Below is a review of the summary of a paper by Les Lancaster* and the British Psychological Society, 2001, as published by Academia.edu.
This extract serves as a short review of amazing new information. It presents an apparent dramatic indication of a scientific change of mind about the historical mystical experience of Reality (MER).
It also suggests an important new, established, scientific, academic and spiritual trend … as follows:
“In a fascinating book, Eugene Taylor (1999) has recently traced the lineage of Transpersonal Psychology in America … the ‘new awakening’ that is radically changing US culture in general and psychology in particular, and, convincingly to my mind, demonstrates the continuities between this awakening and what he terms the shadow culture.
“The shadow culture is identified with American folk psychology and includes major movements such as the transcendentalism of Emerson and Whitman, and William James’ pragmatism.
“Taylor’s critical observation for my purposes concerns the centrality of the transcendent in the ‘new awakening’: He remarks that ‘… the most important element of this psychology is its emphasis on the possibility of the transcendent—that consciousness can be molded into something higher, purer, better (p. 16)’.
My unqualified experiences were spontaneous, uncalled, unknown, and baffling for a long time, so I am skeptical about whether this possibility can be molded by anything but Reality. – K.
“He notes that a tension exists between the majority of academic psychologists on the one hand, who ‘reject categorically any attempt to reintroduce what they feel is the language of religious superstition back into scientific discussions about the relation between the mind and the body’ (p.295), and, on the other hand, proponents of the new awakening for whom the transcendent is of major significance.”
*Emeritus Professor Brian L. Lancaster, Consciousness and Transcendental Psychology Unit, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK.
Mystical Experiences of Reality 
Although of course molding consciousness into something higher and better is exactly what the tubby old chap in the loincloth did under the Bodhi tree 2,500 years ago. I think it is fair to say, from my understanding at least that he transcended this world and broke out into reality. Perhaps there are several paths up the mountain?
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And you know regardless of whether reality can truly be found by seeking, it has to be “right” to seek rather than not seek. Perhaps reality requires some of us to seek in this way, by meditation, thought, art. Whatever else such seeking may achieve it certainly gives one a very clear perspective of reality of the one hand and the blind groping, stmbling absurdity of animal behaviour on the other.
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(Buddha) “transcended this world and broke out into reality. Perhaps there are several paths up the mountain?”
Any evidence remaining though, Anthony? I read Buddha’s history a long time ago in my less discerning days but don’t remember reading if Budha broke out or if Reality broke in! I lean to Reality breaking in, based on my mystical experiences.
As ever, Keith.
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Ha ha excellent. No, I have not read the story for many years. All I recall is him sitting under a tree until it happened.
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“… it has to be “right” to seek rather than not seek”.
Yes, Anthony, especially in your case as a Seeker, and despite the agonies of Seekers being detached, ripped away from their mental, emotional, mythomanical human heritage … Being a Seeker is your true self, your unavoidable passion.
The rest of humanity is on its own evolutionary
way, Reality’s business not ours, in my testimony …
As ever, Keith.
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