Integral
Contemplation
Integral Contemplation is a new
form of holistic meditation until a complete life practice and so the
basic exercise, that leads by training of perception of all examination
layers of being (physically, instinctive/emotional, mental,
essential/causal, nondual) simultaneously and continuously into the
resolution of the own shadow. This is based on the integral model
IPP or IPT from the upper Chap. Integral
Perspective Pyramid or Integral
Perspective Table.
With
this the various states of the own experience at all layers will be
completly accepted and experienced very conscious. As
shadow parts and traumas are shown by the body and than sealed first by
instincts/emotions and finally by thoughts, experience has to start at
the body followed by the instincs/emotions without thoughts and finally
advised essential experiences. Subsequently the experienced sequence is
shown in a figure:
As an exercise the Integral Contemplation is best done sitting, cause lying has the dangers of falling "asleep" and standing can get exhausting.
Description of Exercise:
Starting with the experience layers of the body all current perceptions will be perceived fully and consciously. In the alternative the body can be scanned from bottom to top with a focused perception. If parts of the body are recognized, which currently signal a negative feeling (tenseness, pain), the most unpleasant part should be selected and this area should be percepted fully present by long exhalation. With painful tendencies, this can be connected with exhalation (and mental) in the direction of this body area and by additional imagination of warmth or love and thankfulness.
Only if a complete relaxed experience is present at the perception of the body layer, transitioning to the next layer of experience should start. Likewise for going to the next layer a positive response (relaxing, warmth, ...) of the affected area on the physical layer can be felt, indicating, that again a conscious connection was started thereto. With continued unpleasant body experience a conscious sinking deeper through the experience by complete conscious devotion without own destinations (improvement, ...) is used, and for transition to the next layer it is to explore necessarily: "What emotion is triggered by there unpleasant body experiences in me!"..
In the next perception layer all actual instincts (fears, helplessness, loneliness, ...) / emotions (anger, sadeness, ...) will be feeled and allowed without suppressing or acting out. Thereby the focus is on the most unpleasant emotion and at strong intensity this is accompanied with a deep exhalation until it is subsided like a wave. Oftenthe emotion is connected with a certain area at the body and both will be perceived. Specifically deepest instinctive primal fears are accordingly approved and supported with deep axhalation support. Only when a perfectly pleasant feeling prevails in the emotional level, you proceed to the next perception level.
In the following thought layer like in classical meditation thoughts should not be followed. Instead it is paid attention to the moments of gaps between the thoughts. In this gaps essential qualities such as silence, security, width, and so on can be discovered. This is the timewise and partially experience of unblocked protective layers (thoughts, emotions and instincts) by the unhindered flow of divine information and energy and is therefore experienced as essential.
Finally, to explore the higher spiritual entity, that perceives all the aforementioned experiences but is not these. Which part in us is above the perception of the body, instincts, emotions, thoughts or essential experiences and can observe all this. The exercise is to check out, that the pure witnessing consciousness now observes himself and explored instead of the aforementioned objects.
On this way laywer by layer body -> feelings -> thoughts -> subtle qualities -> witness consciousness -> essence with the free states, peaceful emotion, thoughtless, deep acceptance of actual qualitites and comprehensive love and full consciousness to finally non dual experience will be possible .
This contradicts the usual meditation paths, that just bypass underlying traumatic areas on the one hand by ignoring the experience of physical and instinctive/emotional layers and also by focusing on the experience in the first person (inner experience with them) and excluding aspects of the 2nd person (to the opposite) and of the 3rd person (to the group), which may also include shadow parts and show them.
This leads apperently to experience of higher states, but has the fatal disadvantage, that this creates a dissociation from the perception layers and protecting mechanisms, and thus does non resolve the blocked issues or underlying traumas but split them off more. In addition these fundamental obstacles in the area of the body and emotion are blocking the higher state levels, which among other things is shown by strong thought building.
Complete acceptance und deep experience in one exercise beginning at the body and the emotions overcome therewith a drawback of the actual spiritual approaches including by Ken Wilber, using an change between meditation and shadow work ([2]/p.195-198).
With Integral Contemplation this is no longer necessary. It also prevents a dissociation from the body and the layers of instincts/emotions during meditation, as it tends for the known forms of meditation because of its focus to the pure witness consciousness.
The Integral Contemplation thus combines the best aspects of western psychology with objectless meditation to a new form. The present current perception of the body and instincts/emotions allows the discharge of blockades and sinking deeper into the essential qualities til nondual experience.
