Evolutionary Enlightenment
Encyclopedia
Evolutionary Enlightenment is a philosophy
that mixes teachings about Enlightenment
from Eastern traditions with a Western scientific understanding of evolution
.
Evolutionary Enlightenment is inspired, on one hand, by the teachings of Ramana Maharshi
and the Buddhist tradition. On the other hand, it also follows in the tradition of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
, Sri Aurobindo
, Henri Bergson
, Alfred North Whitehead
, and the German Idealist philosophers. In contemporary culture, it is associated with the work of Andrew Cohen
, founder of EnlightenNext, and Ken Wilber, the leading figure in the Integral movement. The ideas of Evolutionary Enlightenment have been discussed and elucidated over the past five years by Cohen and Wilber in the pages of EnlightenNext magazine , as well as in Wilber’s recent book Integral Spirituality . An evolutionary approach to Enlightenment or self-realization is also outlined in the work of Dr. Beatrice Bruteau, a Teilhardian scholar and theologian, and mentioned in the recent bestseller A New Earth
by Eckhart Tolle
. The cultural relevance of this approach to spirituality has been recognized by those studying broader cultural change, such as Spiral Dynamics author Dr. Don Beck , who has called it “a map or model for personal emergence, showing the qualities that individuals must embody to become the leaders we now need.”
.
, and that humanity's emerging awareness of this process has profound philosophical and spiritual implications.
Evolutionary Enlightenment and Integral Theory share an understanding that ultimate reality consists of a non-dual union of emptiness and form—with form being subject to development over time—and that the interior realm of consciousness and the exterior realm of matter evolve together. One outcome of this insight, which Integral thinkers have codified and mapped, is that there are hierarchical stages of development along a deep-time evolutionary continuum, and that the interdependence between interior and exterior development directly manifests itself in human consciousness and culture: from egocentric to ethnocentric to worldcentric to kosmocentric. Furthermore, each successive stage of development transcends and includes its predecessors, and exhibits a greater awareness, sense of belonging, and capacity for consciousness
, cognition, and care.
While Evolutionary Enlightenment and Integral Theory share important epistemological roots in Evolutionary Spirituality http://www.enlightennext.org/magazine/evolution-of-spirituality/?ifr=af, the two emerged independent of one another. Cohen pioneered Evolutionary Enlightenment in the mid-1980s and encountered Integral Theory in roughly 2000. Since then, EnlightenNext magazine has become a leading forum for discourse and inquiry into Integral Theory, including a running dialogue between Cohen and Wilber entitled "The Guru and the Pandit" series.
Discussing the limitations of the contemporary post-modern stage of human development in this series, Wilber describes the relationship between Integral Theory and Evolutionary Enlightenment as follows:
This description positions Integral Theory as an important philosophical framework (the map) for Evolutionary Enlightenment. It also suggests that contemporary culture cannot progress without evolving individual and collective consciousness (the terrain), which is the goal of Evolutionary Enlightenment.
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
that mixes teachings about Enlightenment
Enlightenment (spiritual)
Enlightenment in a secular context often means the "full comprehension of a situation", but in spiritual terms the word alludes to a spiritual revelation or deep insight into the meaning and purpose of all things, communication with or understanding of the mind of God, profound spiritual...
from Eastern traditions with a Western scientific understanding of evolution
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
.
Evolutionary Enlightenment is inspired, on one hand, by the teachings of Ramana Maharshi
Ramana Maharshi
Sri Ramana Maharshi , born Venkataraman Iyer, was a Hindu spiritual master . He was born to a Tamil-speaking Brahmin family in Tiruchuzhi, Tamil Nadu. After experiencing at age 16 what he later described as liberation , he left home for Arunachala, a mountain considered sacred by Hindus...
and the Buddhist tradition. On the other hand, it also follows in the tradition of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin SJ was a French philosopher and Jesuit priest who trained as a paleontologist and geologist and took part in the discovery of both Piltdown Man and Peking Man. Teilhard conceived the idea of the Omega Point and developed Vladimir Vernadsky's concept of Noosphere...
, Sri Aurobindo
Sri Aurobindo
Sri Aurobindo , born Aurobindo Ghosh or Ghose , was an Indian nationalist, freedom fighter, philosopher, yogi, guru, and poet. He joined the Indian movement for freedom from British rule and for a duration became one of its most important leaders, before developing his own vision of human progress...
, Henri Bergson
Henri Bergson
Henri-Louis Bergson was a major French philosopher, influential especially in the first half of the 20th century. Bergson convinced many thinkers that immediate experience and intuition are more significant than rationalism and science for understanding reality.He was awarded the 1927 Nobel Prize...
, Alfred North Whitehead
Alfred North Whitehead
Alfred North Whitehead, OM FRS was an English mathematician who became a philosopher. He wrote on algebra, logic, foundations of mathematics, philosophy of science, physics, metaphysics, and education...
, and the German Idealist philosophers. In contemporary culture, it is associated with the work of Andrew Cohen
Andrew Cohen
Andrew Cohen is an American guru, spiritual teacher, magazine editor, author, and musician who has developed what he characterizes as a unique path of spiritual transformation, called Evolutionary Enlightenment. He sees himself as working in conjunction with others to bring about a new stage of...
