So far I'm working with the idea of five major hypostases. These are (with Sri Aurobindo's terminology in brackets for the first three)
o The Unmanifest Absolute Reality (Sachchidananda)
o The Manifest Absolute Reality (Supermind)o The Unmanifest Absolute Reality (Sachchidananda)
o The Noetic Reality (Overmind)
o The Nondual Reality (standard Enlightenment)
o The Prakritic Reality (the Cosmos, planes of existence, gross and subtle matter)
Readers familiar with the traditional meme of the "Great chain of being" or ontological spectrum will understand what is being described here. More unusual, to those unfamiliar with Sri Aurobindo's insights, is that the "nondual" state of Enlightenment (normally considered the very highest state of consciousness, the Absolute Reality) has a relatively low position, second from the bottom. If this arrangement seems strange, especially to those used to the comparison tables and charts provided by Wilber and others, consider that none of the popular Gurus in the West, and none of the main writers and teachers in the Integral Movement so far, really understand what Sri Aurobindo actually taught (on my website I mention the misunderstandings of Adi Da, of Osho, and of Ken Wilber in this regard). This is in no way to criticise the sincerity of those Integralists who study Sri Aurobindo from an intellectual perspective only. But inevitably mistakes creep in, because Sri Aurobindo represnets a much higher level of consciousness than that attained by even the most enlightened in the cutting edge consciousness paradigm in the West. Pop Gurus (1960s onwards), New Paradigm transpersonal psychology and spirituality (1970s onwards), the Integral Movement (1990s onwards), and all the rest, go as far as the Nondual stage, but no further. What is described here will be the esoteric perspective, based on Plotinus (another great teacher who has been misunderstood in the mainstream Integral Movement), Sri Aurobindo, and other teachings. Progress report and comments
I think this quote applies to the conceipts of this self appointed ADOLESCENT "expert" on religion and spirituality---and indeed to all the self-important talking heads involved in the "integral" movement.
ReplyDelete"Any one and every one who doubts and quibbles about the necessity (and the True Nature and Great Function) of a true Adept-Guru (or Adept Sat-Guru) is, simply, not yet ready, willing, and able to enter the esoteric (and, necessarily, self-surrendering) Ordeal of the advanced and the ultimate stages of life....
Those who doubt the Guru-Principle, and the unique value and ultimate necessity of the Adept-Guru, are those for whom the Great and (soon) Spiritual Way Itself is yet in doubt."