CG JUNG - Countryside Anarchist

JUNG'S COMMENTS IN HAUER'S GERMAN LECTURES
of consciousness, but the relation of the ego to its objects still remains.
The ego is intertwined in conflict with the objects—one is still a part of
a process. Only in the continuation of the analysis does the analogy with
yoga set in, in that consciousness is severed from its objects (Secret of the
Golden Flower). This process is linked up with the process of individuation,
which begins with the self severing itself as unique from the objects
and the ego. It is as if consciousness separated from the objects and from
the ego and emigrated to the non-ego—to the other center, to the foreign
yet originally own. This detachment of consciousness is the freeing
from the tamas and rajas, a freeing from the passions and from the entanglement
with the realm of objects. This is something which I cannot
prove philosophically any further. It is a psychical experience, which in
practice is expressed as a feeling of deliverance. What has caused one to
be previously seized with panic is not a panic any more; one is capable of
seeing the tension of opposites of the world without agitation. One does
not become apathetic but is freed from entanglement. Consciousness is
removed to a sphere of objectlessness. This experience has its effects in
practical life, and indeed in the most palpable way. It is illustrated probably
most beautifully in the tale of Buddha being threatened by Mara.
Mara and all his demons assail him, but the throne of Buddha is empty—
he is simply not sitting there any more. Or as Rig Veda I, 164, has it: “Two
closely united friends both embrace one and the same tree. One of them
eats the sweet berry, the other looks down only composedly.” 5
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Dr. Jung: One has to take into account here the differences between the
cases in question, because what the symbols mean is entirely dependent
on the particular state of consciousness of the individual. 6 Thetreeisthe
tree of life. If it is standing up it is an indication of an unfolding and
progressing life. When the “yoga path” is taken, one can find this symbol
at the beginning. It also appears when doubts exist about the value of the
path. The “yoga path” is the path of the plant—a plant function as opposed
to an animal one. Ego consciousness is, so to speak, like an animal
that can speak and move freely. The tree, however, signifies the notbeing-able-to-make-way
and the rootedness of the plant. When someone
realizes this, he suddenly has the feeling: “Now I am imprisoned.” The
5 Cf. The Rig Veda: An Anthology, translated by Wendy Doniger O’Flaherty (London,
1981), 78, where a slightly different rendition of the same passage is given.
6 Hauer and Gustav Heyer had related accounts of dreams that featured trees. Tantra
Yoga, 52.
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