Photo Courtesy of h.koppdelaney (flickr)
I have never discussed religious beliefs, spirituality, or any theoretical matter on this blog before, so this is a first. Bear with me. I’m entering uncharted territory but this is something I’ve wanted to discuss with you, my readers. It’s a combination of my new fascination with personal development and my recurring trips to church that are keeping spiritual questions floating through my brain on a daily basis. My goal is to open the door with this post to discuss spiritual matters in the future without alienating too much of my fan base. If you would like to throw your two cents into the discussion you can leave a comment below or shoot me an email. Don’t forget that you can always leave an anonymous comment if you’d like.
Lately, I’ve been battling with the idea of transcendence. It’s one of the most theoretical and ambiguous terms I’ve ever tried to wrap my mind around. On Tuesday nights I go to a book group with some men at church. I like to refer to it as “The Man Club” because I feel manlier for those two hours than I do any other time during the week. Recently, another guy brought up the idea of transcendence, which very much intrigued me, but I couldn’t really identify what it meant or how to experience it truthfully. As a part of my new commitment to personal growth, I have taken it upon myself to investigate and tackle the most challenging questions I can think of. The Man Club has definitely caused me to stop and think about my life, my decisions, and my perception of my existence. I don’t intend to provide finality in my discussion here, but I do intend to raise some important questions and to make you think. Consider the ideas here and let me know what you think. I’m not Buddha, Krishna, or Jesus, but it never hurts to strive for a lofty goal. I just might make some improvements in the process.
If you’re curious, I began much of my thinking in this area after reading Steve Pavlina’s blog post, Levels of Consciousness, and he wrote it after reading David R. Hawkins’ book Power vs. Force.
What is Transcendence?
According to Google, transcendence is “a state of being or existence above and beyond the limits of material experience.” Transcendence is one of the highest levels of existence, second only to true enlightenment, and it is nearly impossible to achieve on a consistent basis, if at all. Most people believe in and encounter transcendence as an outer-body or near-death experience, much like a ghost or spirit. For whatever reason, this just seems too mystical for me to have any practical application. I have never had any experience that even comes close to these. For me, transcendence comes in the form of rhythm, when I feel in-sync with the universe. Total and complete relaxation, to the point of hypnosis has also allowed me to experience shallow levels of transcendence, though I can’t verify that in the least.
What’s the Point?
If any of those definitions made any sense, what’s the point? Why would you want to experience transcendence at all? If you take personal growth seriously, or even the highest forms of spirituality or religious beliefs, transcendence is almost always a unified goal, to exist among the most powerful deities. Basically, it’s almost as close as any human could ever get to God, without becoming God Himself. Assuming you’re not an atheist or agnostic, transcendence seems like a goal worth striving for.
How can I Experience Transcendence?
To be honest, the majority of my experiences with transcendence come in the form of excruciating pain. I’ve had moments in the past where I’ve witnessed extreme beauty (like the view from the top of a mountain) and thought it was transcendental. However, when I look back on it now I think it was a step closer, but not quite there. What I mean by excruciating pain is just that, physical pain in your body and mind that nearly makes you delirious or even crazy at times. This could include hallucinations, near-death experiences, insatiable hunger pains, or my most common form, endurance running.
Running has always been a spiritual experience for me. Maybe it’s because I spend more time outdoors and I’m simply in the midst of Mother Nature, but there is something intrinsically spiritual about long-distance running. When I first read Dean Karnazes’ book Ultramarathon Man, he described the masochistic nature of running, how the elite endurance runners somehow enjoyed the ridiculous pain they experienced every time they laced up and hit the trails for another 50+ mile run. At first, I thought I knew what he was talking about. I thought he was discussing getting a runner’s high. For those of you that have never enjoyed running or even exercise, a runner’s high is a glorified adrenaline rush, when your endorphins fly through your body at lightning speeds, which temporarily gives you incredible energy and a sense of invincibility. Many people could easily achieve this sensation on a 5-mile run. Dean wasn’t talking about a typical runner’s high. After intensely training for my first marathon in the hills of Boston and then crawling across the finish line in Providence, Rhode Island, I had finally experienced for myself what Dean was describing.
There is a point on a long run when your body begins to break down severely; a point where no amount of Gatorade, Power Bars, or Gu packs will replenish your body. You don’t have to run 50 miles to experience this twisted euphoria. Last weekend, in the final stretch of my 10-mile run, I had a brief reencounter with transcendence that brought some old memories rushing back. Throughout the longest of my training runs for the marathon, I reached moments where the pain was nearly unbearable but I never stopped running. There were moments where I wanted to throw-up and cry in agony, but those feelings where shadowed by what I can only describe as transcendence. Whether it was on a 20-mile run in the snow, or a 10-mile run when I was over 200 pounds (last weekend), the experiences were similar and amazing. I wouldn’t say I smiled because it wasn’t enjoyable, but I was certainly in rhythm with my mind, body, and spirit. To be it simply, I was at peace. I was experiencing peace in the middle of a daring struggle with my body and the earth. It doesn’t make sense logically, but it is a magical experience.
Endurance running has certainly been the closest I have ever come to transcendence and it may be the only way I ever will. There is certainly something to be said about pushing your body to its limits and witnessing the miracle of growth within yourself. You don’t have to run to share in this, but it has worked for me.
I’m both curious and excited to hear your stories. If you have had any encounters with transcendence you would like to share, I encourage you to do so, if not for your own benefit, then maybe for the other readers. I appreciate you reading my blog and I hope to see you again for more discussions on spiritual matters as I unpack my own clueless existence. Thanks!
The Clueless Graduate,
Jeff Sanders
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