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Wilber, Ken - Integral Spirituality | PDF | Postmodernism | Metaphysics

Wilber, Ken - Integral Spirituality

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2022/06/21

Wilber, Ken - Integral Spirituality

Wilber, Ken - Integral Spirituality | PDF | Postmodernism | Metaphysics

Wilber, Ken - Integral Spirituality

Uploaded byCanash Cachlob Date uploadedon Oct 26, 2021

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Integral Spirituality: A Startling New Role for Religion in the Modern and Postmodern World Paperback – 1 February 2008

by Ken Wilber (Author)

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Ken Wilbur's new insights into modern spirituality

INTEGRAL SPIRITUALITY is being widely called the most important book on spirituality in our time.Applying his highly acclaimed integral approach, Ken Wilber formulates a theory of spirituality that honors the truths of modernity and postmodernity - including the revolutions in science and culture - while incorporating the essential insights of the great religions. He shows how spirituality today combines the enlightenment of the East, which excels at cultivating higher states of consciousness, with the enlightenment of the West, which offers developmental and psychodynamic psychology. Each contributes key components to a more integral spirituality.On the basis of this integral framework, a radically new role for the world's religions is proposed. Because these religions have such a tremendous influence on the worldview of the majority of the earth's population, they are in a privileged position to address some of the biggest conflicts we face. By adopting a more integral view, the great religions can act as facilitators of human development- from magic to mythic to rational to pluralistic to integral - and to a global society that honors and includes all the stations of life along the way.

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SHAMBHALA - TRADE

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1 February 2008

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Review

"Even the timid first-timer can penetrate and be rewarded by Integral Spirituality."--Shambhala Sun

"A satisfying and thought-provoking read."--Elephant

"Ken Wilber's Integral Spirituality is possibly the most important spiritual book in postmodern times. Step by step, with luminous clarity, he unites all spiritual traditions without diluting the potency of any one lineage or tradition. I think this book is an antidote to the religious animosity of our times. Anyone serious about raising the level of consciousness on this planet should read this masterpiece."--Dennis Genpo Merzel, Roshi

"A work of inspired genius. Integral Spirituality is a seminal text for 21st-century spiritual studies."--Jim Marion, author of Putting on the Mind of Christ

"One of the most important books on spirituality written in the postmodern era. The Kabbalah of the future will rest on Ken's work."--Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, coauthor of Jewish with Feeling and Credo of a Modern Kabbalist

"Getting acquainted with Wilber's Integral Approach can be as thrilling as seeing the first photograph of Earthrise over the moon's horizon. A crucial task of our time is reconciliation between the wisdom of the world's religious traditions and the best in contemporary thought. Integral Spirituality offers a new and promising framework for tackling this task and renews my hope." --Brother David Steindl-Rast, cofounder of www.gratefulness.org

"Integral Spirituality is a book that literally shatters spiritual confusion. Eloquent, compassionate, and deeply helpful, it should be read by every practitioner and lover of Spirit."--Sally Kempton, author of The Heart of Meditation

"Vast in scope, profound in depth, and far reaching in its implications, Integral Spirituality is, quite simply, the most encompassing account of religion and spirituality available in our time."--Roger Walsh, PhD, University of California, author of Essential Spirituality

Book Description

Ken Wilbur's new insights into modern spirituality

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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ SHAMBHALA - TRADE; 1st edition (1 February 2008)

Language ‏ : ‎ English

Paperback ‏ : ‎ 336 pages

ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1590305272

ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1590305270

Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 15.21 x 2.18 x 22.76 cm

Best Sellers Rank: 172,427 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

210 in Religion & Sociology

218 in Sociology of Religion

441 in Science & Religion

Customer Reviews: 4.5 out of 5 stars 88 ratings

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Ken Wilber

Ken Wilber is one of the most widely read and influential American philosophers of our time. His recent books include "A Brief History of Everything", "The Marriage of Sense and Soul" and "Grace and Grit".

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Tom Stuart

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential reading

Reviewed in Australia on 31 May 2016

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I've studied theology, practiced spiritual disciplines, studied sociology, psychology, and philosophy. I love the way this book brings so much of the disciplines I've studied together in a cohesive way and gives a place of legitimacy to spirituality. A breath of fresh air.

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Deamon

5.0 out of 5 stars open mind

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 13 December 2015

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A good book does not need advertisement a good book only need you to read a good book bring peace to your inner

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Peter Johnson

2.0 out of 5 stars Hmmmm - a bit heavy

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 22 August 2013

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Unless you are into Wilber this is a bit heavy going and must say that whilst I like the concepts and models at the start I have yet to complete the reading of this book. The use of one terminology and then renaming it meant I was losing the thread.

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MysticMusician

5.0 out of 5 stars Integral Spirituality

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 26 July 2014

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An excellent work - well worth reading.

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Shirley

5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars

Reviewed in Canada on 15 July 2015

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5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars

Reviewed in Canada on 22 May 2016

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Integral Spirituality

by Ken Wilber

3.73 · Rating details · 1,957 ratings · 58 reviews

Integral Spirituality: A Startling New Role for Religion in the Modern and Postmodern World is being widely called the most important book on spirituality in our time.

Applying his highly acclaimed integral approach, Ken Wilber formulates a theory of spirituality that honors the truths of modernity and postmodernity—including the revolutions in science and culture—while incorporating the essential insights of the great religions. He shows how spirituality today combines the enlightenment of the East, which excels at cultivating higher states of consciousness, with the enlightenment of the West, which offers developmental and psychodynamic psychology. Each contributes key components to a more integral spirituality.

On the basis of this integral framework, a radically new role for the world’s religions is proposed. Because these religions have such a tremendous influence on the worldview of the majority of the earth’s population, they are in a privileged position to address some of the biggest conflicts we face. By adopting a more integral view, the great religions can act as facilitators of human development: from magic to mythic to rational to pluralistic to integral—and to a global society that honors and includes all the stations of life along the way.

