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.
***
