John White

The Highest State of Consciousness John White

What is the highest state of consciousness? St. Paul called it "the peace that passeth understanding" and R. M. Bucke named it "cosmic consciousness." In Zen Buddhism, the term for it is satori or kensho, while in yoga it is samadhi or moksha, and in Taoism, "the absolute Tao." Thomas Merton used the phrase "transcendental unconscious" to describe it; Abraham Maslow coined the term "peak experience"; Sufis speak of fana. Gurdjieff labeled it "objective consciousness" while the Quakers call it "the Inner Light." Jung referred to individuation, and Buber spoke of the I-Thou relationship. In this anthology John White brings together a diverse collection of writings by contemporary thinkers such as Aldous Huxley, P. D. Ouspensky, Alan Watts, Kenneth Wapnick, Richard Maurice Bucke, Abraham Maslow, and many more, and asks the question; What is the Highest State of Consciousness?