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Published November 1st 2006 by Shambhala Publications (first published 2006)

Original TitleIntegral Spirituality: A Startling New Role for Religion in the Modern and Postmodern World

ISBN1590303466 (ISBN13: 9781590303467)

Edition LanguageEnglish

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Integral Spirituality: A Startling New Role for Religion in the Modern and Postmodern World

Integral Spirituality

ESPIRITUALIDAD INTEGRAL

Интегральная духовность: Новая роль религии в современном и постсовременном мире

Espiritualidad integral: El nuevo papel de la religión en el mundo actual

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Drick

Dec 24, 2011Drick rated it it was amazing

Shelves: personal-growth

I picked this book up after seeing it cited in another book; I was intrigued. When I started reading the book, I was blown away. Space does not allow me to begin to explain all that is here (even if I could). Suffice it to say that Ken Wilber is attempting to integrate psychological theory, spiritual traditions, religious traditions, and science into one integrated framework that speaks to the postmodern perspective of our age. At times I was completely lost, but in the end I was given a new lens or framework at which to consider my life and how I understand Truth and Reality. This was done not in a way that caused me to forsake my Christian tradition, but transform my understanding in a way that integrates a wide variety of other perspectives. Wilber tackles a wide range of developmental and scientific theories and models and yet writes in a way that is very accessible to the uninitiated. The only thing that needs to change is Wilber's picture. He looks like a serial killer or a cult leader in that picture. Other than that this is a book I will and will need to read again and again just to begin to grasp its basic ideas. (less)

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Sky

May 05, 2009Sky rated it did not like it

Shelves: ontoscopy-related, mind-brain-plus

Back in the day, many taoists used to make fun of Confucius. It's about time some folks do the same with Wilber, who's totally lost in way too much -isms and other difficult words, fancy colors and hierarchies... (less)

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Mitzi

Dec 07, 2010Mitzi rated it it was ok

Shelves: spirituality

Sadly, I didn't finish this book - I gave up after the short intro to Wilber's integral theory. By the end of it my head was jumbled up with levels and stages and phases - it wasn't incomprehensible, it just wasn't enjoyable. I think the same ideas presented in a different way would have made me want to keep reading. Maybe trying an older Wilber book before attempting this one might have been a good idea... (less)

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David

Jun 07, 2012David rated it it was amazing

Ken Wilber, Integral Spirituality: A Startling New Role for Religion in the Modern and Postmodern World, Integral Books, Boston, 2007.

It was only in my second reading of this book that I began to feel that I was coming to grips with its depth and complexity. I have heard Ken Wilber described as the world’s greatest modern philosopher. The pioneer of the Integral Approach, he has come up with a way of thinking that includes every aspect of knowledge. It does not add to them so much as reorganizes them and relates them to other branches of knowledge.

The key to this is the Quadrants. Take a square and divide it into four equal quadrants. The upper two are concerned with the individual, the lower two with the collective. The two left examine the interior, and the two right the exterior. Each quadrant can be further split in two as it is seen from its inside and from its outside. Most people do not distinguish between these approaches, which results in confusion. Does this sound complicated? Ken Wilber’s genius is that he can explain it and apply it to everything.

Another stroke of genius is to distinguish between stages of consciousness, and states of consciousness, which most people do not separate. Stages of consciousness, also called levels of development, are growth stages, for example, as a child grows, the child will pass through different stages of understanding. Many other writers have already observed this and described the stages. Ken Wilber draws them all together and comes up with a synthesis. States of consciousness, however, are quite different. They include waking, dreaming, states of meditation, etc. And they can occur at each of the stages of development.

In all four quadrants there is development or evolution. He sees evolution in the thinking of humanity, for example, how concepts in religion progressed from archaic to magical to premodern to rational (modern) to postmodern, and how this process is continuing and can be observed.

Ken Wilber sees Buddhism as the most highly developed form of religion, but there is value in all religions. In fact, he states that it is necessary for people to progress through states of consciousness, which are taught by religions, to grow to higher stages of consciousness. And every person has to go through this growth individually. So he encourages everyone to become involved with his or her own religion, because to Ken Wilber, it doesn’t matter which one you choose. Every religion can trap its members in a low level of development, and every religion can assist people to grow to a higher level. There are fascinating chapters on the shadow self, and on the great chain of being.

Another key insight is what he calls the pre/trans fallacy. ‘Pre’ refers to the pre-conventional stage, where a person is only concerned with his own needs. People then progress to the conventional stage where they have great respect for institutions and authorities. The next stage is trans-conventional, where a higher sense of morality emerges. The fallacy arises when these stages are confused. For example, at the time of the Vietnam war, many people were protesting against involvement in the war. Some were doing so out of fear of being drafted, they were only concerned for their own comforts. This comes from the Pre stage. Some felt it was their patriotic duty to support the war. This comes from the Conventional stage. Some were objecting to the war on the grounds that it was basically immoral. This comes from the Trans stage. So among the objectors were people in the Pre and Trans stages. But the Conventional stage people assumed all the objections were from the Pre stage, they were confusing the pre and trans stages. And this fallacy extends to many other areas of enquiry.

If you persist with this book, and are prepared to wrestle with its complexity, you cannot fail to be impressed by Ken Wilber’s breadth and depth of vision. My only criticism is that he has not taken seriously the claims of the Christian faith, which, in its most developed stages, is neither triumphalist nor exclusivist. I think the time will come when Ken Wilber will be required reading for anyone who is interested in philosophy, psychology, religion, or just about anything else. You don’t have to agree with everything, but you have to admire his brilliance.

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Ethan

Mar 08, 2016Ethan rated it it was ok

In "Integral Spirituality" Ken Wilber calls himself a mapmaker and sets out to create a sort of universal coordinate system for arguments. In his view, conflict between people often results from confusion about terms, perspectives, and differences in intelligence levels.

To sort things out he divided everything up for discussion into two groups of either singular or collective things, and then divides those into two groups of either interior or exterior. This is his quadrant system, but within each quadrant are two zones, one for objective consideration and the other for subjective consideration for a total of eight zones.

Wilber sets up a mathematical-like referential system for these eight zones. "1-p" means "1st person perspective", but "1p" means the 1st person. So you get sentences like this, "Zone #1 is 1p x 1-p x 1p, which means a first person takes a first-person approach to first person realities (as with phenomenology or hermeneutics). Zone #2 is 1p x 3-p x 1p, which means a first person takes a third-person or objective approach to first person realities (as with structuralism). ..."

Wilber then cites ten different kinds of intelligence people can have and uses rainbow colors to define twelve different stages of development within each kind of intelligence.

This system is Wilber’s Integral “Operating System”. And up to this point, I can only shrug and say, sure, why not? Everyone is free to organize their garage however they want. Wilber can overlay whatever organization or categorization scheme he wants onto the real world.

But this book is “Integral Spirituality” and includes Wilber’s ordering of different spiritual intelligence levels. My chief objection to the book is that he arbitrarily ranks his preferred enlightenment-style meditation-based spirituality as the most advanced one without giving much justification for doing so. He cherry picks obscure mystics (St. Seraphim of Sarov?) and claims that they corroborate his spirituality (p. 76), and then hijacks well known saints and claims that by “union with God” these saints claimed to be the same as God, something no Christian would agree with. He ranks the major world religions near the bottom (at the “amber” or mythic / ethnocentric level), and says that anyone who disagrees with him is either a Nazi (p. 179) or too stupid to understand (p. 274).

