Collected Papers from Human Services Research, March, 2010
Articles
An Introduction to the Clinical Pedagogy of Awareness1）
NAKAGAWA Yoshiharu
（College of Letters, Ritsumeikan University）
This paper discusses the art of awareness and its implications for clinical pedagogy. Based on
traditions of spiritual practice, the art of awareness is beginning to be used in such diverse fields as
psychotherapy, body works, health programs and education. It is the art of being aware of what is
taking place within and outside at the present moment. In this sense, it is alternately called
“attention,”“observation,”“mindfulness” and “witness.” The primary function of awareness is
“dis-identification,” a function allowing one to dis-identify with whatever the contents of
consciousness are and to see them all as they emerge and pass away. Another function is
“deautomatization,” a function to deautomatize a habitual and mechanical action. Awareness is a
transpersonal dimension of consciousness, differing from the thinking, feeling and moving self.
Spiritual traditions discovered that it brings about a radical transformation of consciousness called
“awakening” and “enlightenment.” It is, however, not an actual, but instead, a latent potentiality
that must be cultivated by continuous practice.
The second part of this report discusses Aldous Huxley’s exposition on this subject. Huxley
developed essential ideas about “nonverbal humanities” that encompass a variety of methods
ranging from spiritual practices to psychophysical trainings. Among these, the Alexander
Technique caught his attention in its providing a method to enhance “elementary awareness” of
the kinesthetic sense. Huxley combined this psychophysical technique with the spiritual practice of
awareness to develop a comprehensive idea of the education of awareness.
Key words：awareness, Aldous Huxley, spirituality, holistic education, clinical pedagogy
1. The Art of Awareness
an important part in various body works,
psychotherapies and some practices in holistic
(1) Expansion of the art of awareness
health areas. For example, in body works (or
The art of awareness is one of the
somatics) such as the Alexander Technique
techniques for contemplation or meditation
(Alexander, 1984, 1985), Sensory Awareness
from ancient days, and plays an essential role
(Brooks, 1982), the Feldenkrais Method
in spiritual practices. This is still true, but
(Feldenkrais, 1977) and New Counseling (Ito,
today, the art of awareness has also become
1999), the enhancement of awareness of
bodily experiencing processes is the main
aspect.
１）This paper was originally published in Ritsumeikan
Journal of Human Sciences, No. 4, 19-31 (2002).
In psychotherapies such as the
Gestalt Therapy (Pearls, Hefferline &
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Collected Papers from Human Services Research, March, 2010
Goodman, 1951), Process Work (Mindell,
part. Also, apart from this flow, Krishnamurti
1985) and Hakomi Method (Kurtz, 1990),
(1974), a thinker and educator born in India,
awareness is considered essential. In
had constantly emphasized the significance of
transpersonal psychotherapy, awareness
awareness in his educational practice.
meditation, which is mainly“mindfulness
However, other than these few exceptions, it
meditation,”is used. In the holistic health
would be difficult to say that the meaning of
field, for example, Jon Kabat-Zinn (1990) and
awareness has been fully examined and
Joan Borysenko (1988) achieved successful
recognized in educational practices and
results through the use of mindfulness
pedagogy in general. Rather, compared to
meditation. Thus, it has been recognized that
the development of intelligence and thinking
awareness not only nurtures spirituality but
ability, awareness has barely been paid
also shows certain effects in treatment and
attention to.
healing to body, mind and heart.
potentialities, awareness provides unique
However, among human
Today, the art of awareness is one of the
features that are different from the functions
quickest spreading meditation-like techniques.
of thinking, feeling and moving. The tradition
There are various movements and fields
of spiritual practices has explored these
involved in this development, namely the
features, and I believe they have also very
spread of Zen and Tibetan Buddhism in North
important meaning to clinical pedagogy.
America, the spread of vipassana meditation
Therefore, in this article, I will provide a basic
(insight meditation) in Theravada Buddhism
speculation to establish a clinical pedagogy of
introduced by Joseph Goldstein and Jack
awareness.
