Buddhism and the Evolution of Enlightenment

Contributors: Traleg Rinpoche and Ken Wilber

Traleg Rinpoche and Ken Wilber discuss the evolution of enlightenment and the future of Buddhism.

Traleg Kyabgon Rinpoche is the current incarnation of the Traleg tulku line, a line of high lamas in the Kagyu lineage of Vajrayana. The Traleg line is one of the most important Kagyu tulku lineages in Tibet. It is traced back to the time of Saltong Shogam, on of the Three Men of Kham who were among the five closest students to Gampopa and the only students to receive the complete transmission of both Vajrayana and Mahamudra instructions from him.

On October 21st, 2006, Venerable Traleg Rinpoche and Ken Wilber met in Boulder, Colorado for an event attended by over 200 people. Born in Tibet, Traleg Kyabgon Rinpoche, recognized by His Holiness the Gyalwa Karmapa as the ninth incarnation of the Traleg Tulkus, is president and director of Kagyu E-Vam Buddhist Institute, Melbourne, Australia. We are honored to share with you some memorable moments from this event. Enjoy!

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Is Buddhism Evolving?

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As the universe continues to evolve, so must our conceptions and experiences of spiritual truth. But there is an aspect of enlightened awareness that is itself timeless, untouched by evolution or any other production of time--how does this timeless reality interface with the ever-changing and ever-evolving quality of the manifest world?

Enlightenment: A Moving Target

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If you're a Buddhist practitioner, how can an Integral Spirituality help you contemplate aspects of your life that you may currently be missing? What is a dedicated meditation practitioner potentially not seeing? Specifically, are you aware of your culture and how it effects your worldview? Are you aware of your worldview and how it effects your understanding of Buddhist teachings? Listen in to Traleg Rinpoche and Ken Wilber discuss these issues, and see how these key components may be impeding your progression along the path.

Who Is the Buddha?

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Who is the Buddha? Some think of Buddha as a historical figure, others as an enlightened man, and still some think of Buddha as a mythic, larger-than-life figure. In this video, Ken addresses the question: Who is right? How do we make sense of all these different Buddhas? Ken then asks a question first asked by Nagarjuna (arguably the most influential Buddhist thinker after the Buddha himself), was the Buddha's realization complete? Traleg Rinpoche chimes in on this controversial question. Contemplate what this discussion has to do with your own realization.

Ethics and Buddhism

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What is the importance of ethics in Buddhist practice? How should you determine "right action" and "right view"? Traleg Rinpoche and Ken Wilber answer those complex questions in this dialogue. From as absolute perspective, there is no "right view," but from a relative perspective ethics, "right action" and "right view" are essential to cultivating the proper state of mind and progressing along the path.