Wilber makes many claims that most people will object to, or simple research will disprove, such as:

· Biological organisms don’t merely perceive the world but bring it forth and co-create it (p. 170)

· 70% of the world are ethnocentric Nazis (p. 179)

· The Inquisition tortured and killed millions of people (p. 186)

· Mass and energy are two names for God (p. 187)

· Popes JP2 and Benedict XVI suppress Vatican 2 and repress their spiritual intelligence (p. 199)

· You are God fully revealed (p. 209)

· You are the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd person perspectives of the Trinity (p. 300)

Wilber calls himself a mapmaker and uses eight zones and ten intelligences of twelve stages of development, which equal nearly one trillion combinations of ways for two people to interact. That kind of map will not be useful for most people. But Wilber then takes the directional compass and twists it until True North is pointing towards his particular brand of eastern-style meditation-based enlightenment / spirituality, and all other religions are pointing toward Nazism.

I’ll pass on his map. (less)

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Giorgi Bazerashvili

Apr 07, 2019Giorgi Bazerashvili rated it it was amazing

After "No Boundary", Ken Wilber once again amazed me with his holistic, big-picture and integral understanding and approaches of spirituality and psychology. In this book, he talks about an Integral framework that he calls the AQAL (All Quadrants All Levels) framework, which, basically describes all of life if one thinks about it.

Understanding all quadrants and all levels is required if we want to have a map of human development. This framework integrates individual and collective parts of life, with it's inner and outer zones. There are very important illustrations here, which help us zoom out a little and look at one of the most comprehensive maps clearly, where we can see that intentional, behavioral, social and cultural phenomena are just parts of a whole. They are just a perspective or one aspect of our being in each moment of our lives.

But again, this is just a map, not the territory, and because of that, Ken suggests us the Integral Life Practice (ILP), which unites the practices to train 8 major zones from 4 quadrants. Those are the life-changing stuff if put in practice.

He also talks about structuralism and various models of human psychological and cultural development, including Graves' Spiral Dynamics, Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, etc. and asks a very important question, how can we define Enlightenment? and is the Enlightenment from 2000 or 10,000 years ago the same as it is today? He suggests that it isn't, because we not only have to take into account the various mystical states that people can experience in each ages of history, but also the stages, that are being developed as history and evolution unfolds reality. So, some of the stages that are available today, was not available hundreds or thousands of years ago.

We are talking about the stages that Graves defined as different colors: red, blue, orange, green, yellow, turquoise, etc. According to Wilber, Enlightenment means becoming one with all the states and stages that are currently available in the memory of Kosmos today.

Also, he mentions very important issues, like "pre/post fallacy" and "the myth of the given". Those are crucial to consider if we want to understand issues such as religion vs science, science vs spirituality, why science will never answer the question of the ultimate concern, and why failing to do so creates much more evil in the world. Also, it's important to think about a whole new paradigm that comes with post-metaphysics, as Wilber call it, according to which, there is no given reality waiting for us to be discovered, and there are no pre-created structures of the human psyche that the mankind hasn't tapped into yet. No, those are all co-created and have been co-created since the beginning of the universe.

That is supposed to be the reason why only meditation won't solve your problems because there are things that just can't be seen while sitting on your cushion. Also, shadow work is worth mentioning, which Ken talks about too, and considers crucial for becoming a whole human being.

In short, this was a very interesting read. Anyone interested in holistic understanding of spirituality must read this book (and other works of Ken Wilber) (less)

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Andrea

Dec 23, 2008Andrea rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This book is not an easy read. You have to really want to read it, but it's worth it especially for the chronic seeker such as myself. For me it really made sense and helped me reconcile where I am vs. where a lot of fundamentalist Christians, etc. are; even atheists. Highly recommended - but it's not easy! (less)

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Jake

Aug 03, 2008Jake rated it really liked it

Shelves: religion-spirituality, philosophy, psychology, ken-wilber-books

Ken Wilber is an incredible intellectual and author. He is a great source for those of us who enjoy exploring the crossroads between philosophy, science, and spirituality.

This book is WIlber's latest thinking on spirituality. It has some really mind blowing concepts. (less)

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Meadow Johnson

Dec 13, 2017Meadow Johnson rated it it was ok

Interesting idea, but very poorly written. It would benefit from a good editor for structure, repetition, and to remove the crude analogies and overused idioms.

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Robert Narojek

Feb 05, 2018Robert Narojek rated it really liked it

It is important and good book.

Well-documented scientific approach to spirituality, once you get through the first eight chapters of scientific analysis and hypothesis, then the main point is clearly spelled out in the Chapter 9 – The Conveyor Belt ☺

Over all for me there is too much of a “plug” – for The Institute, however it is worth reading it.

Advancing in spiritual development requires becoming aware of the Integral Spiritual approach – enjoy it if you dare.

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Bookpuppy

Jan 29, 2012Bookpuppy added it

Shelves: 2012-reading-list

DNF I'm adding this to my list of books read in 2012 even though I couldn't finish because it was so painful to read the parts I did get through.

The problems with this book that made it impossible to go on:

* pseudo-intellectual jargon. Wilber creates a whole new language for the whole of reality, then writes a whole book in it, expecting readers who are smart enough and enlightened enough to 'get it and appreciate it'. (This is like taking a crash course in a foreign language then trying to read a novel in it.)I actually AM smart enough to "get" what he's saying, and also smart enough to see through the game he's playing. I refuse to play his game.

* I couldn't escape the "scientology" feel of the book. It came across as a little culty and he doesn't waste any opportunities to pimp the stuff he has to sell and his website. After he's already made it clear he doesn't want to be accessible to the "common person", it isn't a big leap to say he's pushing a new pseudo-intellectual version of "special revelation" on the level of a cult-leader.

* I got the distinct impression Wilber thinks he's more enlightened than Buddha. He felt he had the right to "get rid of the metaphysical trappings" of the world's wisdom traditions. Oh really? What gave him that right? Just because *he* finds something extraneous and useless and unevolved, doesn't mean it empirically is... which leads me to my final point...

* I got a strong impression that Wilber doesn't really understand he, too, is a perceiving being with his own biases and, just like the rest of us, probably has piece of truth but not the whole of it. While he pays lip service to the idea that his map is just one way to view things... I'm pretty sure he thinks his way is superior... not just for him, but for everyone.

In reading this stark, and cold book, the question I was confronted with was... so where's the spirituality? Once we reduce everything to lines and quandrants and holons and whatever other jargon he wants to introduce, aren't we as guilty as a reductionistic materialist? And isn't that, by definition, NOT spiritual?

Wilber might do better to just follow Buddha, at least that guy made sense, AND had some humility. (less)

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Temo Tchanukvadze

Sep 07, 2020Temo Tchanukvadze rated it it was amazing

It's hard to read because the subject itself is really complex and Ken does everything to translate this wisdom in plain words.