Kornfield (1987), the propagation of
In the first part of this article, I will examine
mindfulness meditation by the Vietnamese
the basic features of the art of awareness. In
Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh, and
the latter half, Aldous Huxley＇s pedagogy will
furthermore, the acceptance of the ideas of G.
be examined from the viewpoint of the
I. Gurdjieff and J. Krishnamurti, who place
education of awareness. The reason why I
awareness as the core of their teachings.
feature Huxley＇s concept is because it
In the field of education, contemplation and
presents a holistic model of education that
meditation were introduced as educational
sets the art of awareness at its center.
techniques by researchers of humanistic
Huxley＇s model can make an incalculable
psychology and/or transpersonal psychology
contribution to clarifying the entire picture of
(M. Murphy, G. Leonard, D. Rozman, G.
the clinical pedagogy of awareness. Based on
Hendricks, etc.), then by researchers of
his concept, this discussion will clarify the
holistic education, including John Miller
meaning of the art of awareness as an
(1994) and Richard Brown (1998/1999), who
educational tool.
particularly introduced them into teacher
education programs. Among these trials, the
(2) The meaning of awareness
art of awareness has played an important
Awareness means keenly recognizing what
40
An Introduction to the Clinical Pedagogy of Awareness（NAKAGAWA）
is happening inside (feelings, emotions,
feelings, the mind, and the objects of the
thoughts, etc.) and outside one＇s self. It＇s very
mind. This text gives detailed instructions for
simple, just being aware of what is happening
each of them. For example, in the “body”
at the moment.
Awareness is also often
reference, it says, “when a practitioner walks,
alternately expressed with words like
he is aware, ‘I am walking.’When he is
“attention,”“observation,”“witness”and
standing, he is aware, ‘I am standing.’When
“mindfulness.”According to the transpersonal
he is sitting, he is aware, ‘I am sitting.’. . . In
psychologist Brant Cortright (1997), it means,
whatever position his body happens to be, he
“attending to awareness itself, to whatever
is aware of the position of his body” (p5). In
the contents of awareness are, not clutching
a similar manner, it is preaching to be aware
at or judging what we see, feel, think, sense,
of body parts, feelings like pleasant and
but simply witnessing it all as it emerges into
unpleasant, and states of the mind including
consciousness and then passes away” (p128).
desiring, hating, ignorance, tense and
Awareness is like watching clouds floating in
calmness. At the last section of “the objects
the sky. It means placing distance between
of mind,” it pays particular attention to the
anything that appears in our consciousness
things to keep in mind regarding Buddhist
and just observing the transition.
practice. Thich Nhat Hanh (1999) holds that
Awareness has been the core of many
spiritual practices.
“right mindfulness,” which is a section of the
One of the major
Noble Eightfold Path (the principal system of
transpersonal psychologist, Charles Tart
practice since early Buddhism), plays a
(1994) remarks, “I can summarize the
central part in meditation practice (p64).
essence of the higher spiritual paths simply
In the practice system of Mahayana
by saying, Be openly aware of everything, all
Buddhism called “the Six Paramitas
the time. As a result of this constant and
(perfections),” meditation is referred to as
deepening mindfulness, everything else will
dhyana. According to a preeminent teacher of
follow” (pp25-26).
Tibetan Buddhism, Chögyam Trungpa (1973),
Thich Nhat Hanh (1999) says, “The
“Dhyana literally means ‘awareness,’being
Sanskrit word for mindfulness, smriti, means
in a state of ‘awake’” (p177). The principle
‘remember.’Mindfulness is remembering to
of mindfulness and dhyana is simple, because
come back to the present moment” (p64). In
it is just being aware and observing what is
fact, the Chinese character used for
there. As Trungpa (1985) says, “Meditation
“mindfulness” is comprised of the figures for
is just trying to see what is, and there is
“mind” and “now.” Satipatthana Sutta (The
nothing mysterious about it” (p73).
Sutra on the Four Establishments of
In the elementary stages of meditation, a
Mindfulness), a basic text of mindfulness
practitioner focuses on, for example, his/her
meditation formed in early Buddhism (Nhat
breathing and a certain part of his/her body
Hanh, 1990), identifies four references for
and observes what is happening there. Or, as
establishing mindfulness: the body, the
Thich Nhat Hanh (1976) recommends, every
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Collected Papers from Human Services Research, March, 2010
phase and activity of everyday life becomes
our action, we either try to change the
an object for mindfulness. This practice of
contents of consciousness, or, realize what
being aware or mindful soon causes effects
they require.