, founder of EnlightenNext, and Ken Wilber, the leading figure in the Integral movement. The ideas of Evolutionary Enlightenment have been discussed and elucidated over the past five years by Cohen and Wilber in the pages of EnlightenNext magazine , as well as in Wilber’s recent book Integral Spirituality . An evolutionary approach to Enlightenment or self-realization is also outlined in the work of Dr. Beatrice Bruteau, a Teilhardian scholar and theologian, and mentioned in the recent bestseller A New Earth
A New Earth
A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose is a book by Eckhart Tolle, a follow-up to his first book and bestseller, The Power of Now. Tolle says "this book's main purpose is not to add new information or beliefs to your mind or to try to convince you of anything, but to bring about a shift in...
by Eckhart Tolle
Eckhart Tolle
Eckhart Tolle is a German-born Canadian resident, best known as the author of the The Power of Now and A New Earth, which were written in English. In 2011, he was listed by the Watkins Review as the most spiritually influential person in the world...
. The cultural relevance of this approach to spirituality has been recognized by those studying broader cultural change, such as Spiral Dynamics author Dr. Don Beck , who has called it “a map or model for personal emergence, showing the qualities that individuals must embody to become the leaders we now need.”
Philosophy
The philosophical idea of Evolutionary Enlightenment is discussed by Ken Wilber in his 2006 book Integral Spirituality. He points out that enlightenment is often defined as being “one with everything,” and raises the question, “if evolution occurs, how can enlightenment have any meaning? … if everything is evolving, and I get enlightened today, then won’t my enlightenment be partial with the sun’s dawn?” Wilber suggests redefining an evolutionary enlightenment to mean “the realization of oneness with all states and all stages that have evolved so far and that are in existence at any given time.”Spiritual Practice
The idea of Evolutionary Enlightenment as a spiritual practice has been put forward by Andrew Cohen. He emphasizes the need for individuals to recognize that their own spiritual transformation is essential for cultural evolution. Building on this principle, he offers a set of tenets that can be practiced by individuals in order to transcend egoism and express a deeper creativity and spiritual energy that Cohen calls the Authentic Self. In this approach, the problem raised by Wilber is resolved through redefining Enlightenment as being “One with the timeless Ground of all Being and with the evolutionary impulse that is driving the entire cosmos.” Through identifying the evolutionary impulse as their own Authentic Self, individuals can transcend ego and find a deeper self-sense without needing to live a life of asceticism or solitude, as was often required in traditional Enlightenment teachings. Evolutionary Enlightenment as a spiritual practice also emphasizes the need for human beings to learn how to come together in a way that brings out the highest creativity in each individual and simultaneously releases their potential for collective intelligenceCollective intelligence
Collective intelligence is a shared or group intelligence that emerges from the collaboration and competition of many individuals and appears in consensus decision making in bacteria, animals, humans and computer networks....
.
Integral Theory
Evolutionary Enlightenment shares important principles of, and is often associated with, Integral Theory, in that both combine spiritual and scientific insights to create a comprehensive understanding of humanity and the universe. These shared insights include a recognition that contemporary human beings are at the leading edge of a 13.7 billion year evolutionary process originating with the Big BangBig Bang
The Big Bang theory is the prevailing cosmological model that explains the early development of the Universe. According to the Big Bang theory, the Universe was once in an extremely hot and dense state which expanded rapidly. This rapid expansion caused the young Universe to cool and resulted in...
, and that humanity's emerging awareness of this process has profound philosophical and spiritual implications.
Evolutionary Enlightenment and Integral Theory share an understanding that ultimate reality consists of a non-dual union of emptiness and form—with form being subject to development over time—and that the interior realm of consciousness and the exterior realm of matter evolve together. One outcome of this insight, which Integral thinkers have codified and mapped, is that there are hierarchical stages of development along a deep-time evolutionary continuum, and that the interdependence between interior and exterior development directly manifests itself in human consciousness and culture: from egocentric to ethnocentric to worldcentric to kosmocentric. Furthermore, each successive stage of development transcends and includes its predecessors, and exhibits a greater awareness, sense of belonging, and capacity for consciousness
Consciousness
Consciousness is a term that refers to the relationship between the mind and the world with which it interacts. It has been defined as: subjectivity, awareness, the ability to experience or to feel, wakefulness, having a sense of selfhood, and the executive control system of the mind...
, cognition, and care.
While Evolutionary Enlightenment and Integral Theory share important epistemological roots in Evolutionary Spirituality http://www.enlightennext.org/magazine/evolution-of-spirituality/?ifr=af, the two emerged independent of one another. Cohen pioneered Evolutionary Enlightenment in the mid-1980s and encountered Integral Theory in roughly 2000. Since then, EnlightenNext magazine has become a leading forum for discourse and inquiry into Integral Theory, including a running dialogue between Cohen and Wilber entitled "The Guru and the Pandit" series.
Discussing the limitations of the contemporary post-modern stage of human development in this series, Wilber describes the relationship between Integral Theory and Evolutionary Enlightenment as follows:
″They (post-modern beliefs) inhibit an integral evolution. They did wonderfully up to their stage and they were very important in overcoming some of the problems with traditional values and scientific materialism. All of those were handled beautifully by the pluralistic post-modern stage. But now we're ready for the next stage, we're fighting for an integral awareness to blossom . . . and to blossom, of course, in the form of an evolutionary enlightenment.″
This description positions Integral Theory as an important philosophical framework (the map) for Evolutionary Enlightenment. It also suggests that contemporary culture cannot progress without evolving individual and collective consciousness (the terrain), which is the goal of Evolutionary Enlightenment.
External links
- http://www.andrewcohen.org
- http://www.integrallife.com
- http://www.integralnaked.com
- http://www.enlightennext.org
- http://eecourse.org
- http://www.guru-talk.com