Cosmic Consciousness A Study in the Evolution of the Human Mind Illustrated edition by Richard Maurice Bucke Health Fitness Dieting eBooks
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Richard M. Burke's astonishing treatise on the human mind discusses and attempts to explain mystical experiences in the context of evolutionary change in the brain.
During his mid-thirties, Burke underwent a feeling of intense revelation and felt distinctly enlightened for a short time. Although the period of enlightenment passed, it had an immense impact upon Burke's outlook, steering his personal and professional life in a directions he had never before envisioned. He found the experience a permanent boon to his well-being, and was able to work and enjoy life more than he formerly had.
This book is an attempt to explain the various mystical feelings of enlightenment which humans have experienced over the millennia of recorded history. Burke's opinion is that these phenomena are becoming commoner over time, and represent an evolution of the human mind. He postulates that these experiences will become commoner as centuries go by, and become accepted as an ordinary, then eventually as a necessary or innate part of human life.
The term and title of this book, 'Cosmic Consciousness', is shorthand for the state which human beings enter during a mystical experience. A higher mental echelon free of fear or negative emotions, and characterized by greater perception and understanding of the world, Burke stresses that Cosmic Consciousness cannot be adequately explained in spoken language. The experience in itself is indescribably different; those who attempt to couch it in words inevitably fall short, or even appear deceptive to other, skeptical individuals.
In an attempt to convince the reader that Cosmic Consciousness exists and is already instrumental to the human condition, Burke examines a series of people he believes also underwent such a state. The figures he discusses include religious figures such as Mohammed and St. John of the Cross, philosophers such as Socrates and Leo Tze, scientists such as Francis Bacon, and authors such as Benedict Spinoza, Walt Whitman and William Blake.
This early text of psychology sees Burke speak freely about the mystical and spiritual aspects of the human mind. At the time, the discipline was in its infancy, and philosophical discussions of unusual, spiritual experiences were a welcome addition. Although many of Burke's views have been disproved or refuted by testing and research, Cosmic Consciousness continues to be considered a classic for its incisive, frank discussions of unusual experiences. It is today considered a good companion text to the masterwork of William James; The Varieties of Religious Experience
Cosmic Consciousness A Study in the Evolution of the Human Mind Illustrated edition by Richard Maurice Bucke Health Fitness Dieting eBooks
I found an old hardcover copy of this book in an antique store on the central coast of California. I didn't buy it then, but after reading only a few sentences of it at the bookstore, I ordered this paperback. The paperback is a nice larger size for reading and easier to read than the older book. It seems to be a forgotten about book, but for me, it is life changing and has propelled me into a new level of consciousness. I had a cosmic consciousness awakening just as described in this book in 2011, and I literally became a different person. This book describes my experience just as it happened, and happens to be a guide and support for me now. It allows me to be a "new species" of human and expand in a direction I didn't know about until I read this book, and I'm only 40 pages into it! I can only read a few pages at a time, because it all needs to be absorbed well before reading more.Product details
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Cosmic Consciousness A Study in the Evolution of the Human Mind Illustrated edition by Richard Maurice Bucke Health Fitness Dieting eBooks Reviews
One of a kind, this book was written ca 1900, and was one of the first books to posit, and study scientifically, a fundamental cosmic experience underlying all world religions. Bucke described the experience in detail based on an empirical study of the available evidence in the form of case studies. Two of the better known "cases" are Jesus of Nazareth (who referred to it as the Kingdom of Heaven) and Gautama the Buddha (who called it Nirvana). Bucke saw the frequency of the phenomenon to be increasing exponentially throughout history and foresaw that it would culminate in a world populated with people having the emerging faculty. He concluded that the future of mankind was "indescribably hopeful."
Reviewed by Jeremiah Cox, author of REDESIGNING GOD
This book is very well researched and a bit of a tough read at times, but is worth it.
It helped me gain insight about my spirituality. And inspired me to see a better world . A five star book without a doubt.
_Cosmic Consciousness A Study in the Evolution of the Human Mind_, first published in 1901 and republished by Arkana books, by Richard Maurice Bucke, M.D., is a classic investigation of the development of man's mystic relation to the infinite. Richard Maurice Bucke was a Canadian psychiatrist (or "alienist") who served as the head of an asylum for the insane. Bucke had little formal education and during his youth had traveled to the West where he lost a foot due to frostbite. Bucke became a doctor of medicine after putting himself through medical school and won many awards as a psychiatrist. After hearing of the poetry of Walt Whitman (particularly his "Leaves of Grass"), Bucke underwent a profound change and devoted much of his time to mystical matters. His first book was dedicated to Whitman, and Whitman plays a unique role in this book as well. In 1872, Bucke experienced an Illumination (which he took to be glimmerings of "cosmic consciousness") which led him further into his researches into mysticism. Furthermore, Bucke was long fascinated by the question of the authorship of the works of Shakespeare and long maintained that Francis Bacon was the real author of the Shakespeare plays and poems. This book came to have an important influence on later generations of mystical writers, including the Russian mathematician and philosopher P. D. Ouspensky, the American psychologist and philosopher William James, and the British writer on mysticism Evelyn Underhill. Throughout this book, Bucke maintains that a new form of consciousness is developing in man (that of "cosmic consciousness"), that this form of consciousness is as different from man's normal consciousness as "self consciousness" is from "simple consciousness", and that this development is part of an evolutionary process (Bucke bases much of his theory on the writings of Charles Darwin).
