The Atman Project: A Transpersonal View of Human Development by Ken Wilber | Goodreads
The Atman Project: A Transpersonal View of Human Development
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The Atman Project: A Transpersonal View of Human Development
by Ken Wilber
4.23 · Rating details · 196 ratings · 8 reviews
Wilber traces human development from infancy into adulthood and beyond, into those states described by mystics and spiritual adepts. The spiritual evolution of such extraordinary individuals as the Buddha and Jesus hints at the direction human beings will take in their continuing growth toward transcendence.
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Linda McKenzie
Jan 14, 2019Linda McKenzie rated it it was amazing
Shelves: have-read-twice
With his usual brilliance and wide-ranging knowledge, Ken Wilber delivers stunning insights in this book regarding the nature of human development. Some readers may find the first third or so of the book to be somewhat laborious, especially if they are not familiar with psychoanalytic theory. Wilber marshals this theory as a jumping off point, reinterpreting it as he goes, to construct a coherent perspective on human development that goes well beyond the "healthy ego", or actualisation of the "autonomous", separate self level, at which conventional psychology stops. Indeed, as Wilber points out, psychology has tended to view any experience that transcends the ego, as with mystics, to be pathological and regressive. Wilber very ably refutes this idea to show that there are stages of human development, potentially available to all, that transcend that of a well functioning and actualised ego, culminating in unity consciousness.
Although the whole spectrum of development is fascinating—and Wilber shows how the same principles of development apply to all levels—at the post-egoic stages things get much more interesting. At this point the text is unencumbered by any attempt to reinterpret psychological theory because there is no such theory applying to these higher levels of development—or there wasn't, at the time of writing.
Basically, Wilber argues that, at every stage of development, from the lowest to the penultimate, everything we do, everything we seek, desire and grasp for, every stage of development we traverse, is part of an "Atman project" in which we are constantly reaching for substitute gratifications to compensate for what we are all actually seeking but missing, that is, the Atman or Real Self or unity consciousness. While we all intuit and implicitly "remember" the existence of this ground of our own being—the only "thing" that could ultimately satisfy us—and yearn for it, we seek it in ways that prevent us from finding it. We desire it and resist it at the same time, because it involves the terror of the death of our current identification, whether that be with the physical, mental or subtle aspects of our being. Only by accepting the death of our present self can we transform to the next stage of identification, with each stage incrementally moving closer to the reunification with, and as, the Atman.
In my view, this perspective gives a meaning, a beauty, and a nobility to all of the otherwise seemingly random, chaotic, foolish, self-defeating behaviour that largely characterises human existence, with all its concomitant frustration and disappointment, as well as the heroic and inspired striving, at this and previous stages of our evolution. Each and every step and misstep is part of an "Atman project" in which we are ineluctably evolving back to the oneness/love that we truly are. At this point, the Atman project is over, because we realise that we are the Atman.
And while this book does give meaning to what may appear to be meaningless, repetitive and perpetually disappointing struggles, as well as transient satisfactions, I also experienced it as a wake-up call to clearly recognise that our substitute gratifications are just that—substitutes, that can never permanently satisfy. Wilber does not adopt a didactic tone in the slightest, but he does provide the insight that the reason we are unhappy is because we are looking for happiness in all the wrong places. There's no shame or blame in that; it's simply the human condition, inherent to development. But contrary to the limited models provided by Western psychology, there *is* a trajectory of evolution beyond "self actualisation" of the egoic self, to which we might want to orient ourselves; to consciously cooperate with rather than resist the inevitable forward motion of development to our true highest potential.
I highly recommend this book. Persistence with it pays off. (less)
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Tim
Oct 30, 2019Tim rated it it was amazing
For me the great thing about reading Wilber is the way he breaks everything down to the essence - past the cultures, religious terminology, theories, opinions, he not only breaks it down but distills the truth to the essentials. It's not reductionist, more like the kernel as the Sufis might say. The ending of the book on evolution/involution in the path of the human soul is as crystal clear as I've ever seen things described. Again, you'll find all of this elsewhere - that's the idea really - this is all universal stuff. But nowhere is it said for the Western mind quite like this. (less)
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Robin Tobin (On the back porch reading)
Jun 13, 2020Robin Tobin (On the back porch reading) rated it it was amazing
Shelves: nonfiction
Integral thinking and development explained in Wilber’s thorough and quirky style.
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Willa
Jul 26, 2009Willa rated it really liked it
Great book, a courageous attempt to put the 'old' psychology (i.e. Freud et al) in a new context of developmental thought. Parts of it are a little outdated, as Wilber has since updated his theory of development, however the core is still unique in its endeavour of re-contextualising psychology for the 21st Century.