that include centering toward “here and
practice of awareness, no matter what content
now,” stillness of the mind, clarity, increased
of consciousness appears, one doesn＇t identify
feelings of spaciousness, depth and presence
with it, doesn＇t react, and lets it go and pass
(Cortright, 1997, p128). Physiological and
away. In the state of ordinary consciousness,
psychological researches on these effects have
the awareness of this flow hardly occurs
already begun (Murphy & Donovan, 1988).
naturally. To the contrary, under everyday
Compared to this, in the
At the beginning, a meditation of awareness
consciousness without awareness, constant
is learned as a technique, but through this
identification with thoughts, emotions, feelings
learning, levels of awareness toward
and/or external perceptions does occur. The
everything increase. Trungpa (1985) called
technique of awareness is the practice of dis-
this “a panoramic awareness.” That is “an
identification in order to break oneself free
all-pervading awareness, knowing the
from such identification. As Ram Dass (1978),
situation at that very moment”
(p47). It is
a renowned meditation teacher, says,
being fully awake at this moment and aware
“Meditation allows you to break this
of everything of the situation. In a similar
identification between awareness and the
way, Krishnamurti (1954) mentioned
objects of awareness”
(p8).
“awareness without choice” (pp94-98). This
What happens through dis-identification
implies the aspect that awareness is not tied
conducted by awareness is an impartial
up by any particular thing but expands to
condition. Here, it is important to quote what
everything.
Robert Assagioli (1971) formulated as a
principle of Psychosynthesis：“We are
(3) Dis-Identification
dominated by everything with which our self
Even though it is simple, awareness is never
becomes identified. We can dominate and
easy, because it requires a totally different
control everything from which we dis-identify
approach from the ordinary functions of
ourselves”(p22, original in italics).
everyday consciousness. For this to be made
identified makes one seem that he/she is
clear, I’
d like to note several features of
taking the initiative to be involved in the
awareness. First, there is“dis-identification.”
content, but identification without awareness
Our day-to-day consciousness is filled with
virtually means one＇s being always dominated
endlessly appearing thoughts, emotions,
by arising content.
feelings and external perceptions, and all of
identifies himself/herself with it through
them form the contents of consciousness. We
awareness, he/she is no more dominated by it
identify with some contents of consciousness
even when he/she is involved in restlessly
at the moment and react to them.
And
arising contents, but instead remains relaxed
through this reaction, each action arises. In
and stands aloof. Ram Dass (1978) says, “A
42
Being
However, if one dis-
An Introduction to the Clinical Pedagogy of Awareness（NAKAGAWA）
continuous stream of events. A flow. I am
They always appear one after another. In the
involved with it all, yet I cling to none of it. It
early stage of practice, they may appear in an
is what it is. No big deal”
(p13).
amplified manner. What is important here is
By developing the power of awareness,
maintaining awareness without identifying
meditation’s main focus is the attempt to dis-
with them. However, it is also true that if one
identify one with the dominating power of the
keeps looking at the process of their
mind. In our day-do-day consciousness, the
occurrence, their intensity gradually becomes
mind is normally superior to emotions and
weaker. For example, observing the process
feelings, standing the dominant position and
of the mind (or thought-process) lets us
always working actively.
It constantly
capture moments of no-mind, and we find
interprets, classifies, assesses, accuses,
these intervals of no-mind to become longer.
criticizes, judges, appraises and rationalizes
I believe that the reason this occurs is
things. Normally, there is no such moment in
because witnessing the mind takes energy
our everyday life when the working of the
away from maintaining the mind.
mind doesn’t intervene and we notice things
thought is not an objective entity,
happening just as they occur.
identification is always required to maintain it.
Therefore,
Since
Krishnamurti (1979) says, “A meditative
mind is silent. . . . it is the silence when
(4) Psychotherapy and meditation
thought—with all its images, its words and
Now, I will touch on the relationship
perceptions—has entirely ceased”
(p1).
between meditation and psychotherapy.
