Ken Wilber's Spectrum Model: Identifying Alternative Soteriological Perspectives

Abstract

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Transcendence from Below: The Embodied Feminine Mysticism of Marion Woodman

“…R awlinson's (2000) taxonomy of spiritual and religious traditions helps elucidate the mystical path embedded in Jung and Woodman's "spiritual psychology" (p. 103). Placed in one of Rawlinon's four categories, the basic beliefs of Jungian psychology would be described as: "The cosmos is vast and inhabited by innumerable powerful beings; liberation consists in finding one's way through the labyrinth with appropriate passwords" (p. 100; see also Schlamm, 2001). In the case of Jungian psychology, these "powerful beings" can be seen within Jung's theory of archetypes and the concept of the unconscious mind while the "labyrinth" is the process of individuation.…”

Participation, metaphysics, and enlightenment: reflections on Ken Wilber’s recent work

“…Dale 2014, Schlamm 2001. Insofar as Wilber's model retains this sequence and associated doctrinal rankings of spiritual states, stages, and traditions, the essence of the participatory critique is both applicable and effective.…”

“…In contrast to Ramana's absolute monism, Eckhart's account of the mystical union with God maintained the formal duality between the soul and the divine: 'Eckhart's notion of indistinct union … is fundamentally dialectical, that is to say, union with God is indistinct in the ground, but we always maintain a distinction from God in our formal being … even in the ultimate union in heaven, Eckhart insists, this distinction will remain' (McGinn 2001: 148; see also Harmless 2008). As Schlamm (2001) pointed out, Wilber's treatment of St Teresa is equally problematic: 'What Wilber has done is to superimpose his developmental model on to Teresa's journey … and has thereby distorted both the texture and the content of her spiritual testimony' (p. 30). 12 Although Eckhart developed a new terminology with his language of 'the ground' (grunt), the revolutionary nature of his mysticism tends to be exaggerated in the exception to the rule, and most mystics adhered to received doctrines and scriptures (see, e.g., Katz 1983aKatz , 1983bKatz , 2000.…”

“…Similarly, Martin Buber (1947Buber ( /2006 regarded the I/Thou relationship with God as spiritually higher than the monistic experience of non-duality, and Robert Zaehner (1957Zaehner ( /1980 argued that the monistic ideal is transcended in theistic mysticism, considering Sankara's monistic liberation (moksa) a primitive stage in the process of deification. More recently, Wilber's (1995) ranking of non-dual mysticism over theism and other contemplative paths has been critiqued and rebutted by Daniel Helminiak (1998), George Adams (2002), and, perhaps most effectively, by Leon Schlamm (2001), who used Rawlinson's (1997Rawlinson's ( , 2000 typology of mystical orientations to show the arbitrariness and doctrinal nature of such rankings.…”

The Plurality of Religions and the Spirit of Pluralism: A Participatory Vision of the Future of Religion

“…For an extended discussion of the shortcomings of Wilber's neoperennialism, see Ferrer (2002). Wilber's ranking of nondual mysticism over theism and other contemplative paths has been also critiqued by Helminiak (1998), Adams (2002), and, perhaps most effectively, by Schlamm (2001), who uses Rawlinson's (1997) nuanced taxonomy of mystical traditions to show the arbitrariness and doctrinal nature of such rankings. 4.…”