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If there is only God, what the hell are we doing here? This question begins Ken's beautiful talk about the relationship between the absolute and relative—or, in the very simplest sense, the one and the many, or God and the rest of us—pondering the very essence of human existence....
Recently, I have been getting a lot of email asking me if I have, in fact, written several endorsements for the work of a spiritual teacher, Mr. Trivedi ("Guruji" to his friends and students), and if so, why?
The answer is yes (see the full essay below), and the reason is based entirely on direct, specific, scientific evidence. This evidence is so astonishing that I myself have never seen anything quite like it. Is Guruji "enlightened"? Well, you can meet him and decide that issue for yourself. What I am claiming—and supporting—is that Guruji's capacity to conduct and transmit universal spiritual energy (or "shakti") is utterly remarkable, as proven by scientific experiments themselves. It is these direct, specific, scientific experiments and their results that I am reporting, and on which I am basing my endorsement. This is a scientific conclusion, not a spiritual one (although, of course, you are free to make those as well—but I am reporting the direct science, which is indeed astonishing).
To put it briefly, Mr. Trivedi has an empirically demonstrated capacity to alter the atomic and molecular structure of phenomena simply through his conscious intentionality. The number of experiments done on this capacity (known in Sanskrit as shaktipat) that have been done in coordination with Mr. Trivedi is quite extraordinary—so far, over 5,000 empirical studies by universities and scientific research organizations all over the world (including the world renowned materials scientist Dr. Rustum Roy at the University of Pennsylvania)....
On October 21st, 2006, Venerable Traleg Rinpoche and Ken Wilber met in Boulder, Colorado for an event attended by over 200 people. Born in Tibet, Traleg Kyabgon Rinpoche, recognized by His Holiness the Gyalwa Karmapa as the ninth incarnation of the Traleg Tulkus, is president and director of Kagyu E-Vam Buddhist Institute, Melbourne, Australia. We are honored to share with you some memorable moments from this event.
Although the first part is available for free, you must be a member of Integral Life to watch the rest of this series. By becoming a member of Integral Life you gain access to this and countless more hours of content—some of the most important and cutting-edge conversations happening in the world—with new audio and video being added every week. More importantly, your membership will also directly support the Integral movement at-large, helping to bring more compassion and clarity to our lives and our world.
In preparation for this year's Integral Spiritual Experience conference on The Future of Love, Ken offered us some of his own thoughts on the topic—but in order to uncover love's future, Ken decided to explore love's past. In fact, he looks all the way back to the Big Bang, retracing love's role throughout the history of evolution. Rather than just a mere human emotion, love is cast as a central driving force in the Kosmos—the force of Eros itself, pushing all of us along our inevitable return to Spirit.*
Love was here long before we were. It was here when this universe first exploded into existence. It was here when atoms first began to form molecules. It was here when those molecules first began to form cells. It's been here every step of the way—in fact, love is so fundamentally woven into the fabric of this universe that some even posit it as the fifth elementary force in the universe: the force of self-organization through self transcendence. Alongside this third-person exploration, Ken also presences the first- and second-person dimensions of love, suggesting love as the primary force of connection in "the miracle of we", as well as the driver of increased consciousness, compassion, and complexity.
* In case this reminds you of the so-called "theory of intelligent design", don't worry—talking about love's intrinsic role in evolution is in no way suggesting that your favorite personification of God is responsible for creating and micro-managing the universe. If anything, it is saying that such magical and mythical conceptions of the divine are themselves products of Eros. In other words, much that we label as "spiritual" results from evolutionary patterns that stretch all the way back to the beginning of time, and represent how these inherent qualities happen to play themselves out on a human level. It's not about projecting an imaginary god onto the entirety of the Kosmos. It's realizing that the entirety of our religious and spiritual imaginings occupy just a tiny sliver of the actual Kosmic bandwidth—and what's spiritual for us is sometimes a recapitulation of normal evolutionary mechanics. Or, as Ken says in his monologue: "We live in the lap of a great astonishing Eros, and it's more a matter of recognizing that than it is bringing it into being...."
"The liberated [non-dual] field of energy of the earth element displays the glorious warmth and wealth of earth. This energy is inexhaustible and free to whomever needs it. Wealth and generosity go hand in hand...." - Ngakpa Chögyam with Khandro Déchen, Spectrum of Ecstasy, 1997, p. 131
It is regularly forwarded that integral art is art made by an artist with integral consciousness. Tobya Negash is such an artist—deep realization in stage development and stable state training, ongoing integration of dark and golden shadow, dream yoga adept, a Feminine Heart of Boundless Love.