The exercise is then not only suitable for a particular exercise but is a consistent attitude to life, which can ultimately lead to the attainment of awakening.
This form of exercise and living can added with 3 elements, (integral recognition as perception in the 3rd person, compensation stop by devotion to the 2nd person, process work for experience in the 1st person) which I would describe as follows.
These three tools are outlined in detail in the following chapters:
As an exercise the Integral Contemplation is best done sitting, cause lying has the dangers of falling "asleep" and standing can get exhausting.
Description of Exercise:
Starting with the experience layers of the body all current perceptions will be perceived fully and consciously. In the alternative the body can be scanned from bottom to top with a focused perception. If parts of the body are recognized, which currently signal a negative feeling (tenseness, pain), the most unpleasant part should be selected and this area should be percepted fully present by long exhalation. With painful tendencies, this can be connected with exhalation (and mental) in the direction of this body area and by additional imagination of warmth or love and thankfulness.
Only if a complete relaxed experience is present at the perception of the body layer, transitioning to the next layer of experience should start. Likewise for going to the next layer a positive response (relaxing, warmth, ...) of the affected area on the physical layer can be felt, indicating, that again a conscious connection was started thereto. With continued unpleasant body experience a conscious sinking deeper through the experience by complete conscious devotion without own destinations (improvement, ...) is used, and for transition to the next layer it is to explore necessarily: "What emotion is triggered by there unpleasant body experiences in me!"..
In the next perception layer all actual instincts (fears, helplessness, loneliness, ...) / emotions (anger, sadeness, ...) will be feeled and allowed without suppressing or acting out. Thereby the focus is on the most unpleasant emotion and at strong intensity this is accompanied with a deep exhalation until it is subsided like a wave. Oftenthe emotion is connected with a certain area at the body and both will be perceived. Specifically deepest instinctive primal fears are accordingly approved and supported with deep axhalation support. Only when a perfectly pleasant feeling prevails in the emotional level, you proceed to the next perception level.
In the following thought layer like in classical meditation thoughts should not be followed. Instead it is paid attention to the moments of gaps between the thoughts. In this gaps essential qualities such as silence, security, width, and so on can be discovered. This is the timewise and partially experience of unblocked protective layers (thoughts, emotions and instincts) by the unhindered flow of divine information and energy and is therefore experienced as essential.
Finally, to explore the higher spiritual entity, that perceives all the aforementioned experiences but is not these. Which part in us is above the perception of the body, instincts, emotions, thoughts or essential experiences and can observe all this. The exercise is to check out, that the pure witnessing consciousness now observes himself and explored instead of the aforementioned objects.
On this way laywer by layer body -> feelings -> thoughts -> subtle qualities -> witness consciousness -> essence with the free states, peaceful emotion, thoughtless, deep acceptance of actual qualitites and comprehensive love and full consciousness to finally non dual experience will be possible .
This contradicts the usual meditation paths, that just bypass underlying traumatic areas on the one hand by ignoring the experience of physical and instinctive/emotional layers and also by focusing on the experience in the first person (inner experience with them) and excluding aspects of the 2nd person (to the opposite) and of the 3rd person (to the group), which may also include shadow parts and show them.
This leads apperently to experience of higher states, but has the fatal disadvantage, that this creates a dissociation from the perception layers and protecting mechanisms, and thus does non resolve the blocked issues or underlying traumas but split them off more. In addition these fundamental obstacles in the area of the body and emotion are blocking the higher state levels, which among other things is shown by strong thought building.
Each experience is always
possible,
but important is
complete acceptance and deep experience
but important is
complete acceptance and deep experience
Complete acceptance und deep experience in one exercise beginning at the body and the emotions overcome therewith a drawback of the actual spiritual approaches including by Ken Wilber, using an change between meditation and shadow work ([2]/p.195-198).
With Integral Contemplation this is no longer necessary. It also prevents a dissociation from the body and the layers of instincts/emotions during meditation, as it tends for the known forms of meditation because of its focus to the pure witness consciousness.
The Integral Contemplation thus combines the best aspects of western psychology with objectless meditation to a new form. The present current perception of the body and instincts/emotions allows the discharge of blockades and sinking deeper into the essential qualities til nondual experience.
The exercise is then not only suitable for a particular exercise but is a consistent attitude to life, which can ultimately lead to the attainment of awakening.
This form of exercise and living can added with 3 elements, (integral recognition as perception in the 3rd person, compensation stop by devotion to the 2nd person, process work for experience in the 1st person) which I would describe as follows.
These three tools are outlined in detail in the following chapters: