Page 16 - NAMAH-Apr-2020

Namah Vol. 28, Issue 1, 24th April 2020

perceptions and the origin of our reality and seems that fundamental truths and logic
its qualities are being forced upon us by our do not apply and easily disproven lies are
karmic imprints. We are locked into our marshalled to suit self-serving agendas, the
particular reality and forced to view it as effect can be dumbfounding. However, the
Truth! human potential to upend, disrupt and re-
imagine received wisdom and the status quo
As his Holiness explains, “… in contrast to is exhilarating.
the Mind-only School, the Middle Way School
reads the Perfection of Wisdom as definitive, Current psychological principles
accepting the statement that “all things and
events are devoid of any intrinsic existence” Psychoanalysis and psychotherapy are
as literal. The Middle Way view does not disciplines founded on the belief that we humans
discriminate between the existential status possess innate transformational potential. This
of subject and object — between mind and view has found acceptance in mainstream
world. The Hundred Thousand Verses on the Western mental health as a proven and
Perfection of Wisdom explicitly presents this legitimate healing modality. It is commonly
view with the statement that, on the ultimate held that the effectiveness of pharmacological
level, all phenomena do not exist. So, for the drugs is highly enhanced, if not mainly
Middle Way School, the Perfection of Wisdom dependent on the psychotherapeutic process.
sutra remain literal, and the emptiness of all
phenomena becomes definitive (9).” To further illustrate how both conscious and
unconscious forces can reshape the inner reality
There are a number of other Buddhist schools of an individual, I present here a clinical case
with varying interpretations on Emptiness. study.
Though they differ considerably, what they
agree on is that reality does not exist as it Catherine was in her early 30’s when I first
appears to us out there or in here. started seeing her and although highly
functional, attractive and successful, holding
This premise, that the mind is malleable, a corporate position in New York City, she
vast, largely untapped and that we live in suffered from low self-esteem, internalised
limited chambers of existence with limited anger and an eating disorder. Raised in a
modes of fixed perception, holds both Roman Catholic household imbued with a
ominous and thrilling implications. From strong sense of duty and sacrifice, her maternal
a discomfiting perspective, even when a role-models found a sense of self-worth in
belief is founded on unsubstantiated factors withstanding the harsh consequences of life
or illogical reasoning, it nonetheless has the with dignity and worth through a victim/
potential to be deemed as true and eventually martyr complex. Catherine was a parentified
becomes integral to one’s personal and child, encouraged to put the needs of others
collective belief-system. It was not too long before her own. By the time we started our
ago that the world was believed to be flat work, she had lost touch with her needs
and women healers considered witches. In and desires, which profoundly negatively
our challenging times, where it sometimes impacted all of her relationships.

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