointing at which
is of vital importance, not the particular finger
(teaching) that points.
Remaining
Awake to Our Major Purpose
Imagine Krishnamurti
to be reborn, unknown to all, including himself! Imagine
him as a student in one of the present-day Krishnamurti
schools.
How would such a
person respond to the ‘teachings’ that
are encoded in the structuring and running of the
school? Would he or she simply accept and follow them?
Or perhaps, would he or she rebel, and brilliantly
blaze an original trail to the trans-personal? More
importantly, how would the teachers and school authorities
respond to the student’s behaviour? Would they
have the wisdom to recognise the potential emergence
of the trans-personal in new forms? Will they do their
best to encourage and facilitate this emergence? Or,
will they, acting in good faith, do their best to
thwart it and ‘correct’ it? Are these
not crucial questions to ponder over?
The exceptional boys
and girls in our schools and colleges may evolve to
the trans-personal, with, or in spite of, our help.
Our task in education is to facilitate this in as
many individuals and in as many ways as possible.
To make this possible, we need to make our own journey
to the trans-personal the major definite purpose of
our lives and allow it to unfold in ways that are
not pre-determined or conformist. We need to be awake
and alert to entrapments that lull us into a false
sense of security.
We will do well to
assess whether our current stage of development is
authentically trans-personal or merely the conventional
in a different guise. Our hearts will reveal the truth
and guide us, if we would but let them.
***