This book begins with a dedication to Richard Maurice Bucke from his father, following the death of his son. Following this a brief introduction to "The Man and the Book" by George Moreby Acklom appears. The first section of this book is entitled "First Words" and is dedicated to expounding Bucke's theory of cosmic consciousness. Bucke writes, "Cosmic Consciousness, then, is a higher form of consciousness than that possessed by the ordinary man." Bucke distinguishes between what he terms "simple consciousness" (possessed by the upper half of the animal kingdom; consciousness of oneself, one's body, and thing's around oneself), "self consciousness" (the consciousness in man in which one becomes aware of oneself as a distinct entity from all the rest of the universe), and "cosmic consciousness" (a consciousness of the cosmos accompanied by feelings of illumination, joyfulness, elevation, and moral exaltation). Bucke contends that this new form of consciousness is developing in man, just as self consciousness developed out of simple consciousness through the process of evolution. Bucke goes on to explain various instances of cosmic consciousness, accompanying processes, and relates it to God, Christ, Nirvana, and Brahmanic splendour. The second section of this book is entitled "Evolution and Devolution". Here, Bucke traces the development from simple consciousness to self consciousness (as animals progressed to man). Bucke makes several interesting observations, including particularly noting that the ancients apparently had fewer words for colors than modern man does (perhaps indicating an evolutionary development in color consciousness). Bucke also provides a chart showing the development of the levels of consciousness (and their apparent proportion of occurrence in the general population). Bucke also mentions the idea of "devolution" (noting the prevalence of insanity and "idiocy" as instances of this). The third section of this book is entitled "From Self Consciousness to Cosmic Consciousness". Here, Bucke notes the various accompanying phenomena of cosmic consciousness (including that of moral elevation), the rarity of cosmic consciousness, the fact that instances of it are apparently increasing (since the beginning of recorded history), the fact that it is more likely to occur in men than women, and the fact that it tends to occur at the age of full maturity. The fourth section of this book is entitled "Instances of Cosmic Consciousness". Bucke maintains that the following individuals experienced definite instances of cosmic consciousness (and uses the increasing frequency of such cases to argue for his evolutionary theory) Gautama the Buddha (called "Nirvana"), Jesus the Christ (Bucke maintains that Jesus was a man; called "the Kingdom of God"), Paul (called "Christ"), Plotinus, Mohammed, Dante (called "Beatrice"), Bartolome Las Casas, John Yepes (Saint John of the Cross), Francis Bacon (Bucke maintains that Bacon was the real author of Shakespeare's plays and poems and quotes extensively from them to "prove" this), Jacob Behmen (the Teutonic Theosopher), William Blake, Honore de Balzac, Walt Whitman (Bucke quotes extensively from his "Leaves of Grass" believing Whitman to be among the highest levels of cosmic consciousness so far produced in man), and Edward Carpenter. The fifth section of this book is entitled "Additional - Some of Them Lesser, Imperfect And Doubtful Cases" and details some additional cases of cosmic consciousness, though of a lesser or more doubtful degree. Bucke mentions here various authors, poets, writers, and prophets known to him as well as a few cases from individuals that he personally met or corresponded with. The sixth section of this book is entitled "Last Words". Here, Bucke expounds upon some other instances of cosmic consciouness, again details his evolutionary theory, and explains why it is necessary for the individual so illuminated to be of the right mental and physical physique.
In this book, Bucke provides a unique study of the mystical phenomenon and its apparent increase among members of the human race. As with many scientists from the Victorian era, Bucke was perhaps too wedded to the ideas behind evolutionary theory and the notion of progress. Indeed, Bucke maintains that with the coming development of cosmic consciousness a new social order will be made possible, echoing many of the socialist theories popular at the time. Nevertheless, this book played a very important role in furthering our understanding of mysticism, our sense of the cosmos, and the attempt to study it using scientific methods. Bucke's work would be carried on by later thinkers and researchers who were to reference repeatedly in their own studies of mysticism.
One of the top 5 books I've read in my life. Seriously changed my perception on alot of things.
This book was a remarkable study for it's time, written in 1905. It should be read by every theology and psychology student in college, who wants to understand deeper levels of consciousness. It is simple study in some ways and uses a simple method. Our methods and editing would make this a much different book today and would include woman and many authentic Indian saints of recent days past. (e.g. Autobiography of a Yogi). However for it's time, it' s a remarkable book. He at one place writes that the Indian yogi techniques are not legitimate...but did the author ever even travel to India? I assume not, whereas he would have been on a ship for months to cross the ocean. He did very well in light of his information. However, these days, there are many who have reached this state of Cosmic Consciousness...including sadhus in the Himalayas and some ordinary house-holders who don't advertise their level of spiritual development, and a few rare gurus (although most now have not reached this state!). I would of liked the author to tell the reader about his own interest in this topic and spiritual experiences but he does not mention it and focuses instead on other's experience.
Dr. Buck has made a memorable work in his research as a scientist about a theme that not so many individuals in History had the skills or the desire to face. A phenomena that occurs throughout the History of Mankind and that its understanding - about the laws of Nature that regules this - are of little comprehension until today. A book for every being searching new areas of research about the human mind.
I found an old hardcover copy of this book in an antique store on the central coast of California. I didn't buy it then, but after reading only a few sentences of it at the bookstore, I ordered this paperback. The paperback is a nice larger size for reading and easier to read than the older book. It seems to be a forgotten about book, but for me, it is life changing and has propelled me into a new level of consciousness. I had a cosmic consciousness awakening just as described in this book in 2011, and I literally became a different person. This book describes my experience just as it happened, and happens to be a guide and support for me now. It allows me to be a "new species" of human and expand in a direction I didn't know about until I read this book, and I'm only 40 pages into it! I can only read a few pages at a time, because it all needs to be absorbed well before reading more.
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