How far we have come in terms of overall models for life management and personal evolution?

06/18/2013 1:42 p.m. (Updated 6/18/2013 2:51 p.m.)

From Gurdjieff’s Fourth way to Ken Wilber’s ILP

The article gives a brief introduction to Gurdjieff’s Fourth way and Ken Wilber’s Integral Life Practice (ILP). Gurdjieff’s Fourth way is a path of personal evolution in its classic form requires the help of a master, while Wilber’s ILP is a model for self-directed life-management and personal evolution.

Ideas about personal evolution

The different evolutionary paths and traditions that have arisen over the years, all (of course) related to a particular cosmology or metaphysical worldview. When evaluating a particular way with a particular goal (eg. The great awakening), one should also reflect on the underlying worldview. Let us take as an example Buddhism. Is it true that men are ruled by lust? This sounds almost like the Christian original sin. A psychologist Abraham Maslow or a psychotherapist Arthur Janov that would have replaced the word “lust” in need. Buddhism has a strong focus on being free from this world, and we are given well actually only one-dimensional notions of how life was for the liberated. What kind of life lives these enlightened when they have left the physical plane? Channeled ET literature has no corresponding notions of fundamental dualism between the liberated and the “wheel of life”-bound.

The reflections of relevance when it comes to questions like: Should The great awakening be a rush project, about which to be saved from the great sin? Or should we rather put more emphasis on a modular development of all our functions, and bring our functions more or less in harmony with each other? What should we focus most on: the long road of life, or some one-dimensional ideas about a fundamental goals? Such questions must have been the basis for the development of the fourth way.

“It is better to travel integrally and whole … than two arrive as a Specialized piece�

Gurdjieff’s Fourth way

Here in the West it was George I. Gurdjieff (1866? -1949) From Armenia who introduced the Fourth way [Wiki: GI Gurdjieff ]. What this article is concerned, it is not so interesting how Gurdjieff got their ideas and inspiration from. The important thing to understand is the principle of Fourth way. Gurdjieff’s Fourth explanation of the way, and how he practices went forth with His disciples, has been best described by PD Ouspensky in his book In Search of the Miraculous (1947). This volume presents verbatim Gurdjieff talks about the three traditional ways: The body’s way (= Fakir way and hatha yoga), emotion-way (= monk’s way and bhakti yoga) and the mind’s way (just as Gurdjieff called yogi way).

Within yoga distinguishes also between raja yoga (consciousness and �rv�kenhetsveien) and jnana-yoga (the realms of knowledge way); besides that India also has a road called karma-yoga. Gurdjieff brought techniques and insights from all of the traditional system, and united them. Each novice was given a customized program, as a first measure of the way of all was a certain harmonization of the features, and a certain confrontation / vigilance around its own personality “most smelly” properties. In Gurdjieff’s version of the Fourth way is a master necessary as the ordinary individual is helplessly to be able to observe and correct their own “mess” and robotaktighet.

Another representative of the fourth way was ancient Indian Sri Aurobindo (1872-1950) (Wiki: Sri Aurobindo ], who made ​​his own yoga synthesis called Integral Yoga [Wiki: Integral yoga ]. Gurdjieff was particularly categorical in his statements and writings of Sri Aurobindo is characterized by oriental difficult and hyper nuanced terminology. For both, their statements and books something secondary in relation to their practical teaching was conveyed intimate and individually.

Ken Wilber’s ILP

The trans-rational and integral philosopher Ken Wilber American (b. 1949) is the mastermind behind a new evolutionary path, Integral Life Practice (ILP) (see article RKM Ken Wilber and his integral framework for a post-modern cosmology ). ILP is adapted to the modern man in Western society, and does not require the presence of a master. Wilber and three co-authors gave in 2008 the book Integral Life Practice , which we are based in. ILP can be said to be a general name for any modular self-development program that aims to nurture and develop as many of the individual features and capabilities, so that evolution is the most comprehensive and harmonious. Wilber has worked with this modular approach since 2000, and in 2004 was the first ILP open workshops organized by the Integral Institute. According to Wilber (2006) has other centers and institutions that have been committed holistic development, just had methodologies for activating 2-3 functions. Thus, the ILP will represent a quantum leap forward.
ILP is quite simple that you take responsibility for your own evolution towards wholeness and harmony, and that you take responsibility for administering this modular evolution in a sensible way. In the books of Wilber and various workshops can bring ideas and suggestions, but what features / centers enable, and how to practice exercise and develop them, is of course entirely up to you. ILP is not tied to a specific eastern or esoteric world view, also here you can even insert the cosmology you personally prefer. In his book Integral Life Practice (2008) the authors have done their utmost to remove most of the cultural-religious-esoteric metaphysics and terminology traditionally associated with the individual modules and techniques.

When you get deeper into the practice of ILP, the ILP for each identical to the major art of life and the overall way of life. Because the framework is so new and modern, we are well rid of the “museum-like” association complex that characterizes most evolutionary paths.

Osho awakening psychology

Students of Indian oppv�knete master Osho (1931-1990) may well spice ILP with Osho own insights and methods. Osho specialty was to identify the evolutionary keys used by each of the major mystics and each of the mysterious traditions [see RKM article Osho (1931-1990): A biographical sketch of oppv�kningspsykologiens master ]. Osho never tried to create a system out of those keys.

from:    http://www.nyhetsspeilet.no/en/2013/06/fra-gurdjieffs-fjerde-vei-til-ken-wilbers-ilp/