After re-reading... it is a masterpiece actually. Even though some fundamentals are outdated now - it doesn't matter too much (if you're aware of how Wilber's theory has developed since). (less)
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Eugene Pustoshkin
May 11, 2013Eugene Pustoshkin rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
Shelves: 1my-library, ken-wilber, integral, integral-psychology, development-adult, developmental-psychology
Книга имеет заслуженную и общепризнанную репутацию блестящего исследования полного спектра (вертикального) развития сознания человека. Впечатление от издания портит только несколько трудноватый перевод (по крайней мере, когда я перечитывал книгу в оригинале, она составила впечатление достаточно доступного чтения, чего не скажешь о переводе). Однако текст непростой, поэтому нужно быть благодарными за то, что его всё же издали и, тем самым, дали навигационную карту тысячам людей!
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Andrew
Jul 29, 2008Andrew rated it liked it
The Atman Project denotes the attempt to find Spirit in ways that prevent it and force substitute gratifications in space and time through grasping and despairing. This book describes awareness beginning at the pre-personal level through the transpersonal state.
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Scott
Mar 16, 2012Scott rated it liked it
I am tired of psychoanalytic and other psychologists using big words to explain simple concepts. Otherwise this book pairs well with Tuesdays With Morrie.
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Kevin
Mar 07, 2019Kevin rated it it was amazing
ONE CANNOT LIVE A LIFE WITHOUT READING THIS BOOK. Had to really take my time with it, the realizations i had were REAL. Sometimes shocking even. One of many MAJOR self help and life coaching books in ways you wouldn’t tell from the title. DONT buy this book thinking it’s purely spiritual.
A. Mutimer
5.0 out of 5 stars An overview into which so much can be slotted
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 23 February 2005
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Drawing on a large number of psychologists, both inside and outside the mainstream, Wilber describes a transpersonal developmental psychology. He outlines a series of developmental stages and shows that each can be seen as the human's failed attempt to complete the Atman project, the Atman project being the project to be the universe, to be God, Atman.
Wilber shows that, at each stage, the seeds of failure inhere in the nature of the stage itself and that the human resolves this by raising itself one level higher thereby integrating the problematic elements of the current stage. However, the new stage has an essentially similar, flawed structure and so the process goes on and on until the project is completed and the human achieves total integration i.e. he does, in fact, become God.
Ken regards the process as having an outward swing, which is the ground covered by Western psychology and an inward swing, which is the ground covered by Eastern religion. The achievement of this book is to make a sensible whole out of the two. In the course of this Ken lays out his own ideas about the nature of developmental failure and argues strongly and persuasively that the desires seen in some people for further self-integration by such techniques as mediation are not, in general, desires to regress to earlier, more satisfying, states as many psychologists believe, but are the engines of further developmental progress.
After we have been taken along this somewhat controversial route the position is rounded out by describing what happened *before* we were born. I don't mean what happened to us in the womb, I mean he describes the developmental nature of the interlife(!) and he does this by reference to the Tibetan book of the Dead(!) OK, by now you have the idea, we are talking here about the BIG, big picture, the biggest there is, and inevitably, it is open to dispute.
In its favour the book is *seriously* well referenced, tightly argued and presents a very elegant argument. Against it is that some evidence that bears heavily on the more tenuous areas appears to me to have been ignored in order to make the case. For example, we are told that the Tibetan Book of the Dead says that, at death, irrespective of the stage a soul has achieved while on earth, the Atman project is momentarily completed in the interlife. But the (immature?) soul cannot sustain the integration and so a series of descents is made until physical birth recurs. This is an accurate reading of the TBOTD sure enough, but this admittedly ancient and well-respected work is not in accord with the evidence we get from certain modern-day seers and that which has been revealed by access to the superconcious under hypnosis. This leaves us (as always, groan) in a position where we choose our evidence, and we choose our world-view as a result.
Some reviewers have said Ken is repetitive, and I have to reluctantly agree with that. Repetition is, to some extent, inevitable in this book because he is describing a repetitive process, but he does make this worse by occasionally saying the same thing several times, all in close proximity. It is not a major failing but you do sometimes have the feeling you are being clubbed over the head with his points.
But I should not leave you on a negative. This book is a seriously good piece of work dealing concisely with a very difficult matter; a matter which to some of us is of the utmost importance i.e. it makes sense of the apparent contradictions between Western psychology and religion i.e. ego enhancement and ego dissolution. If this area matters to you then I strongly recommend it. For my own part, this was my first book by Wilber and I will read more, mainly to see if my perception that certain evidence is ignored under his worldview is incorrect.
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T. M. Jensen
5.0 out of 5 stars Good stuff
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 1 August 2014
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I needed to go back and unearth some of Ken's earlier ideas. This book is great!
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DrPM
2.0 out of 5 stars Two Stars
Reviewed in India on 15 August 2016
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Good book. Bad production! Looks like a pirated book. Amazon should insist on quality.
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Le Chat qui lit
5.0 out of 5 stars INDISPENSABLE
Reviewed in France on 27 October 2012
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Ouvrage irremplaçable à tous ceux qui ont une quête spirituelle.
Il est très rare de trouver un livre si clair et qui pose des jalons aussi nets.
Il n'y a que Guénon qui m'a ouvert de tels horizons.
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Philip
5.0 out of 5 stars Wilber got it right in this book.
Reviewed in the United States on 29 June 2014
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In my opinion, The Atman Project is Ken Wilber's best work, even though it is one of his earliest works.
Ken did his homework with volumes of cross-cultural research, and came up with some astounding results in terms of how the individual human develops. There are also several charts in the appendices showing the stages of development proposed by various philosophers, psychologists, and mystics. The Atman Project is the companion book with Up from Eden, which addresses how humanity as a whole developed. But in both books, Ken doesn't stop with the past, he also shows us where we are headed in terms of the higher stages of human development. This is one of those books that will go down in history as a breakthrough in human thought and research. Up from Eden: A Transpersonal View of Human Evolution
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Tim Johnson
5.0 out of 5 stars Gets Packed for the Desert Island
Reviewed in the United States on 1 December 2019
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Of the dozen books I want when stranded on a desert island, this is one. Been reading books on consciousness n transcendence for 50 yrs. This is the best; although I recommend starting with "The Spectrum of Consciousness". I read many sections 3 times to really absorb what Ken was saying. The extra effort was well worth it.
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Patrick D. Goonan
5.0 out of 5 stars A very special and unique book on development
Reviewed in the United States on 28 August 2006
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I have read the other reviews below mine and I understand that Wilber has shortcomings. On the other hand, I also think he has much strength and that this particular book is incredible for a variety of reasons.
First, I think his presentation of transpersonal development is a great attempt at a synthesis of many schools of thought and his overall model for such a cycle is realistic. While some of the correspondences between disparate models might be inaccurate in the particulars, there are enough correlations that it is reasonable to take this work as a good starting point for a more complete synthesis.
Second, I loved the way Wilber explained what it must be like to be an infant or small child. He described the experience of different stages of development so well; I couldn't put the book down and read these sections over and over again.
Third, I liked the way Wilber positioned human development as part of a larger evolution. I believe that he is correct in his general ideas and he presents a hopeful picture of the future of humanity.
Overall, I think this is a very interesting read and complimentary to most of the good standard material that is already out there on development. It doesn't read like a text, it is much more engaging and thought provoking. I really appreciated this approach. The book is also dense; he packs a lot of useful information in a short space without repeating himself as much as he does in some other books.
I did not love the preface, but once I got into the core of the book I was very pleasantly surprised. You can get this volume for as little as $5.00 used. I have bought copies for my friends because I think it is especially good for parents, teachers and others who need to understand the different lines and stages of development from the INSIDE. It is good stuff don't be discouraged away from this book because it isn't perfect in every respect.
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James P.
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on 4 July 2017
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Thanks for another amazing book Ken!
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Book Lover
3.0 out of 5 stars Overly Complicated But Interesting Concept
Reviewed in the United States on 7 September 2015
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Overly Complicated
Very tough read. Author uses way too many complicated terms and long words, extremely convoluted explanations more suited to impressing the academia than informing a lay reader. Could have been far more simplified, though the work has definite value. If you want to read about the various stages of psychological development, it's pretty clinical. It does a decent job of tying the various disciplines together for a more holistic view of transpersonal psychology, and at the heart of it is a really powerful idea of how people use substitute gratifications which prevent the psyche from achieving true transcendence, which I find fascinating. It also gives a better understanding of some of Sri Aurobindo's ideas of transcendence of self, but it's a long way to travel for what it delivers. I skipped to the second half of book, and found the final 1/4 of book much easier to digest.
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Sung-gyoo,Shin
4.0 out of 5 stars I read the book thoroughly and got a full understanding ...
Reviewed in the United States on 25 January 2017
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I read the book thoroughly and got a full understanding of Ken Wilber`s point of view to see through the evolution of human spirituality. So much supportive enough to be introduced in the contenz of Wilber`s successive writings.
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