The problem is that our everyday
According to the explanations by researchers
consciousness identifies exclusively with the
of transpersonal psychotherapy who have
working of the thinking mind. Of course,
tried to unify these areas (Epstein, 1995;
thinking is an important human function, but
Boorstein, 1997; Cortright, 1997), meditation
it is all too excessively valued in our
cannot necessarily replace psychotherapy
contemporary society. Once consciousness is
itself, and they have rather different roles,
identified with thinking and thought, the
though these can be compatible.
world of thought is believed and projected as
One of the reasons why psychotherapy and
reality as such. As General Semantics says, it
meditation cannot replace each other is that
is like confusing a “map” with a “territory.”
meditation aims at dis-identification from the
On the other hand, awareness observes the
contents of consciousness while psychotherapy
mind itself and let it go on without reacting to
tends to go deeper into the contents of
each arising thought.
consciousness. As Cortright (1997) says,“In
To avoid misunderstanding, it is important
psychotherapy we identify with it [the
to mention that thoughts, emotions, feelings
material] fully, grasp it firmly and dig into it.
and external perceptions will never disappear
Whereas in meditation we try to hold it more
through awareness practice. The purpose of
loosely, to disidentify with it, and let it pass
awareness is not to eliminate these things.
away”(p130).
43
Therefore, when there are
Collected Papers from Human Services Research, March, 2010
serious problems recognized in the content of
formation, learning the ways of social and
consciousness, working with them by
cultural behavior. As a result, most daily
psychotherapy is indispensable.
Even to
conduct can be automatically and
those who are quite familiar with meditation,
mechanically handled, which means
if they have problems with their characters
completing adaptation to a given society.
and behaviors, psychotherapy is required.
Each person＇s patterns of thinking, feeling and
However, as Mark Epstein (1995) reported,
moving are defined and formed through
when meditation (mindfulness) was
interactions with significant others and by
introduced within the scope of psychotherapy
following socio-cultural programming
(when a patient practiced mindfulness
mediated by them. Furthermore, they are
meditation), a patient was able to be aware of
existentially conditioned by each person＇s
uncovered problems and emotions more
unique experiences. As he/she grows, certain
easily, and to face and accept them as they
habitual patterns of action build up. On one
were. Furthermore, the person can return to
side, it has the effect to reduce or eliminate
and abide in the center of himself/herself
excessive burdens from everyone＇s actions,
behind the problems and emotions. In this
but on the other hand, it automatizes actions.
way, meditation contributes to psychotherapy,
(In addition, we can talk about automatization
but it focuses on the emergence of a new
as seen in neurotic compulsive behavior.
awareness differed from the dimension of the
Many cases of compulsive behavior are
problems. When the new awareness arises,
caused by psychological factors hidden in
problems are integrated into it, then the
unconsciousness and are characterized
constellation of the problems changes (they
exactly as not being aware of such
can be seen from a wider perspective) and
unconscious factors.)
accordingly, the intensity of the problems is
The mystic thinker Gurdjieff referred to the
reduced. This is significantly psychotherapeutic
human condition of being automatized as
function in meditation.
“machine” and similarly, the writer Colin
Wilson often called it “robot.” Gurdjieff
(5) Deautomatization
(1992) suggested that humans are
Related to dis-identification in awareness,
unfortunately turned into “automatons” by
we can also feature“deautomatization.” What
being educated：“[O]wing to . . . their
is important in the art of awareness is to
notorious ‘education,’the contemporary
“deautomatize”the automatized action of
beings of that continent have already become
body, mind and emotions (Ornstein, 1972).
completely transformed into what are called
Our everyday activities are mostly automatized,
‘automatons’or living mechanical puppets”
and this automatization means that awareness
(p942). Through education, certain patterns
is not needed in our normal activities.
of action are conditioned and a mechanical
Human beings thoroughly receive social and
action occurs automatically.
cultural conditioning in the process of their
Taking
Gurdjieff’
s idea, E. F. Schumacher (1977)
44
An Introduction to the Clinical Pedagogy of Awareness（NAKAGAWA）
said, “Without self-awareness . . . man acts,
transpersonal psychotherapy, Arthur
speaks, studies, reacts mechanically, like a
Deikman (1982) called awareness“the
machine: on the basis of ‘programs’acquired
observing self”and distinguished it from“the
accidentally, unintentionally, mechanically”
thinking self,”“the emotional self”and“the
(p75).
From an ordinary view, it is just
functional self.”
