What is an Inquiry?

Inquiry

Have you ever confused states and stages in your own growth?

How did this manifest for you? What difficulty did it cause you and/or those around you? How did you find out about the difference and incorporate this understanding? What impact has the distinction made in your life?

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5 out of 7 members found this useful.

Only for about 7 years...

Posted September 4th, 2008 by Ev Miles

I would say (in hind sight) that while traveling through the Green wave I pretty much thought is was all about states. I see that in my friends that are gravitating at that altitude, who now judge me as being somewhat anti- state orientated, even though I'm even more interested in states now that I know how they fit in with other domains. It's a whole new world of states actually. I do not classify the states in the same way now, thanks to Integral. I do not attach to certain Green wave state inducing rituals that have become embarassingly cliche and self indulgent. Presently, I casually seek peak states (mostly through gross body excercises, thought experiments, subtle energy experiments or change of physical environment) entirely for inspiration to help with the unfolding of realization through disciplined practice or stage development.

I found out about the difference between states and stages through a long torturous process of weeding through the elements of my self and my self's life situations. During that period of several years I felt an overwhelming sense that I was spinning my wheels and depleting my energy and potential, and at the apex of that chaos and confusion, I picked up "A Brief History of Everything" and POP. It was equal parts joy and sorrow, but what a state experience that was!

The distinction between states and stages is HUGE! It is also a constant (and exhausting) challenge to enter into relationship with others that have not yet made that leap. It's also kind of fun to dance around other peoples exclusion of stage development and dance the paradoxes. That's one of my new state inducing hobbies, doing the paradox tango with others.

Ev

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1 out of 7 members found this useful.

May confusion dawn as wisdom for Wilber.

Posted March 3rd, 2009 by Prosemo

Yes, Wilber's meanderings really don't amount to much more than confusion.  He goes on and on about the progress of the stages of meditation in the variety of traditions and how some missed the mark. 

The truth is that one tradition's progressive stages of meditation is sufficient to follow.  If  practitioners stack up too many traditions, they will only confuse and cause the practitioner to get lost in thought.  This video "manifested" as a lot of clap-trap intended to cause the witness to think - to much.  Its not that his explanation of the stages were inaccurate, its that it was done simply to cause an uneducated and inexperienced practitioner confusion in the guise of being educated.  Few contemplative practitioners can use such information as a tool to help them progress through the stages of meditation; they need actual guidance. 

I find this talk to be only an intellectual exercise that (as is his habit) Wilber wallows in.  Green states, red states or blue states, one fish two fish, red fish blue fish; it really doesn't matter: we have to use relative speech to understand absolute and relative truths.   Wilber knows this, but gets caught up listening to himself talk about it.  We need not to worry about where we're getting stuck on those stages, or, yes, we will get stuck in in the green yellow read or mauve states!  And, why, because we'll be thinking about it instead of letting go.

Contemplation of ideas isn't about trying to untie a Gordian knot, its about cutting through it like Alexander did; its about being courageous to say "enough" and dissolving such distractions as Wilber turns simple ideas into.

As I have attended his talks at Naropa U. several times, I find his blather to be more of the same confused nonsense about actual topics that could be relayed more directly and succinctly.  IMHO: Ignore this one folks, particularly if you are new to meditation and spiritual inquiry.

-Prosemo