Long story short, he combined multiple models into one integral model - All Quadrants All Levels(AQAL). If you are familiar with Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and Spiral Dynamics then AQAL is something you shouldn't miss.

If you ever wondered why only meditation is not enough probably this book will give you an answer. (less)

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Ruben Mes

May 07, 2022Ruben Mes rated it it was amazing

Shelves: is-in-my-dream-library, integral-theory

Mind-expanding.

What can I say? Ken Wilber helped me put my worldview into perspective.

Where I thought Terence McKenna made a lot of sense, I now realize how there's a lot more nuance to it than I realized, and Wilber helped me see it!

There are a couple of tremendously powerful concepts and ideas introduced in this book, and I can really recommend anyone interested to take the time and study them.

Among them are the Pre/Trans-Fallacy, the Level/Line Fallacy, the Myth of the Given, finding the Kosmic Address and more.

Ken Wilber writes in and articulates in a way that I perceive as incredibly 'heady/brainy/cognitive, and might put off people. However, I found that it was well worth my time to persevere.

And now and again he unexpectedly goes into his 'mystic mode' and attempts to describe the ineffable.

Highly recommended for integral thinkers and seekers of truth. Although Wilber attempts to write in a digestible manner in order to present his ideas in an accessible manner, it still was demanding something of me.

However, his casual style, repetitions and examples after concepts made this book a lot easier for me to go through, and I do appreciate this approach a lot, especially as this was my second Ken Wilber book. (less)

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Ksenia

Dec 23, 2020Ksenia rated it it was ok

I guess it's a good read for those who are already on board with Wilber's ideas. I'm not a stranger to all sorts of weird social science texts and theories, but this was hard to get through. Now I have to admit that his general point is interesting and relevant, but nobody needs a >300 pages book full of weird diagrams and acronyms to get it across.

Like so many writers who came up with A Big Theory of All Stuff, Wilber is over-confident, prone to cherry-picking facts and references. These kind of texts rarely hold up to any scrutiny if you're trained in any of the sciences he uses (or misuse?). I was quickly irritated and didn't get to the very end, to be honest.

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Micke Goteman

May 08, 2018Micke Goteman rated it really liked it

The 10% of the book that I was able to follow was really interesting :)

Wilber had some interesting points but I really struggled to follow what he was talking about, the graphs he kept referring to for various stages and levels, etc. To be honest I was also unsure how to relate to the these theories because I don't have a context for who the author is and how these findings compare to other research or theories in this field. That may not be fair criticism of the book, but it certainly held me back.

If you don't know what this "field" is yet, this may not be the best introductory book. (less)

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Israel Reed

Dec 30, 2020Israel Reed rated it really liked it

Shelves: nonfiction, spirituality, personal-development, psychology, academic, philosophy

I think I'll definitely need to re-read this at a later date; at which point I'm sure I'll give it five stars. As of now though, I have to admit, most of this went way over my head. There are some really compelling and powerful ideas presented here. But this is indeed extremely dense and complex material to try and make sense of in one go. I would probably suggest doing a bit of reading on spirituality, religion, developmental psychology, and metaphysics before trying to tackle this. Although I do look forward to giving it another try when I'm ready. (less)

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Zeb

Oct 07, 2020Zeb added it

Shelves: spirit-religion

Did not really read this, but attempt to read it. Could not get into it in the introduction, tried other chapters, the more I tried the less I succeeded. There might be an interesting message hidden in there, but clearly, it is not for me. Way to complicated, convoluted, constructed. Not giving a ranking, because that would not be fair after my failed attempts at even getting anywhere with this.

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Denise

Jan 15, 2021Denise rated it it was ok · review of another edition

While I am generally on the same page with Ken Wilber, and I believe his theories here are accurate, this book is too heady to be much of a help to those on a Spiritual continuum and lacking in heart to assist Spiritual companions with meeting people where they are. I had to get to the very last chapter in the book to find truly helpful thoughts.

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Ietrio

Apr 10, 2019Ietrio rated it did not like it

Shelves: junk

Never mind the Dark Ages! Wilber is here with a message of happiness.

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Peter Levenstrong

Jul 20, 2019Peter Levenstrong rated it it was amazing

Gives religion a purpose in our present day world

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Matt Richards

Oct 08, 2019Matt Richards rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Profoundly influenced my worldview and path

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Ozifer Eris

Apr 06, 2020Ozifer Eris rated it it was amazing

Love it! I re-listen to this in audio format, very often. Ken Wilber is very concise here.

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Kevin

Mar 20, 2021Kevin rated it liked it

Wilber's book is incredibly thorough. It was more academic than what I was hoping for. Even so, I can see how useful this book will be for others. (less)

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Michael Wolf

Oct 09, 2021Michael Wolf rated it really liked it

Solid perspectives of the challenges facing our society's movement toward integral/transpersonal leadership. (less)

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Esther

Apr 15, 2022Esther rated it really liked it

Shelves: spirituality, non-fiction

Thought provoking, balancing and pompous.

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Willa

Jul 03, 2009Willa rated it it was amazing

this is the clearest analysis of the different aspects of Spirituality and what it could or should be in the Integral Age. It gives a very clear understanding of the complexity of the different views and perspectives that make up our relationship to Spirit, and how, as our consciousness developed, traditional religions, while being timeless in certain aspects, couldn't fully serve us anymore in other aspects. So now the big task for humanity is to find the way forward, without throwing out the baby with the bathwater, but recognising the shortcomings of traditional spirituality, and seeking new ways (without falling in the trap of post-modern 'pick and choose').

It's very well-written although I sometimes crinch a bit at Ken's attempt to lighten up serious matters - personally I feel I'm mature enough to stomach some seriousness without his jokes... but then maybe I'm just a very boring person... (less)

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Naum

Apr 11, 2011Naum rated it liked it

I must confess, I was totally bogged down in the author's jargon and schematics.

Truly, am interested in theories of levels of consciousness and how people (and cultures, in the aggregate) move up the continuum, but this was difficult sailing as I had to reread sections and then, still, some parts left me glazed over.

The source material is fascinating, but I am not certain that the author (Ken Wilber) has the authoritative take on the matter and I need to explore further (which I have already to some extent, via references in works from other authors) the levels and stages in systems Wilber compares and contrasts. (less)

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Scottsdale Public Library

Aug 30, 2011Scottsdale Public Library added it · review of another edition

Shelves: nonfiction, religion-spirituality, self-help

Wilber fits spirituality into a multiperspective framework that allows a person to understand it's relationship with science and art, and its meaning for both the individual and the collective us. He presents here a developmental model that explains where consciousness has been and where it might be headed.