Because“the observing
normal development, but from the view of
self”is to be aware of the work of thinking,
awareness, it is still incomplete self-fulfillment.
feeling and moving, it is considered to be
As opposed to the automatic mechanical
more to the center than others.
condition, awareness deautomatizes the
Regarding the point that awareness forms a
automatized action by paying careful attention
unique dimension of consciousness, Charles
to how body, mind and emotions work. This
Tart (1983), who has been involved in
practice requires every activity, including
consciousness study for many years, proposed
everyday normal behavior, to be conducted
“the radical view of the mind”against“the
with awareness. Essentially, this is a serious
conservative view of the mind.”He suggested
issue, but continuing this practice certainly
that awareness is not mere a function of the
decreases automatization.
brain, but that“awareness is shown as
something that comes from outside the
(6) The dimension of awareness
structure of the physical brain, as well as
Awareness forms a different dimension from
something influenced by the structure of the
the contents of consciousness consisting of
brain (thus giving consciousness) and the
thoughts, feelings, sensations, external
cultural programming”(p30). Awareness is
perceptions and various automatized
not just a physiological function of the brain
activities. Awareness calmly witnesses these
but a state of consciousness distinct from it.
processes and lets them keep flowing. As
Rather, Tart suggested that it can be
Moshe Feldenkrais (1977) says,“There is an
explained by a religious view of spirituality in
essential difference between consciousness
the meaning of the soul using the body.
and awareness, although the borders are not
Schumacher (1977) indicated that there are
clear in our use of language. . . . Awareness is
four dimensions in the“Levels of Being,”and
consciousness together with a realization of
that the human being potentially includes all
what is happening within it or of what is
of them. These four dimensions are“matter,”
going on within ourselves while we are
“life,”
“consciousness”and“self-awareness,”
conscious”
(p50).
A somatic technique he
and they have“ontological discontinuity”
invented, the Feldenkrais Method, aims to
among each other. The important point in
heighten awareness through bodily
Schumacher’
s indication is that it is difficult
movement.
to identify the ontological discontinuity
Awareness is a consciousness of ordinary
between
“consciousness”
and
“self-awareness.”
consciousness and, therefore, a meta-
The reason is, according to Schumacher, that
consciousness.
In a pioneering study of
“people within whom the power of self45
Collected Papers from Human Services Research, March, 2010
awareness . . . is poorly developed cannot
identification with anything, the me/not
grasp it as a separate power and tend to take
me dichotomy is transcended and such
it as nothing but a slight extension of
persons experience themselves as being
consciousness”(p21).
Self-awareness is a
both nothing and everything. They are
dimension distinct from consciousness, but
both pure awareness (no thing) and the
that is not given us as a current actual
entire universe (every thing). Being
condition. Rather, it is there as a potentiality
identified with both no location and all
and it has to be opened up through awareness
locations, nowhere and everywhere, they
practice. Schumacher says,“The powers of
experience having transcended space and
self-awareness are essentially a limitless
positionality. (pp58-59)
potentiality rather than an actuality”
(p22).
The art of awareness is a training to evoke
Awakening here means that subtle feeling of
the transpersonal dimension of consciousness
the self still remaining in the observing self
called“self-awareness.”
completely disappears and the observing self
turns into“unity consciousness.”Ken Wilber
(7) From awareness to awakening
(1985) mentions the transformation from
Including Eastern philosophy, in traditions
“transpersonal self”(or witness) to“unity
that recognize the importance of awareness,
consciousness.”He says,“In unity
awareness is considered to be a pathway that
consciousness, the transpersonal witness itself
leads to“awakening,”a crucial transformation
collapses into everything witnessed. Before
of consciousness. Deikman (1982) says,“The
that can occur, however, one must first
observing self [awareness] can be a bridge
discover that transpersonal witness, which
between the object world and the
then acts as an easier‘jumping-off point’for
transcendent realm. Without the enhancement
unity consciousness”
(pp129-30).
and development of the observing self, the
When I discussed holistic education from the
further step to the Self cannot be taken”
perspective of Eastern philosophy (Nakagawa,
To achieve awakening, one must
2000), I made the point that it is centered
constantly enhance the level of awareness.
around awakening and said, “The whole
Transpersonal psychologists, Roger Walsh
notion of Eastern holistic education is
and Frances Vaughan (1980) describe what
centered around Awakening. Eastern holistic
may happen in the experience of awakening：
education is none other than an education for
(p176).