And yet, this tells us nothing about how her art is integral, as art can be integral in incredibly sundry ways. So let's take a closer look....
Critics have long regarded Sara Bates as one of the most significant of contemporary Native American artists. A Wolf-Clan Cherokee, Sara is renowned for her "Honoring Circles," spontaneously created mandala-like artworks often reaching 12 feet or more in diameter, exquisitely rendered on the ground with natural materials such as shells, pine cones, feathers, and rocks. (See above for one example.)
But what makes Bates' work so significant is not merely its "Cherokeeness," but its "humanness." As one of her brochures puts it, "Many artists draw from history to tell a story of their particular reality as an American Indian or a woman or an artist within the milieu of art history. They go to great pains to describe what sets them apart from other individuals [ethnocentric identity]. Bates has chosen instead to use the history and philosophy of her heritage as an American Indian and, more particularly, a member of the Cherokee Nation, to talk about how similar we are and to describe our interconnectedness...."
The dialogue opens with Sara discussing why and how she was able to "buck the trend of ethnocentric over-celebration" and find—in addition to ethnic roots—a universal spiritual luminosity or Light. It is this worldcentric Light, says Bates, that points to the way beyond limited, partial, and fragmented identity politics. Ironically, it is an over-emphasis on ethnocentric identity that obscures the Light for so many. Sara moves to a discussion of Native American spirituality and, in particular, its numerous distortions and romanticizations. Nowhere have Indians been more exploited than in the "noble savage" myths that are rampant today, and, sadly, "Our tribe—all of the tribes—have people exploiting their own culture." She particularly mentions the "road men"—those Indians who, "the farther they get away from the reservation, the holier they become," offering the white man what the white man wants to hear.
What cannot be exploited, however, is the Light. "It is the most profound thing I know, what I have devoted my life and my art to."
Sara has been plagued with some physical health issues, which she and Ken briefly discuss. But what shines through the physical frailty is an unwavering spiritual knowing and luminous presence. As Ken says, Sara is an inspiration to all of us.....
Avatar was a cultural phenomenon from the very first day of its theatrical release. As it exploded onto the global zeitgeist with its revolutionary use of advanced 3D computer visuals and digitally-enhanced actors, we knew this was something to pay attention to from the very first frame. Much has been made of its staggering commercial success, with a worldwide box office of over 2 billion dollars (to date). But even more interesting was the heated controversy that emerged, concerning its themes of environmental warfare and the clash between not just human and alien, but modern and tribal worldviews.
From an integral perspective, Avatar looks at first glance like a classic postmodern romantic view of an alien tribal culture locked in mortal combat with the most extreme forces of modern earthlings—somewhere in the vicinity of Dances with Bioluminescent Wolves, or perhaps Pocahontas In Space.
But after repeated viewings, some more subtle questions emerged. In this review, Ken thoroughly explores the developmental themes that Avatar presents, but also explores whether or not Cameron left the door open for the next film (reportedly already in development) to go beyond mere developmental stereotypes, and really explore about what might happen if the best of human and Na'vi traits actually evolved together in the world of Pandora. Join us as we plug in and link up with James Cameron's sci-fi epic story, Avatar!
Ken Wilber is the Olo'eyktan of the AQ'AL clan. He is the teller of many tales, all of which can be accessed at your local Tree of Souls.
Author and futurist David Hames talks with Ken about some of the key skills needed to adapt to life in the 21st century, unfolding a vision that calls us to greater possibilities, greater prosperity, and our own greatest potential....
"Probably the most critical thing about the Five Literacies is that it is an integral praxis--it's not a theory, it's not a method, it's a holistic view of integral praxis in terms of knowing what one should be practicing, but then becoming more than you have been in the process." - Richard Hames
What is the origin of the Unique Self teaching? What does this teaching have to say about rekindling the transformative power of love in the 21st century? What exactly does Ken mean by "the miracle of we", and what implications does that have upon our conceptions of the divine? Ken discusses all this and more as he responds to questions at the 2009/2010 Integral Spiritual Experience conference.
Part I: The Origin of the Unique Self Part II: The Miracle of We Part III: Integral Love Part IV: The Future of Integral Part V: The Second Face of God
This Q&A is just a small taste of the Integral Spiritual Experience Year 1 Virtual Conference, soon to be released by Integral Life. This exciting media offering will include a full curriculum, with all the key presentations and themes from what is already shaping up to be the most cutting-edge conversation on spirituality you can find today. Stay tuned in coming weeks for more information!
Ken Wilber is the Olo'eyktan of the AQ'AL clan. He is the teller of many tales, all of which can be accessed at your local 