Wilber's forte is integrating knowledge from across the board, never excluding knowledge. His motto is "no one is dumb enough to be wrong about everything." A brilliant thinker with an encyclopedic knowledge, Wilber is an engaging writer who knows how to present heady ideas in an accessible way. --Brandon C. (less)

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Johann

Jul 23, 2013Johann rated it really liked it

I will never be able to overstate the role of Ken Wilber's writing in my life.

He can loom a thread that spans hundreds, sometimes thousands of years and hold together a spectacular image of human knowledge and meaning, all within a chapter. Sometimes within a paragraph.

He can do so in a way that is elegant and shuns technicality only when absolutely necessary. For the task of his writing, the levity and accessibility of his prose is simply inspiring.

This is the second time I have read this book. I plan on reading it a third time. I would recommend this book to anyone looking to understand and orient themselves to the fullest form of their curiosity.

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Doug Allen

Jan 27, 2011Doug Allen rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Another almost impossibly dense book by Wilber that is absolutely rewarding if you can get through it. If you've read books like The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason, then you should absolutely read this, because Wilber takes Sam Harris' argument a step further, and finds a place for spirituality in an often overly rational world. (less)

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No Boundary: Eastern and Western Approaches Wilber, Ken

No Boundary: Eastern and Western Approaches to Personal Growth : Wilber, Ken: Amazon.com.au: Books

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No Boundary: Eastern and Western Approaches to Personal Growth Paperback – 15 December 2000
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4.7 out of 5 stars 152 ratings

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A straightforward and accessible study of personal development and human consciousness, as seen through the lens of Eastern and Western therapeutic traditions

A simple yet comprehensive guide to the types of psychologies and therapies available from Eastern and Western sources. Each chapter includes a specific exercise designed to help the reader understand the nature and practice of the specific therapies.Wilberpresents an easy-to-use map of human consciousness against which thevarious therapies are introduced and explained. This edition includes a new preface.

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Review
"Ken Wilber is one of the most important pioneers in the field of consciousness in this century."--Deepak Chopra

"The most sensible, comprehensive book on consciousness since William James."--Dr. James Fadiman, President, Association for Transpersonal Psychology

"No Boundary does for this generation what Alan Watts' writings did for an earlier one. It brings the most difficult subject of all--nature of consciousness--into an easily grasped presentation that is both elegant and simple."--John White, editor of Kundalini, Evolution, and Enlightenment

From the Back Cover
A new, easy-to-grasp map of human consciousness against which the various therapies from both Western and Eastern sources are introduced. Designed to help individuals understand the practice of each therapy.

About the Author
Ken Wilber is the author of over twenty books. He is the founder of Integral Institute, a think-tank for studying integral theory and practice, with outreach through local and online communities such as Integral Education Network, Integral Training, and Integral Spiritual Center.

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Product details
Publisher ‏ : ‎ SHAMBHALA - TRADE; 1st edition (15 December 2000)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 160 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1570627436
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1570627439
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 15.27 x 1.17 x 22.78 cmBest Sellers Rank: 134,726 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)483 in Religious Philosophy (Books)
571 in Psychology Movements (Books)
579 in Philosophy of Consciousness & ThoughtCustomer Reviews:
4.7 out of 5 stars 152 ratings

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Ken Wilber is one of the most widely read and influential American philosophers of our time. His recent books include "A Brief History of Everything", "The Marriage of Sense and Soul" and "Grace and Grit".

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Helen Speer
5.0 out of 5 stars Book just as seller described.Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 20 June 2019
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An inspiring read with the theme "All life is One" - expanded consciousness - nice to see this from several perspectives world wide. Only part way through reading it as yet, but it is a subject that is close to my heart. I recommend it.

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Manya
5.0 out of 5 stars Mind-blowingly intelligentReviewed in the United Kingdom on 26 January 2019
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Perfect for the curious sceptics among us, the book takes a western, evidence-based view of popular, eastern philosophy. Compellingly written and accessible, it offers thought experiments and practical instructions that (with some practice) can lead to meaningful self insight.

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David James Longley
5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent book, full of important information and comparatively easy ...Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 15 July 2018
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An excellent book, full of important information and comparatively easy to understand. I recommend it to anyone who is interested in enlightenment.

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sylvia
5.0 out of 5 stars Five StarsReviewed in the United Kingdom on 5 June 2018
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Bought this to replace the one I lent to someone 15 years ago.
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A A
5.0 out of 5 stars Essential readingReviewed in the United Kingdom on 27 July 2016
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If you only read one of Ken Wilbers books then make it this one. It's short, too the point and will change your view of everything.

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No Boundary: Eastern and Western Approaches to Personal Growth

by Ken Wilber

4.29 · Rating details · 1,430 ratings · 98 reviews

A simple yet comprehensive guide to the types of psychologies and therapies available from Eastern and Western sources. Each chapter includes a specific exercise designed to help the reader understand the nature and practice of the specific therapies. Wilber presents an easy-to-use map of human consciousness against which the various therapies are introduced and explained. This edition includes a new preface. (less)

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Published February 6th 2001 by Shambhala (first published 1979)

Original TitleNo Boundary: Eastern and Western Approaches to Personal Growth

ISBN1570627436 (ISBN13: 9781570627439)

Edition LanguageEnglish

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No Boundary: Eastern and Western Approaches to Personal Growth

No Boundary: Eastern And Western Approaches To Personal Growth

La conciencia sin fronteras: Aproximaciones de Oriente y Occidente al crecimiento personal

Уилбер. Кен. Никаких границ. Восточные и западные пути личностного роста

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T.J. Beitelman

Dec 07, 2011T.J. Beitelman rated it it was amazing

It was about a week after my mother died and I was in Reagan National Airport, in D.C., reading No Boundary as I waited for the plane to take me back to Birmingham and some semblance of the regular, workaday world. A woman came up to me and said, “Ooh, Ken Wilber. Deep.” I nodded, made the obligatory self-deprecating comment: “I only understand about every third word.” Which was pretty much true.

The lady told me how she thought it was fine to be brilliant and all, but a writer-thinker has a responsibility to communicate that brilliance so other people can understand it. Touché. But most of the important stuff’s hard to talk about. Self. Psychology. Love. Death. Art. God. Time. Timelessness. Etc.

Wilber does it with some histrionics, yes, and OBTW he sure as hell aint afraid to go sleeveless (the better to show off his fully enlightened and carefully cultivated guns) or to write about how indefatigable he is in the sack.

Nor is he afraid to concoct some jargon or intricate and/or fairly unintelligible diagrams. But if you just sort of let all of that wash over you — i.e., allow yourself to be okay with only understanding every third word or so — he’s actually pretty good at getting at the crux of matters.

