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BOOK REVIEW The Mandala of Being: Discovering the Power of Awareness by Richard Moss, MD New World Library - January 2007
Reviewed by Dr. Jonathan Dolhenty Richard Moss's new book, The Mandala of Being, is another contribution to that increasingly popular literary genre describing methodologies for personal improvement or personal growth. This genre is sometimes simply referred to as self-help, but I think that term is too broad for books of this type and so I prefer the more limiting classification. What Moss is attempting to do in this work of personal improvement is provide a framework for conceptualizing the Self in ordinary life (the "mandala") and then using that to suggest certain practices through which one may use it to improve personal growth. In this particular conception, the "Now" becomes essential. As he writes, "The power to return our minds to the Now allows us to communicate more of our inborn authentic and spontaneous natures. The present moment becomes our ground of being, because that's where we'll find the juice of life and the truth of who we are and why we are here." According to Moss's schema, there are only four places our minds go when they leave the Now: the past, the future, judgments of ourselves, and judgments of others. These places, plus the Now, become the primary ingredients of the "mandala of being" and are illustrated in the relevant diagram as Past, Future, Subject (me), Object (you), and the Now, the beginning of ourselves. The mandala is then further retuned, and called the mandala of lower-self functioning, so that Past includes guilt or nostalgia or regret, Future includes inherent uncertainty or fear or infinitive possibility or hope, Me (the subject) includes grandiosity or depressiveness, and You (the object) includes anger or jealousy or envy or hurt. The Now remains in the center of the diagram. A still further retunement, called the mandala of higher-self functioning, is offered wherein Past includes forgiveness, Future includes trust and nonattachment, Me includes self-inquiry (who am I?) and doubting the truth of stories, and You includes compassion and empathy. The Now remains in the center but is itself encircled by joy, love, stillness, gratitude, and presence. The specifics of these three diagrams are discussed in detail by Moss. Part One of the book provides the background for understanding the mandala or, as he puts it, the "fundamental principles of awareness: the journey from self to Self." Here he raises the question, "Who are we really?" and explains the power of awareness. He includes a provocative discussion of "who we aren't really" and notes the "tamed" and "untamed" emotions. The last chapter in Part One is entitled "The Beginning of Ourselves" and leads directly into Part Two of the book, "utilizing the power of awareness: welcoming ourselves home." Here he raises the interesting question: "where do we go when we are not at the beginning of ourselves?" Then Moss continues on to a detailed description of the mandala, using the mandala of being as a map, and some exercises for experiencing the mandala of being. There is, of course, much more that could be said about Moss's book. It cannot be summed up in just a few words. There is much about human behavior in the work and, more importantly perhaps, much said about human nature. There are descriptions and suggestions as well as analyses and admonitions. And then there is the finale: "We have a choice about what we let determine our states of being, always. As we live closer to our beginning, we gradually drink more deeply from the fullness of our souls, and the world and everyone in it changes before our eyes. Then we notice that we have less fear, less anxiety, and less urgency; life is good right now." What is one to make of all this? I imagine many readers, most likely those with a more "academic" orientation, will question the veracity or efficacy of Moss's schema and some may simply dismiss his text as so-much "psycho-babble." This, I suggest, would be a serious mistake. There is a long and healthy philosophical tradition, in both the West and the East, of proposing various schemata encompassing not only an understanding of human nature and behavior, but also proposing recommendations for dealing with personal psychological growth and improvement. Many times, I think mostly because of our excessive worship at the altar of modern empirical science and its emphasis on the reality out there, we forget that there really is a reality in here, that is, a mental and emotional reality which exists within each of us and is commonly referred to as the Self or the Ego. Philosophers have grappled with this sense of Self since the ancient Greek philosophers moved from their initial concern with understanding the cosmos to trying to understand the human being. Contrary to those who tend to think that "truth" must always be objective, that a "fact" must always relate to something out there in the real world, it should be noted that there is a subjective truth, a truth that is the result of introspection or human creation, for instance, and that this "truth" is no less important merely because it cannot be directly experienced by an external observer or the creative activity commences in one mind and cannot be directly shared with outsiders. The general definition of truth is the conformity of mind "and" thing. It is objective when the mind conforms with the thing. It is subjective when the thing conforms with the mind (think poetry, for example). Now, with that little diversion over, what can one say about Moss's book? I would suggest that Moss is painting a psychological picture, if you will, that provides one way of looking at the human condition in such a way that offers guidance toward improving one's state of being in this life. Is his schema true in any objective sense? I think that's the wrong question. It doesn't matter. Can his schema be proved? Again, that's the wrong question. It doesn't matter. The real question is: Does understanding and adopting his schema lead to improving one's own life? And that question, I would argue, places the whole matter more comfortably within the subjective sphere of intellectual activity. If his program works for you, it is in this sense that his schema is true. If his program improves your life, it is in this sense that his schema is proved. So it is in this sense that I recommend his book to readers looking for a program that might help them with their own personal growth. It may just be the very thing you're looking for. 
Read an Excerpt from this Book Order at Amazon.com The Mandala of Being: Discovering the Power of Awareness, by Richard Moss, MD Order at Powell's Books The Mandala of Being: Discovering the Power of Awareness, by Richard Moss, MD |
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Enrich your life with a book about politics and current events... Enrich your political & social life with a politics or news magazine... |
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