Awakening. Its primary aim is to help us
Finally, awareness no longer identifies
attain Awakening”(p62 italics in original).
exclusively with anything. This
When we think about the education of
represents a radical and enduring shift in
awareness, we must include“awakening”in
consciousness known by various names,
its spectrum. With regard to this, traditions
such as enlightenment or liberation. Since
of Eastern philosophy can provide relevant
there is no longer any exclusive
teachings. While this report points just that
46
An Introduction to the Clinical Pedagogy of Awareness（NAKAGAWA）
out, it doesn’t discuss it any further. Now,
language is an essential component for human
we will examine the thoughts of Huxley.
beings, but on the other hand, humans have
had to pay a price as a result of obtaining this
linguistic ability. He says,“Language, it is
2. Huxley’s Ideas on the Education of
evident, has its Gresham’
s Law. Bad words
Awareness
tend to drive out good words, and words in
general, the good as well as the bad, tend to
Aldous Huxley was one of the major
drive out immediate experience and our
writers/intellectuals of the 20th century. He
memories of immediate experience”(1975,
wrote the classic study of mystical thoughts,
p13). We are obsessed with the custom to
The Perennial Philosophy (1968a), being well
perceive things within the frame of language,
versed in the traditions of spirituality of all
but then heavily lose immediate experience
ages and cultures. At the same time, he was
that doesn’t involve words and concepts as
acquainted with the latest development in
mediations. He noted in his work The Doors
psychotherapy and somatic techniques, and
of Perception (Huxley, 1968b):
actually practiced some of them himself. He
had a strong interest in education and
But we can easily become the victims as
advocated ideas on holistic education based
well as the beneficiaries of these systems.
on his knowledge of spirituality,
We must learn how to handle words
psychotherapy and somatic techniques.
I
effectively; but at the same time we must
discussed the entire picture of his educational
preserve and, if necessary, intensify our
theory, which had rarely been discussed
ability to look at the world directly and
before, in different papers (Nakagawa, 1992,
not through that half-opaque medium of
2002), so this report will examine how Huxley
concepts, which distorts every given fact
defined the art of awareness in relation to
into the all too familiar likeness of some
education.
generic label or explanatory abstraction.
Being a respected friend of
Krishnamurti, Huxley developed a systematic
(p59)
educational theory that placed awareness at
the core, just like Krishnamurti.
To maintain the balance between language
and immediate experience, we have to limit
(1) Nonverbal education
the power of language and to recover
Huxley (1975) holds that a human being is
immediate experience.
an“amphibian,”living in both the world of
Related to this, Huxley (1965) talked about
language and symbols, and the world of
the current situation of education：“Every
immediate experience. The important thing
child is educated in a particular language and
to do here is to make the best of both worlds,
(formulated in terms of that language’
s
but actually, they have a significant lack of
syntax and vocabulary) in a set of basic
balance. Undoubtedly, Huxley admits that
notions about the world, himself and other
47
Collected Papers from Human Services Research, March, 2010
people. . . . In civilized societies of the Western
conscious ego and unconscious “not-selves.”
type, this verbal and notional education is
Unconscious not-selves contain the following
systematic and intensive”
(p35).
What is
layers (1975, pp17-18)：(1) The“personal
lacking in contemporary educational system
subconscious”comprised of habits,
is to give right understanding of the nature of
conditioned reflexes, repressed impulses, past
language to children, and on the other hand,
memories and experiences, (2) The
to conduct education on the nonverbal levels.
“vegetative soul”in charge of physiological
Therefore, Huxley (1975) proposed“the
growth and function, (3) The not-self that
nonverbal humanities.”These include,
inhabits the world for insights and
“Training of the kinesthetic sense. Training of
inspirations, (4) The not-self dwelling in the
the special senses. Training of memory.
world of symbols or Jungian Archetypes, (5)
Training in control of the autonomic nervous
The mysterious not-self that has visionary
system. Training for spiritual insight”(p19).
experience and (6)“The universal Not-Self”
In detail, they involve the Alexander
that is transcendental and simultaneously
Technique for the training of kinesthetic
immanent in every event.
sense, the Bates Method for visual perception
Huxley (1977) captures the unconscious in
training, the Jacobson’
s relaxation method as
b o t h“ n e g a t i v e ”a n d“ p o s i t i v e ”s i d e s
well as yoga and hypnosis for the training of
(pp152-67). Among these non-selves, the first
autonomic nervous system, and contemplative
“personal subconscious”belongs to the
methods by Zen, Eckhart and Krishnamurti
negative unconscious.
for training in spiritual insight. In addition, he
unconscious is not an innate realm but formed
mentions Gestalt Therapy, the method of the
by oppression and conditioning, causing
Swiss psychotherapist Vittoz, and Tantric
neurosis and having a destructive effect on
meditations for the training of perception and
us. By contrast, other not-selves exist in
awareness (see Huxley, 1965, 1969). As we
layers deeper than the personal subconscious
can see from these methods, the nonverbal
and belong to the positive unconscious. The
humanities are constructed in the form of
deeper they go from the not-self of insight to
introducing the latest psychotherapies and
the archetypal non-self and the mysterious
ancient spiritual practices, and the art of
non-self, the more it becomes spiritual, and
awareness significantly plays a central part of
eventually it reaches the universal Not-Self.
them.