No Boundary is probably Wilber’s most accessible work, and it’s very interested in the practical endeavor of making one’s life more whole. The book is short, which is always good, and he repeats himself enough so if at first you don’t get it (and, if you’re anything like me, you won’t), just keep reading. He’ll say it again, in other words, soon enough. (less)

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Alan

Nov 09, 2007Alan rated it did not like it

Shelves: abandoned-because-blew

Every thing is everything. Oh, and it is what it is. 1=1. A tautology is tautologous. Now you don't have to read a massive compendium of references in service of the point. (less)

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Neelesh Marik

Aug 09, 2011Neelesh Marik added it

The most authentic book on consciousness I 've read to-date. There's no Integral Theory in this book. Given the inherent limitations of language in representing experience, this book comes closest to what could be possible. The last chapter appears complex at first, but is actually the crowning glory of simplicity. For any and every seeker in this world, this book will provide a new perspective to the act of seeking itself.

Some pearls from a book which is a veritable necklace:

Something very simple happens when answer the question, 'Who are you?' You draw a boundary between your perception of 'self' and 'not-self'. 'Who are you?' means 'Where do you draw the boundary?'

The actual world contains lines but no real boundaries. A real line becomes an illusory boundary when we imagine its two sides to be separated and unrelated; that is, when we acknowledge the outer difference of the two opposites but ignore their inner unity.

If we carefully look at the sensation of 'self-in-here' and the sensation of 'world-out-there', we will find that these two sensations are actually one and the same feeling. It is true that anything I see is not the Seer- because everything I see is the Seer. As I go within to find my real self, I find only the world.

You thus have nowhere to stand but in the present moment, and thus nowhere to stand but in eternity.

I looked, and looked, and this I came to see:

That what I thought was you and you.

Was really me and me.

As a pure witness, your relationship to your mind-and-body becomes the same as your relationship to all other objects.

Honsho-myosho therefore means that true spiritual practice springs from, but not toward, enlightenment.

There is neither creation nor destruction,

Neither destiny nor free-will;

Neither path nor achievement;

That is the final truth. (Sri Ramana Maharshi) (less)

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Jessica

Jun 23, 2012Jessica rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites

I don't even know what to say about this book except that it opened up parts of my intellectual knowledge base in a way that has never been opened before. The root concepts in this book are nothing new to me but the way in which he went about explaining things, illuminated a completely new light. I finished the book with tons of highlights, tons of notes, places I need to return to for further clarification at a different time, a few questions and a deep desire to tell all my friends, who would be interested, about it so we can discuss it in depth. This was a simply incredible read.

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Giorgi Bazerashvili

Dec 07, 2018Giorgi Bazerashvili rated it it was amazing

This is an amazing book by Ken Wilber, a modern-day mystic, who gives us a comprehensive map of the development of consciousness in very practical terms. What I like the most in his teachings and writings, is his style, which encompasses models that create a sense of big-picture understanding and a bird-eye view over the psychological and spiritual planes of humankind.

He claims that there are no boundaries in the universe and tells us that all the boundaries are being created by us in every moment of our being. The boundary creates a battle between two opposites, for example: bad vs good, white vs black, rational vs irrational, etc. All of these boundaries are conceptual in their nature and therefore they are not fundamentally real, meaning that they are not found in the fabric of reality itself.

Then he gives us a comprehensive model of human development, starting with persona level all the way to the unity consciousness. According to him, to go through the spiral of consciousness means dissolving more boundaries, surrendering resistance and unifying and merging together aspects of the psyche, then the body, and finally all of the reality.

Also, I like his multi-perspective approach. He mentions Freud, Jung, many western or eastern sages, mystics and saints, founders of quantum physics, etc. He quotes many of them in order to give us many points of view. This is great because it gives me the possibility to further research workings of those people and find many other sources of reliable insights.

He also gives us practical techniques to go through each of step on the spiral, and that is very useful after identifying your place on it. Then it becomes clear what should you be doing in order to increase your awareness and frustrate your resistances, as he tells us is important for each stage.

Also, if techniques provided by him is not enough, he made a list of recommended books and authors at the end of each developmental stage. That list of book is really useful for me because I might use it as a map to navigate the field of psychology and spirituality much easier.

In short, if you are interested in psychology, consciousness, mysticism, metaphysics, spirituality, enlightenment, meditation, shadow work, eastern vs western philosophy and much more, this is a must-read. (less)

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Ben Guterson

Jul 26, 2018Ben Guterson rated it it was ok

I think I'm throwing in the towel on Wilber. This is the fourth or fifth book I've read by him over the years, and I've never been able to figure out if he's too profound for me or, rather, a guy with some cool but hazy ideas whose writing style doesn't work for me. I'm landing on the latter. This book, while it started off promising, veered into the fog about midway through, and I just couldn't see my way through the jumble of guru-speak, semi-arbitrary quotes, and sluggish explication. (less)

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Aug 19, 2018dp rated it it was amazing

No Boundary Review REDUX

It's crazy that this has happened ... but I re-read and actually finished reading this, and my current opinion of it is the polar opposite of my initial one. After my DNF, 1-star review where I unfairly and unflinchingly slammed the book, I kept hearing & reading things in various podcasts, books, articles, conversations, etc. that would contain hints of ideas I first read about in No Boundary. It was after a very deep conversation over coffee with a friend, where I found myself suddenly agreeing with Ken Wilber's theories, that I decided to give the book another shot (and thereby appease my conscience) - and it was almost as if I was reading a completely different book. Everything in it started to make sense, and I am not exaggerating by saying it's truly one of the best books I've ever read.

I don't know what happened to cause such a radical shift in my perspective in such a short amount of time. It's not like I did anything significant ... I guess life just happened? Regardless, what I'm convinced of now is that this book isn't "self-help babble" as I so arrogantly and foolishly proclaimed in my initial review, but rather a succinct treasure trove of esoteric, mystical, and perennial wisdom. Reflecting on my meditation practice was helpful in understanding the book, but I didn't "try" to understand it - it was more like it quite literally just happened to me out of the blue. I started to reflect on my meditation experiences only after I began to be "caught up", so to speak.

I urge you to read No Boundary with no expectations, including the expectation to understand it. Simply absorb it, and let the ideas in it work on you as you go about your day. Ken Wilber didn't create any of the philosophies in this book - many of them are ancient, stemming from Hinduism, Buddhism, or esoteric Judaism, Christianity, & Islam. Others are more recent, like Freudian and Jungian psychoanalysis. What Wilber does is amalgamate these various therapies and philosophies into a larger framework that really works to gradually produce deep meaning, peace, and self-understanding with practice, even if some of the theories are not initially self-evident or seem counterintuitive. Give it a read, stick with it, and hopefully you'll find it as profound a catalyst for growth and wisdom as I did.

I'm going to leave my initial review below, so that I can have this radical contrast in mindset on hand for future reference. I would suggest you don't read it though.

