Struggling Reading Ken Wilber

[Chrisd]

He is the enlightenment guy right

[Yimpa]

33 minutes ago, Chrisd said:

He is the enlightenment guy right

Everyone is claiming to be the enlightenment guy 

[Davino]

On 29/1/2024 at 3:45 PM, UnbornTao said:

Just a way to contrast the tendency to idolize the person

Totally agree, it's very dangerous if done without care. It's a tool with its lights and darkness. It's good to point it out because I know most people would misunderstand it. One tool more in the tool box, that's all.

On 29/1/2024 at 3:45 PM, UnbornTao said:

what you say can of course be helpful if done with care

Thanks for acknowledging my point. It's rarely done in general. It says a lot about you.

[UnbornTao]

On 30/01/2024 at 8:37 AM, Water by the River said:

Chapter Dysfunctions of the 3rd-Tier Structure-Views, Violet Meta-Mind:

"One can step deeply enough into thetimeless Now to step into another dimension altogether—just step right here, and push hard.

It’s easy to get lost in those worlds, which are, at bottom, simply different dimensions and perspectives of one’s own (violet) consciousness (although, as noted, from another angle, they are all real, ontologically different realms because they are each genuinely co-enacted by a different perspective in consciousness). Given that this stage is the first great transition from “earthly” realms to “heavenly” realms (as a permanent structural enaction), getting lost in these “higher worlds” is indeed one of the most common dysfunctions of this level. The deeply transcendental, otherworldly, electrically visionary nature of consciousness at this altitude makes fixation to this side of the street an incredibly inviting and alluring venture. This is likely to couple with the dysfunction, discussed earlier, of standing in heaven and giving a blistering critique of life here on earth, with all the semiprophetic pomp and pomposity that  comes with it.

One of the things that often happens with these specific dysfunctions is that, after making some initial discovery of a timeless Now or pure Present (either in 3rd-tier structures or higher states), one can step into that Present and then step right through it into what seem to be endless, “deeper,” “higher” realms altogether, a kaleidoscopic cascade of universes upon universes that at one point seem to be nothing but a slight wiggle in this moment’s timeless Now, and then at the next explode into almost infinitely extending real realms that are all alive and invite exploration—with a sign on the door that says “Welcome to Heaven!” This is extremely common in high subtle and low causal states, but if it happens with structures, it tends to happen right here, with the violet meta-mind (due largely to its visionary nature).

... But this problem is simply the living result of the enactive nature of the real world and the fact that consciousness can co-create an almost endless number of universes, any number of which one can become fixated or semiaddicted to, with straightforwardly dysfunctional results."

An alien or two belong to the package.

What does this refer to? Too abstract. Is it even grounded on an authentic experience?

Edited February 5 by UnbornTao

[DocWatts]

If you're new to Wilber, don't start with Religion Of Tomorrow. Start with one of his shorter, more accessible books where he introduces the basics of Integral Theory.

Integral Theory is the meta-theory that pretty much all of Wilber's philosophy is an articulation of.

'The Integral Vision' is a pocket sized introduction to his work that can be read in a few days. If you're interested enough to continue with his work, perhaps move on to 'A Theory of Everything' for a more fleshed out introduction to his meta-theory.

Afterwards, his other books explore the applications of Integral Theory for different domains (such as religion, psychology, etc).

Starting with Religion of Tomorrow is a bit like jumping into trigonometry or calculus without a solid foundation in algebra.

Also, it's entirely possible that you may just not 'click' with Wilber, and that's perfectly okay! While I think Wilber's an amazing philosopher, he's not everyone's cup of tea.

Edited February 2 by DocWatts

[Carl-Richard]

On 29.1.2024 at 6:19 PM, UnbornTao said:

If you're looking to understand what mind itself really is.

Or just the mind beyond concepts.

[LSD-Rumi]

@DocWatts  Thanks for the tip!

[UnbornTao]

3 hours ago, Carl-Richard said:

Or just the mind beyond concepts.

Sounds like the same thing.