Our negative
Huxley (1975) recognizes that the
quintessence of human existence isn’t located
(2) Not-selves
in the conscious ego and the personal
The nonverbal humanities are practices that
subconscious but in the deeper not-selves. At
explore the deeper dimensions of a human
this point, he mentions a crucial problem. “By
being expanding behind the linguistic
developing bad habits, the conscious ego and
dimension. Huxley sees that a human is a
the personal sub-conscious interfere with the
multilayered existence consisting of a
normal functioning of the deeper not-selves”
48
An Introduction to the Clinical Pedagogy of Awareness（NAKAGAWA）
Humans are blocked from getting
means a whole human organism (or the
close to the deeper not-selves by identifying
indivisible unity of body and mind), and the
with the conscious ego and being governed
Alexander Technique re-educates the misuse
by the subconscious forces.
of the organism to regain its proper use.
(p23).
As a result,
physiological intelligence of the vegetative
The Alexander Technique emphasizes the
soul ceases to function properly, and insights,
importance of“conscious control”(or
inspirations, archetypes, visions and the
awareness) over the use of the self.
ultimate reality are all covered up.
According to Alexander, the reason why
Against these inner disruptions, Huxley
people take a habitual misuse of the self is
(1975) provides an effective prescription of
because they allow the subconscious to
“relaxation and activity.”He says,“That
control their behavior without awareness. On
which must be relaxed is the ego and the
the other hand, to re-educate the misuse of
personal subconscious, that which must be
the self, one needs to be aware of the misuse
active is the vegetative soul and the not-
itself, to inhibit it by conscious control, and to
selves which lie beyond it”(p23). Nonverbal
recover“primary control”of the organism.
humanities are a method that enables such
In the lessons of this technique, the Alexander
relaxation and activity. Various psychotherapy
teacher helps a student become conscious of
techniques involved in them can work on the
how to use his/her self and inhibit the
personal ego and the subconscious layer. To
habitual misuse.
relax the ego and the subconscious and
teacher teaches the student to move with
activate other not-selves means opening a
paying a constant attention to the proper
spiritual depth of our existence. Huxley sees
direction (primary control) of his/her
human maturation and fulfillment in the
organism. Therefore, this technique not only
process of deepening our existence, and he
improves body and mind functions, but
concludes,“To know the ultimate Not-Self . . .
increases the level of awareness.
At the same time, the
this is the consummation of human life, the
This led Huxley, who often served as a
end and ultimate purpose of individual
bridge builder between different fields, to an
existence”(p33).
In this sense, Huxley
insight. The following paragraph appears in
proclaims that the purpose of education is
his article,“Ends-Gaining and Means-
“self-actualization”and“enlightenment.”
Whereby,”which was originally written
relatively early in 1941. I believe this still has
(3) The Alexander Technique
immense importance for the conception of the
Among the nonverbal humanities, Huxley
clinical pedagogy of awareness.
especially noted the Alexander Technique
and took lessons himself. This technique is a
Be that as it may, the fact remains that
method of re-education in“the use of the
Alexander’
s technique for the conscious
self”developed by F. M. Alexander in the
mastery of the primary control is now
early 20th century. In his concept, the“self”
available, and that it can be combined in
49
Collected Papers from Human Services Research, March, 2010
the most fruitful way with the technique
improving awareness of internal events and
of the mystics for transcending
techniques for improving awareness of
personality through increasing awareness
external events as these are revealed by our
of ultimate reality. It is now possible to
organs of sense”
(p155).
conceive of a totally new type of
Technique particularly enhances elementary
education affecting the entire range of
awareness of internal kinesthetic sense. In
human activity, from physiological,
terms of the not-selves,“The kinesthetic
through the intellectual, moral, and
sense is the main line of communication
practical, to the spiritual—an education
between the conscious self and the personal
which, by teaching them the proper use
subconscious on the one hand and the
of the self, would preserve children and
vegetative soul on the other”
(Huxley, 1975,
adults from most of the diseases and evil
p19).
habits that now afflict them; an education
awareness relaxes the conscious ego and the
whose training in inhibition and conscious
personal subconscious and activates the not-
control would provide men and women
self of the vegetative soul.