—

Original Review

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Joel

Jun 23, 2020Joel rated it liked it

I started to read this book with excitement and enthusiasm. I really wanted to "get" this Advaita / unity consciousness idea. I thought the first three chapters were well written, and I eagerly began chapter 4, No-Boundary Awareness, where he really gets into his thesis of "oneness." But starting on page 46 I slammed into a brick wall, to which I have returned several times for additional head-banging, but I'm still stuck, perhaps permanently. On the sense of sight, he says "Is perception really that complicated? Does it really involve three separate entities - a seer, seeing, and the seen?" This doesn't sound terribly complicated to me. Then he goes on to flatly state, with no real evidence or explanation, that there is only seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, etc., but no separate self who sees, hears, touches, smells, or anything that is seen, heard, touched, or smelled. There is only seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, etc. "When I heard the temple bell ring, suddenly there was no bell and no I, just the ringing." Thus a Zen master reached enlightenment.

He talks about the "convincing illusion" that the human race lives with and I can imagine he feels quite superior to have reached a higher level of awareness. "You do not have a sensation of a bird, you are the sensation of a bird. You do not have an experience of a table, you are the experience of a table. You do not hear the sound of thunder, you are the sound of thunder." I know that this is the Advaita / unity consciousness viewpoint, and I've read other authors' attempts to convey this, but it sounds like pure nonsense to me. I don't see how these dogmatic, unsubstantiated assertions can convince anyone.

For the time being I'm going to put this book back on the shelf and turn my attention elsewhere. Try as I might, I've reached an impenetrable barrier. A philosophy that is so based on paradox and the claim that words (and even human thought!) are inadequate to convey the truth of this dogma is something I can't quite cope with right now. I wish I could.

6/28/2020 I went ahead and read through to the end. Although Chapter 4 exasperated me (and still does), there was plenty in the remainder of the book that was thought-provoking and useful. I especially liked his description of the persona/shadow, ego/body, and total organism/environment boundaries relate to different psychological problems and to different therapy approaches. But his writings on the "eternal present" and "unity consciousness" still seem paradox-laden, and I get tired of being told that our lives are fully based on an "illusion." It just seems like another belief system to me. (less)

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Michael

Mar 21, 2015Michael rated it really liked it

Shelves: more-than-meets-the-eye, meditation-etc

“As Korzybsky and the general semanticists have pointed out, our words, symbols, signs, thoughts and ideas are merely maps of reality, not reality itself, because the map is not the territory.”

My fear of disappointment in this book came from two primary sources. One, the subject matter. For seemingly, for every respectable work subtitling the phrase 'personal growth', countless others, offering no more than superficial self-help drivel, sprout up to usurp one’s attention and define the genre. And two, Ken Wilber himself, who can be seen, by even the shallowest of internet searches, as a man shamelessly inclined to the ego trappings that one sooner associates with frat boys than philosophers. Hence the unlikelihoods, that first, I’d give the book a chance, and second, be pleasantly surprised by it. And yet here it is, positively read and reviewed.

I recently confronted one of my meditation teachers with the quandary of why the biggest truths in this world seem to be both simplicity itself and utterly thorny when we try to get a grip on them. I found his answer could not be more convincing: ‘Because [getting a grip on it] is like a razor’s edge against everything we’ve ever done.’

In No Boundary, Wilber has rather masterfully delineated both the simplicity of a particular and fundamental truth and the complexity that we must confront in ourselves if we are ever to come to a more than superficial (i.e. self-helpy) understanding of it. Which is to say, that it takes more than reading a book, even this one, to come to that understanding. What Wilber succeeds in, is showing the open-minded reader that this task must be taken up. What he doesn’t quite succeed in, is presenting to the reluctant westerner a sufficiently compelling entrance into the means to do so – which I’ll just say in passing, in my opinion, begins and ends with vipassana. This failure, however, is something shared by almost every philosophy, religion and self-help charlatan - i.e. it should not in itself dissuade one from reading this work. It is really not that surprising that providing a proportion of recognizable truth is more likely to elicit dogma than to oblige one into the rigors of self investigation. There's a part of everyone of us that simply doesn't want to understand.

“Thus, as Wittgenstein pointed out, because our goals are not lofty but illusory, our problems are not difficult but nonsensical.” (less)

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Juan

Feb 11, 2009Juan rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: anyone wondering waht it's all about

Ken Wilber, who has mastered most of the mystical religious traditions of the world, makes the mystical very very practical in this down-to-earth book. He examines the way in which we create boundaries as a instinctual act of consciousness, and the fallacies it results in as far as our understanding of the world, our selves, reality, and spirituality. Nothing esoteric, just a simple, matter of fact examination of the make-believe we treat as real, and an analysis of how various psychotherapeutic and spiritual traditions help us re-integrate our personae with our consciousness, our mids with our bodies, and our selves with the wider universe. It changes my understanding of spirituality. (less)

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Jaïr Cijntje

Aug 03, 2015Jaïr Cijntje rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

In this book you will find thé most clear explanations of every level of consciousness there is: from the shadow of the ego to the unity consciousness. Ken Wilber also does this without sounding like a mystic or a saint; he uses terminology and examples that are easy on the mind for us (read: sceptical Westerners). He manages to bundle the basics of everything you need and want to know, and offers book referrals at the end of each chapter, if you feel the need to further your self study. Which I predict, after reading this book, you most likely will. (less)

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Marianna

Dec 02, 2018Marianna rated it really liked it

Shelves: spirituality, personal-growth, psychology

Great read. It covers a lot of ground in a very organized and succinct manner that is easy to follow as it gets to the crux of the matter. However, its simplicity, straightforwardness and at times witty and amusing smile-inducing prose by no means undermine its seriousness and depth. Very well written.

My only "But" to this book is that Wilber seems to suggest here that the integration of the ego (between persona and shadow) and the centaur (between mind and body) are necessary in order to stand a chance at "dissolving" (or rather, realizing the non-existence of) the primary boundary between "knower/seer" and "known/seen" and experiencing unity consciousness. I don't think that's the case, and while I agree that there are different levels of integration, which Wilber describes and organizes for us so well, I don't think that the development process occurs in a "linear" fashion, so to speak. And an example of this are the spiritual teachers who certainly have a certain direct "experience" (for lack of a better word) of unity consciousness while having a pretty active and unintegrated shadow causing all sorts of problems for themselves and others.

My understanding is that today Wilber doesn't believe this process is linear and I'm guessing he clarifies this further in his later books. In this early work, however, that's what he seems to be suggesting. Or at least, he never points out and clarifies here that it's not. (less)

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Temo Tchanukvadze

Mar 20, 2019Temo Tchanukvadze rated it it was amazing

Amazing! A little book about our consciousness, shadow, and nonduality. Ken Wilber has astonishing explanation skills. Every time I kept reading I felt I was experiencing a little glimpse of no boundary world. He reveals some practical techniques to raise your consciousness. No Boundary is filled with sources for every subject you can research. He repeats the main subject many times from different perspective in case you can't grasp at first and sure you won't. I am planning to reread soon! (less)

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Matt Harris

May 30, 2007Matt Harris rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: everyone

Ken Wilber is one of my favourite western philosophers who has integrated the milestones of all disciplines of science, and eastern philosophy into a roadmap for us modern seekers. This book was particularly important for me in giving a link between Buddhist theories of interdependance and rational, empirical scientific observation.

