The central problem that Dürckheim seeks to address in Hara – The Vital Centre of Man is the spiritual decay in the West that has resulted from an excessive dependence on rationalism. While conventional Western religious practice - in Dürckheim’s view – cannot resolve this problem, he argues that there are techniques derived from Eastern spiritual practice that can.
Whereas the Western attitude to the body is a “chest-out-belly-in” approach, the Eastern view is from the ‘belly up’. Hara denotes not only the abdominal area, but a way of living, or Haragei – activity perfected through Hara. The Tanden, an area in the lower abdomen below the navel, is traditionally regarded as the seat of vital energy in Japan and China.
Dürckheim and Zen Buddhism
Karlfried Graf Dürckheim (1896 – 1988) was a professor at the University of Kiel. In 1938 he went to Japan to escape persecution during Hitler’s rise to power. While in Japan he immersed himself in the study of Zen Buddhism, learning directly from several well known Japanese masters. He remained in Japan for eight years. Hara – The Vital Centre is Dürckheim’s attempt to explain the concept of Hara to the Western mind.
Dürckheim is an important figure in the history of the development of an esoteric Western spiritual tradition. He stands alongside other eminent thinkers and writers, such as Eckhart, Gurdieff and Carl Jung. His teaching encapsulates a synthesising of Christian Mysticism, Depth Psychology and Zen Buddhism.
Art as Spiritual Training
In the West the intellect is separate from the heart, mind from body, and man is seen as an isolated observer of the world. He is disconnected in every sense of the word. By contrast, the Eastern view stresses connection with what Dürckheim refers to as the ‘ground of being’.
Dürckheim points out that this is something that can be verified empirically through our ordinary experience. More importantly, this ‘ground of being’ provides access to the ‘totality of being’, wherein we have our deepest human experience of our ‘true nature’ as part of the greater Nature. Cultivation of Hara, or Haragei, denotes a range of activities that typically involve posture, breathing, and concentration. Such activities might include, archery, sitting Zen, tea, and flower arranging, for example.
Book Chapters
The book is divided into five sections. The first section deals with a cultural orientation of how Hara is expressed in everyday Japanese life and language. The second section looks at ways in which Eastern and Western views diverge in terms of the cultural significance of Hara. Dürckheim postulates that the ‘transcendent’ and ‘natural’ are not irreconcilable world views, but intimately bound together.
The third and fourth sections are quite dense. The author discusses in some detail the philosophical, psycho-spiritual, and practical challenges inherent in the cultivation of Hara. Part five presents Hara as a transformational experience that requires courage and commitment. It is not an easy task, but through taking up the challenge Dürckheim asserts that Hara can lead “to the region where the Primal Oneness of life is to be found.” He goes on to say:
“When a man can preserve his union with it under all circumstances he will remain completely at one with the Great Life within him.”
At the end of the book there is an Appendix which is left to exemplars of Haragei: the Zen Buddhist and one of Dürckheim’s former teachers, Okado Torajiro, the philosopher Sato Tsuji, and healer kaneko Shoseki. This last part of the book, not included in earlier editions, provides a lighter contrast to the previous and more demanding sections.
This is a profound book, although difficult in places. The subject matter is opaque in itself, but Dürckheim sheds considerable light on the concept of Hara with skill and patience. A book that will reward the patient reader.
Dürckheim, Karl Graf (1896 – 1988)
Translation by S.M. Kospoth and E.R. Healey
Hara – The Vital Centre of Man
Published by Inner Traditions 27/10/04, 202 pages, $14.95
ISBN 978-159477024-1
Alister Gillies - Alister's background is in project development. He is trained in counselling and personal development, although his academic background is ...
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