Another lecture from the Science and Nonduality Conference hosted by FORA.tv.
Kurt Johnson, Ph.D. has worked with Brother Wayne Teasdale, who coined the term "InterSpirituality" - visioning all the world's spiritual traditions evolving together toward an ultimate shared Consciousness and Heart - and has been involved in a variety of integral spirituality endeavors. He is co-founder of the InterSpiritual Multiplex, a directory and guide to InterSpirituality worldwide.
This is a very viable alternative to the CWS that Joe Perez has been endorsing through his affiliation with the disgraced integral teacher, Marc Gafni.
Can Science Ever Join Nondual Consciousness in Transforming the World?
Kurt Johnson, PhD, Founder of InterSpiritual Dialogue
Positing that evolution (in hindsight, evidencing directionality) has continued since the Big Bang‚ 14 billion years of material evolution, on earth 4 billion years of life evolution and 6 million years of evolving consciousness in hominids suggests thresholds of evolution (particularly regarding acquired skills) arise and are met or not. Currently, some critical thresholds challenge the entire species while others challenge those reporting the nondual consciousness experience itself.
This conference suggests several pivotal questions, all involving Skill Levels:
1 - What kind of nonduality will we do here?
2 - What kind of science will we do here?
3 - What is the future of transpersonal skill?
Concomitant are numerous planetary pathologies, in scientific terms ‘critically unresolved adaptive zones challenging our species’ such as resource and identity-based competition, pollution leading to global climate instability, lack of a stable species eco-profile (an intelligent species undiscerning between wants and needs), etc. This characterization suggests many critical elements. Must more reductionist scientists have nondual experiences? Will more nondual experiences be sustained from states‚ to permanent traits? Can paradigm-shifting syntheses (Integral, Spiral Dynamics) mainstream? Can the nondual community generate a skillful collective capable of leading by example? If monolithic conventional science can participate.
Dr. Kurt Johnson has worked in science and spirituality for over 40 years. As a Christian monk he founded (with Br. Wayne Teasdale) InterSpiritual Dialogue (www.isdna.org) for discussion of contemplative experience across traditions. He also works with The Contemplative Alliance (www.gpiw.org) and Integral communities (www.integral-dharma.org). In 2005 Kurt began giving “Satsang” associated with Pamela Wilson. In science Kurt’s PhD is in evolution, ecology, systematics and comparative biology. Associated with the American Museum of Natural History (30 yrs.) he published 200+ articles on evolution and ecology, the bestselling book Nabokov’s Blues (2000), and (as a co-author) the 2011 Harvard DNA sequence study vindicating Vladimir Nabokov’s views of evolution.
The InterSpirituality site was new to me. I think it is a more useful site for someone looking to expand spiritualy than CWS which seems vaguely defined and mostly centered around sex.
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