The Alexander
Therefore, this art of elementary
with the psychophysical means for
Since Huxley locates the Alexander
behaving rationally and morally; an
Technique in the consecutive spectrum of
education which in its upper reaches,
awareness, it is not just a re-education
would make possible the experience of
system of how to use the organism, but
ultimate reality. (Huxley, 1978, p152)
rather, it can be grasped as a basic technique
to enhance awareness. When he said,“A
As stated here, Huxley focused his attention
good physical education should teach
on the art of awareness and connected the
awareness on the physical plane (Huxley,
conscious control of the Alexander Technique
1937, p221), Huxley didn’
t mean physical
with the mystics’exercises of awareness to
education as such but rather physical
describe the full perspective of the education
education as a form of awareness training.
of awareness. By combining various methods
around the art of awareness, a perspective of
(4) Awareness in everyday life
holistic education is presented that works on
The art of awareness has a central
the multidimensional being of humans,
importance in Huxley＇s thought. In his last
starting from the physiological level, going
novel, Island (1972), which is the
through the intellectual, moral and practical
summarization of his thoughts, this is
levels, and then reaching the spiritual level.
symbolically described in the scenes featuring
In consecutive stages of awareness, the
a bird repeatedly calling“Attention.”
Alexander Technique is described as a
Awareness shows up, in this novel, as an
method to enhance“elementary awareness.”
educational theme that people should carry
Huxley (1969) says,“Education in elementary
out for their entire life, from the cradle to
awareness will have to include techniques for
grave. In the stage of elementary education,
50
An Introduction to the Clinical Pedagogy of Awareness（NAKAGAWA）
the training of awareness includes the
the universal and ultimate Not-Self.
conscious use of body and mind (such as the
doesn’t mention what kind of relationships
Alexander Technique), and training in
awareness has with the other in-between
passive perception. In a higher education
not-selves (the not-self of insight, the
level after adolescence, spiritual education for
archetypal non-self, and the mysterious non-
“transcendent unity”is introduced.
He
self). Despite this, it doesn’t change the fact
For adults (in higher education stage),
that those in-between not-selves are (even if
awareness is a matter that should be
they look very important) all passing points.
practiced in all aspects of everyday life.
Here again, awareness makes such an inner
Huxley (1972) calls it the“yoga of everyday
passing possible. The experiences shown at
living.”He says, “Be fully aware of what
various levels of the in-between not-selves
you’
re doing, and work becomes the yoga of
certainly illuminate deep dimensions of human
work, play becomes the yoga of play,
spirituality, but from the viewpoint of
everyday living becomes the yoga of
awareness, it is important to pass them all by
everyday living”
(p149).
Awareness thus
with no identification. Including such deep
cultivated eventually helps one attain
layers, when one keeps dis-identifying with
enlightenment (or awakening). “Everybody’
s
everything, the moment of awakening would
job–enlightenment. Which means, here and
come close.
now, the preliminary job of practising all the
In the prospectus of this article, I have
yogas of increased awareness”(p236). “Notes
described features of the art of awareness and
on What’
s What,”inserted in Island, articulate
outlined the education of awareness with
Huxley’
s basic position on this topic.
Huxley’
s ideas as a key.
This work still
remains a brief exposition of the clinical
Good Being is in the knowledge of who
pedagogy of awareness, but if I were to pick a
in fact one is in relation to all experiences;
couple of individual themes for further
so be aware. . . . This is the only genuine
speculation, the art of awareness seems to
yoga, the only spiritual exercise worth
effectively contribute to the important themes
practising. . . . The more a man knows
in clinical pedagogy, such as the transformation
about himself in relation to every kind of
of negative emotions and the self-
experience, the greater his chance of
transformation of educators. I’
d like to leave
suddenly, one fine morning, realizing who
these individual themes for further study.
in fact he is–or rather Who (capital W)
in Fact (capital F)“he”(between
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