Halfway Up the Mountain: The Error of Premature Claims to Enlightenment
by Mariana Caplan
(Hohm Press, 1999)

Due to the reflective nature of the material contained in Halfway Up the Mountain and the dual focus of the discussion guide (theoretical/general and practical/personal), we recommend that you allow five weeks for reading and discussing the book. This discussion guide follows the section divisions in the book.

Week 1 — Enlightenment and Mystical Experience

1. What is your understanding of the term "enlightenment?" How does it relate to discipleship, spirituality, and faith formation?
2. Why do people want to rush to enlightenment? Why do many people react negatively to the concept of enlightenment taking a lifetime?
3. What are some of the dangers of defining enlightenment as freedom from pain, suffering, and earthly entanglements?
4. What does it mean to "leave the possibility for enlightenment in each moment?" (Lee Lozowick, p. 41)
5. Reflect on the list of enlightenment definitions on pages 39-48. With which definitions do you most resonate? With which do you most strongly disagree? How do these definitions challenge or broaden your understanding of enlightenment?
6. What motivates people to seek spiritual enlightenment? Which motivations have the greatest power to sustain you on your own spiritual path?
7. In what ways do we confuse spiritual growth and development with a psychological need to feel better?
8. What are the essential ingredients in a process of enlightenment? (Reflect on what you believe is necessary for you to become enlightened. Visualize what you would look like as an "enlightened" individual.)
9. What is the role of mystical experience and disciplined spiritual practice in the process of Christian faith formation? What practices are most vital for your own development? If you have had mystical experiences, what form did they take?
10. Reflect on the list of benefits under "The Value of Mystical Experience," beginning on page 106. In what ways do you agree or disagree with these benefits?
11. Do mystical experiences have intrinsic value apart from the meaning and interpretation we place upon them? If yes, what are they?

Week Two — The Dangers of Mystical Experience

1. What are the dangers of not taking mystical experience seriously? Reflect on the discussion of kundalini (in some Tantric forms of yoga, kundalini is the cosmic energy that lies within every person, pictured as a coiled serpent lying at the base of the spine). What is your reaction to this concept?
2. What are some of the pitfalls of becoming too dependent on mystical experiences?
3. Who judges the validity of a mystical experience? How can we decide whether a mystical experience is real or not?
4. What is spiritual materialism? What are some examples of spiritual materialism in the Christian faith?
5. What is "the spiritualized ego" (pp. 146ff)? How does ego impede our spiritual development and enlightenment?
6. What are some signs in Christian faith development of being "stuck"? Describe a time in your faith where you felt stuck. (What was it like? What did you do about it? When — if at all — did it end? What did you learn from the experience?)
7. What is "ego inflation"? What are some signs of ego inflation in Christian faith formation? What are ways that your own ego has been inflated?
8. Look at the ways to deal with inflation (pp. 205-219). Which ones work best for you? Which are least helpful? How would you amend this list?
9. What are some of the dangers that spiritual seekers face when they decide they no longer (or never) need teachers or spiritual guides?

Week Three — Corruption and Consequence

1. How can we discern when our inner voices and intuitions are reliable and when they are self-serving or egotistical? Who is in the best position to determine when power is abused or corrupted? How can we guard against spiritual corruption?
2. What are some of the critical elements for a healthy relationship between spiritual teachers and students?
3. What are the dangers of engaging in teaching when one is not prepared? What qualities should students expect (demand) of their spiritual teachers? What qualifications should a teacher have to promote himself or herself as a spiritual guide/director?
4. What is mutual complicity? In what ways have you experienced mutual complicity in the church?
5. What is spiritual codependency? Where have you witnessed spiritual codependency in the church? What responsibility do religious and spiritual leaders have to safeguard against spiritual codependency?

Week Four — Navigating the Minefield: Preventing Dangers on the Path

1. How is sangha (spiritual community that studies and supports one another on the spiritual journey) similar to what we experience as church? How is it different? How is a spiritual community (and a shared spiritual journey) a safeguard against erroneous teaching and spiritual misdirection?
2. What are the Christian equivalents of the three jewels of Buddhism? Why is each jewel important in relationship to the others? In your experience, how important have the teachers, the teachings, and the spiritual communities been to your personal spiritual development?
3. By what standards do we test the integrity and authority of spiritual leaders in the Christian church? How do we test the validity of spiritual experience and teaching?
4. What is the relationship of psychology to faith formation and spiritual development? How do they support each other? How do they compete with each other?
5. The practice of spiritual disciplines prepares people for greater experiences of personal growth and acts of mercy and service. Why do so many people with a sincere desire to grow spiritually resist, avoid, or ignore disciplined spiritual practice? What might our churches do to become (or improve as) centers that encourage and support spiritual discipline?
6. How does Chapter 19, "True Teacher — or False?" challenge our current understanding of what it means to be a teacher in our churches? What gifts, talents, skills, or abilities should our teachers be developing? How can we improve the teaching/learning environments in our congregations?
7. After reading and reflecting on the first four sections of Halfway Up the Mountain, how has your thinking about spiritual enlightenment changed? What criteria are most important now in seeking teachers and spiritual direction? (Have these things changed since the first session?)

Week Five — Disillusionment, Humility, and the Beginning of Spiritual Life

1. Spiritual disillusionment, doubt, and dryness can feel devastating, but all major religions teach that these experiences are not only normal, but necessary for growth and enlightenment. Recall times of doubt or dryness in your own faith. Talk with others about what these times were like. How did you deal with them? What support did you find? (Was the church a source of comfort and support through these times?) What did you learn from the experience?
2. What are your personal goals as a spiritual seeker? What would you like to learn? What would you like to do in the future? Who would you like to be? What steps are you taking to become the person you want to be?
3. What assistance do you provide to others on their spiritual journey? In what ways are you a spiritual disciple? In what ways are you a spiritual teacher?
4. In what ways is it liberating to know that spiritual development and enlightenment is a journey with no end?
5. What help do you need to continue growing? What support and aid does the church provide for your spiritual journey? What else do you need that the church doesn't provide?
6. What is one concrete recommendation this discussion group could make to the leaders of the congregation as a means to improve the church's ministry of teaching, spiritual direction, and faith formation?

Return to the review of Halfway Up the Mountain: The Error of Premature Claims to Enlightenment.

-- Dan R. Dick is a former staff member of the General Board of Discipleship.

(originally posted June 22, 2000)

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