It discusses at length the actual concept of a Boundary, what it means, and why it doesn't so much separate as join, and this insight alone is worth exploring the book for.

The book will take you into an indepth look at where you believe the boundary of your own existence lies. Is it your mind? Your body? something else entirely?

Wilber can be rather hard to stay with at times, needing a big effort of engagement intellectually, but there are always rewards for the heart if you stick with him.

I would like to get to grips with his massive extended version of this book - "Sex, Ecology, Spirituality" at some stage. When I'm feeling really daring! (less)

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Thomm Quackenbush

May 19, 2021Thomm Quackenbush rated it liked it

When it is good, you feel it hard. (Oh, *so* sorry for making a judgment as though good and bad had any definition!) When it is bad, it is needlessly impenetrable and repetitive, given to citing many other philosophers on the same page instead of explaining himself, too reminiscent of an undergrad trying to stretch out an essay.

Or, if I may paraphrase Einstein, if you can't explain it to a child, you don't understand it. I suspect Wilber doesn't embrace unity consciousness, but rather frets over royalties.

(But, again, when he hit a good vein of original thought -- like in the shadow work chapter -- and doesn't seem to be posturing via obfuscating and quoting, he does effective work.) (less)

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Derek

Jan 27, 2021Derek rated it it was amazing

Shelves: psychology

I once heard that some Buddhists believe every moment is occurring simultaneously, though we perceive it in a linear fashion. In other words, we already are enlightened, we just need to realize it. I used to think this way of seeing time felt supernatural, but I’ve come to see it’s actually quite logical.

I’ve read loads of religious and psychological texts, and this book has helped me wrap my head around some of the concepts and ways of thinking I’ve come across. I was a bit unsure during the first half, but by the second half I was extremely happy to have read it. (less)

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Joseph Knecht

May 05, 2021Joseph Knecht rated it it was amazing

Shelves: psychology, spirituality

A simple and yet very powerful text that tries to erase all boundaries.

There are many relevant insights, but I found the style of writing very pleasant to read.

Somehow the early writings of Wilber are better than the late writings, even better than his magnum opus.

The exasperating fact which Adam learned was that every boundary line is also a potential battle line, so that just to draw a boundary is to prepare oneself for conflict. Specifically, the conflict of the war of opposites, the agonizing fight of life against death, pleasure against pain, good against evil. What Adam learned—and learned too late—is that “Where to draw the line?” really means, “Where the battle is to take place.”

In blindly pursuing progress, our civilization has, in effect, institutionalized frustration.

The ultimate metaphysical secret, if we dare state it so simply, is that there are no boundaries in the universe. Boundaries are illusions, products not of reality but of the way we map and edit reality. And while it is fine to map out the territory, it is fatal to confuse the two

If naming seemed magic, counting seemed divine, because while names could magically represent things, numbers could transcend them.

Because the subatomic particles possessed no boundaries, there could be no meta-boundaries, no measurements; and hence also, no precise meta-meta-boundaries, no “laws.”

This is precisely why the sages advise us not to try to destroy the “self,” but simply to look for it, because whenever we look for it all we find is its prior absence

Suffering, then, is the initial movement of the recognition of false boundaries. Correctly understood, it is therefore liberating, for it points beyond boundaries altogether. We suffer, then, not because we are sick, but because intelligent insight is emerging

This reinforces the illusion that happiness and pleasure can be piped in from the outside, an illusion which itself is responsible for blocking pleasure, so that we end up striving for that which prevents our own joy.

Seeking unity consciousness is like jumping from one wave of experience to another in search of water. And that is why “there is neither path nor achievement.

In theological terms, we are always resisting God’s presence, which is nothing but the full present in all its forms. If there is some aspect of life that you dislike, there is some aspect of unity consciousness that you are resisting

Thus, from all sides, to move away is to separate ourselves from present experience and to project ourselves into time, history, destiny, and death. This, then, is our primal resistance—the unwillingness to look upon all experience, as a whole, as it is, now; and the attempt, instead, to globally move away. I

However innumerable beings are, I vow to liberate them; however incomparable the Truth is, I vow to actualize it.” If you feel this deep commitment to realization, to service, to sacrifice, and to surrender, through all present conditions to infinity itself, then spiritual practice will be your way naturally. May you be graced to find a spiritual master in this life and enlightenment in this moment.

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Ruben Mes

May 31, 2022Ruben Mes rated it it was ok

Shelves: psychology, is-in-my-dream-library, therapy, integraltheory

Bleh what drudgery.

As another reviewer stated: "Tautology is tautologous." He repeats himself way too much for my liking.

I can't recommend this, for the simple fact that it seems outdated, and a dull repetition of what I read before in his other books, but rather redundant.

If this was the first one to read, then fine, but now it seems completely redundant. I do however, appreciate Wilber's style in his earlier works, like Spectrum of Consciousness and A Sociable God. However, the fact remains that it seems he wrote it for his time, and now it seems we are more advanced at this point in time. I did not get any more enlightened reading this, but that's mostly because of my extensive self-work, experience with Jungian psychology, working as a therapist myself and because of my recent drive-through his bibliography - not because he's a fool. On the contrary, I believe Wilber achieved incredible scholarly things with his work on consciousness, and I owe him a lot.

Regardless of the above, I am still honestly and deeply disappointed by this book, as I expected a thorough exposition of the stages of development ( ala Atman Project/Spiral Dynamics) and how the therapies and traditions help an individual grow through them. I did not get what I was looking for.

Instead, I was unexpectedly blasted with Wilber's core message of Spectrum of Consciousness for the first 60 pages about non-duality, which took way too long for my liking ("I got the point, please move on").

The actual stages were only briefly outlined and, although Wilber offers some insightful tips and exercises that can help a person progress through these stages, he keeps it very minimal, with just an indication of what is possible, and a short list of recommended further reading to learn more about it.

In all, I hoped the same thoroughness as I'm used to in Integral Spirituality, but was let down.

It's an outdated book, and I hope that someone took these principles and elaborated upon them, because the core of it is unbelievably important, and is part of my personal vision for a new psychedelic religion.

Does anyone know if Religion of the Future will make up for the massive disappointment I got from No Boundary and A Sociable God? And who are these thinkers that took his work further?

Please let me know if you have recommendations. Thank you. (less)

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