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Phony practice

Posted January 1st, 2009 by Jessica Bockler
In Reference to:
Feeling and Expression in the Human Body: Part 1

I respect and share the philosophy of the Integral Institute and Integral Life; and I am sure that Sofia Diaz is an ardent practitioner and skilled teacher.

However, when I see videos like this one ... I feel rather irritated. Why? Because here, practice is simplified to a degree where it cannot possibly be effective. I strongly doubt that any of the participants in that room really dropped into "The Great Perfection" or "The Fall from Grace"... OK, who am I to judge, maybe they did, maybe they didn't. My point is that exercises like this one (or at least what this video portrays of them) seem extremely hollow, shallow.

This is not the first time I have seen this within the integral community of Integral Naked, the Integral Institute and Integral Life - insights are extracted from the wisdom traditions and then processed, i.e. simplified into consumer products. Who are we kidding here? Any deep spiritual practice requires much discipline, involves hardships and challenges, and generally requires much (potentially tedious) repetition. Can the practice be blissful and take you to amazing places? Oh yes, of course! But .... can you sit in a seminar, just get up from your chair, close your eyes and drop into "The Great Perfection"? - Most likely not, unless you are already deeply immersed in practice for the rest of your time. 

Can you catch a glimpse? Sure! Any time here and now. BUT we're talking serious long-term development, enabling people to make true changes in their lives and not giving them a quick fix. I feel that this video - along with many I have previously seen in the integral community - feed the quick fix lifestyle which so ails our modern society. There is a place for simplicity - but not at the cost of authenticity.

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simulation

Posted January 1st, 2009 by Kamm

May i offer something for perspective? I suppose it is true that life is best experienced "in the trenches." 

and perhaps  the intent of the videos is to  to provide a frame work for practice when those days of "falling from grace" are upon us;  that we have a rope to pull ourselves up with. 

  Like training in a flight simulator for the real world flight or adding a tool to your tool box of techniques.

I have a poem,  if you're interested. 

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motion poetry

Posted January 12th, 2010 by Heather Fester

Hi, Jessica, I just want to offer yet another perspective.  I do not know much about Tozan practice, but I do know that the people who were present with Sofia were getting more from the experience than video can transmit.  She's a strong and graceful energy maestro, and her words guide the energy body into a form of motion poetry.  Even watching her by video, I can feel the beautiful, graceful transmission she offers and the space she creates for her class to maximize the expression of where they are at any given time.  She is a traditional teacher, but her teaching approach, like the one I have tried to create in the writing classroom, seems to be one of honest acceptance of what is in order to go beyond to what truly can be.  I think some of the teachers who were able to get into it and feel their energy bodies were probably able to seek the level they needed to be at following what must have been a presentation about the five ranks. It wasn't clear in your response if you tried the activity along with the video.

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Whoa! I thought I was the only one on this...

Posted October 2nd, 2010 by GnosisMan

 

I agree with your concerns, Jessica. I too respect and share the philosophy of all Integral and that Sofia Diaz is a devout and skilled teacher. And yes, when I see videos like this one I feel irritated and even disappointed. These practices leave a lot to be desired considering the level of knowledge Wilber has already generated throughout his career as the Einstein of consciousness. I noticed too that some participants did not look like they were really into it. If the objective is to address our shadow, our inner unconsciousness conflicts that impair us from experiencing our bodies and our true self, for the life of me, I can't see how this practice will help. In addition, and being new to Integral life, I've never heard of Dr. Gafni so I went on his web site that states he is a

“cutting edge spiritual teacher, author, television personality, mediator, corporate consultant, iconoclast, and gentle provocateur.

Out of curiosity, I clicked on his web site and on one his videos titled “Marc Gafni on Relationships” ... this is what he said regarding love

"To enter the realm of sacred relationships is to open myself up is to be vulnerable. To love someone is to say I love you enough to open myself up and become vulnerable and let you hurt me. That's what the love means. The deeper you love someone the more they can hurt you. That's what the lover means. The lover means, I'm willing to get hurt in this game. So you can't enter the game of love and not be willing to get hurt"

What I don't get is why in the world would you want to be vulnerable? This is absurd. I always believed that Integral Studies and genuine amorous love for that matter is suppose to empower you, not make you weak. And the idea that you are suppose to allow yourself be weak is pure fucking nonsense. Why such harsh word? Because I'm speaking from experience.

Gafni should read Adam Kahne's book “Power and Love” where he describes these two forces as each having a generative and degenerative side.

http://www.oxfordleadership.com/journal/vol1_issue1/kahane.pdf

If a teenager gets hurt the first time from unrequited love, that would be the expression of the degenerative side of love. He or she may have to experience this numerous times until they discover (some people never do) that amorous love -as we were spoon fed to believe- is not generative love, rather, degenerative. (Daniel Packard has been pretty good in addressing the degenerative/sensitive side with his humor vimeo.com/9178481 )

The only way to make amorous love generative is to cultivate ones psychological, spiritual, and emotional well being. By doing so, it makes the generative side of love strong. By having this manifested in your heart and mind, amorous love is seen in a new light and also has the strength and determination to endure the many trials and tribulations we go through in life with considerably less effort. It gives us the wisdom and perspicaciousness to deal with whatever life throws at us.

Gafni goes on to say that love is a game. Sorry Gafni, but love is not a game! This is nonsense. Love between two people is about caring -not so much for each other but for oneself -as I described above. It means having the sincere desire, drive, and commitment to discover that which impairs our true potential. Karen Horney (pronounced horn-eye), could not have said it any better; from her book “Neurosis and Human Growth”

A better possibility of dealing with destructive forces in ourselves is that of outgrowing them. The way toward this goal is an ever increasing awareness and understanding of ourselves. Self-knowledge, then, is not an aim in itself, but a means of liberating the forces of spontaneous growth.

Elsewhere she says,

To the extent that we take our growth seriously, it will be because of our own desire to do so. And as we lose the neurotic obsession with self, as we become free to grow ourselves, we also free ourselves to love and feel concern for other people. At any rate, whether for ourselves or for others, the ideal is the liberation and cultivation of the forces which lead to self realization.

To me, Karen Horney is one of the most brilliant psychoanalysis of her time who was able to express complex human behavior in ways the average person can understand. If you read her books, you will begin to realize that much of what she describes -with stunning detail- is our shadow. I've learned much of my own from her and I'll always be grateful for that. Aside from my misgivings on Gafni, the meditative practices, and other matters, there is much that Integral has to offer and I'll always look forward to hearing and seeing Wilber and other scholars with new ideas towards self realization even though I sometimes feel disappointed when I see practices like these. This feeling of disappointment is, I suppose, an aspect of my shadow that expects and imposes value judgments on others. While this may be true what is also true is Jessica's concerns and my own that I believe have merit. yes? I'd like to hear from others on this.