Interviewer:
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On your web site you
state that you have spent a lot of time doing consciousness studies
since 1983. You have described what you call a Great Continuum of
Consciousness. Can you tell me a little about what that is?
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George:
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The Great Continuum
of Consciousness comprises four levels of the mind: Conscious
mind, Subconscious mind, Metaconscious mind, and Superconscious
mind. Conscious mind contains your present time experience.
Subconscious mind is a reservoir of memory and the creative
faculties of imagination and visualization. Metaconscious mind
is the home of the active higher functions of the personality: will
and intelligence, programming of habit, conscience, integration
and self-direction. The Superconscious mind is the abode
of archetypal and spiritual realms. This map is described at
www.mudrashram.com/GCC2.html.
These other dimensions
of the mind exist above the waking state of awareness: meditation
is the art of purposefully focusing your attention in these alternate
states of awareness.
[A more detailed description of the Transcendental Sphere paths can be found in the article, "Maps of Consciousness of the Transcendental Sphere"] |
Interviewer:
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You have taught meditation
since1983. How do you approach meditation? How is what you teach
different than popular forms like Zen meditation or Transcendental
Meditation?
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George:
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Zen meditation and Transcendental
meditation are what I term unitive styles of meditation.
They teach one meditation technique, with supplementary techniques
to ensure the practitioner makes progress on a delineated path.
What I teach is Integral
meditation. It brings together a variety of different techniques
to accomplish the balanced unfolding of the Soul at its spiritual
cutting edge. It balances the four poles of being around the fulcrum
point of the Soul. So it does not lead you on a path, but
your path.
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Interviewer:
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What are these four poles?
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George:
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The four poles of
being are the pole of the ensouling entity (Atma or Soul), of
the spirit, of the vehicles of the Soul, and of what I term life/
consciousness, which contains the attentional principle and the
structures that substand embodiment as human life.
Different types of meditation
access these four poles, so for balanced development, it is necessary
to utilize a variety of techniques, not just one or two methods.
Unitive systems of meditation
typically operate in only one or two poles and as a result, ultimately
create imbalance for the practitioner.
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Interviewer:
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Reading the articles
on your web site, www.mudrashram.com,
you suggest that many religious traditions unwittingly create imbalances
that give rise to disruption of personality functioning, fundamentalist
beliefs and fanaticism. How is this brought about?
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George:
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There are two major trends
that create imbalance. The first trend, which we may call, working
at the wrong place, occurs when spiritual paths awaken the potentials
of consciousness at a level that is not the spiritual cutting edge.
For example, a path may initiate an individual into Cosmic Sphere
work when their cutting edge is Planetary.
The second trend we could
call single pole obsession. In this work, the meditation
techniques utilized by the group work on only one pole, and this
pole becomes grossly overly developed. For example, those that work
on the pole of vehicles of the Soul may work with the individual
as a nucleus of identity, and unfold that aspect of consciousness
and nature without regard to its impact on the integral structure
of being.
The worst imbalances
occur when both trends occur together. This is unfortunately all
too common.
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Interviewer:
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So religion is driving
people crazy?
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George:
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If spiritual unfoldment
is done too zealously in ways that create imbalance, it can adversely
effect the functioning of the personality. Fanatical beliefs engendered
by imbalanced development coupled with indoctrination in an altered
state of awareness can radically change believers' lives and character.
Yes, it can even drive some susceptible people psychotic.

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Interviewer:
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Isn't it a positive effect
of religion through prayer and meditation to change a person's beliefs
and character in a good way?
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George:
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Character reformation,
the overcoming of limiting or dysfunctional beliefs and unhealthy
behavior, is a common goal of religion, psychotherapy and hypnosis.
Where the problem arises, is that after sustained practice of meditationwhile
working at the wrong place and/or with single pole obsessionthe
essential identity of a person is re-framed, often in ways that
make normalized functioning difficult or impossible.
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Interviewer:
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This is what leads to
the problems we see in spiritual cults?
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George:
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Yes. But the scary thing
is that mainstream religions, world religions affecting the lives
of millions of people, use many of these same practices.
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Interviewer:
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To gain control over
other people and manipulate them?
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George:
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It can and is used to
manipulate people. People can be roused to fight holy wars, to vote
for certain political agendas, to discriminate against other groups
of people. Once the reality testing function of reason is co-opted
by unquestionable, absolutistic belief systems, the individual is
effectively in the control of the leaders of these groups.
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Interviewer:
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How does Integral meditation
avoid these troubling trends?
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George:
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First,
we don't leave people in altered states of awareness.
Second, we don't
construct idealized value systems for people, but let them discover
their innate truths.
Third, we teach
them to work at their cutting edge in a balanced way so they can
avoid the problems that arise from working at the wrong place, or
obsessively on one pole.
Fourth, we empower
people to work on themselves. We don't tell people what to think,
what to believe, and what to do. We teach them meditation so that
they will understand what it does, when to use it, and when not
to use it.
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Interviewer:
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You don't call yourself
a guru or spiritual Master. You don't have followers who worship
you as a god. You don't claim to be an Avatar or savior. Are people
looking for some one to save them?
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George:
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There are two factors
that bring about inner unfoldment. The first is the Light, the Grace
of the Divine. Highly advanced soulsInitiatesin every
tradition, have become focal points for this Grace and can channel
this power to others.
Desperate people find
these Grace-Bestowing ones and make them into saviors. I don't let
my students fall into this delusion. I share with them the Light
and empower them, but I tell them that this same Light is at the
bottom of every tradition, and with sufficient inner development,
they can become instruments of the Light as well.

The second factor that
brings about inner unfoldment is using meditation to move along
your path. I encourage those who study with me to initiate themselves,
to unfold themselves, to work on themselves, so they can develop
independence and growing mastery. I am available to consult and
guide them, and I have prepared supportive materials to help them
in this quest. It is not my aim to create dependency, and I discourage
it in my students.
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Interviewer:
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Other materials?
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George:
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I teach two classes in
meditation. The first is called the Mudrashram® Master Course
in Meditation. The second, for serious students who want to work
with us more intensively, is called the Mudrashram® Advanced
Course in Meditation.
Supportive materials
available after students complete the Master Course include a meditation
compact disk series with meditations from the class, and a home
study course of guided meditations with 16 compact disks, [called the Satsang Program Home Study Course] that progressively
reveals different levels of the Great Continuum of Consciousness. |
Interviewer:
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You mention a correspondence
course for meditation on your web site. Is that for your students
only? Is it available?
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George:
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This is the most ambitious
project I have undertaken. This is a two year, 50-lesson course
that maps the entire Continuum of Consciousness from waking awareness
to the highest reaches of the Transcendental bands of the Superconscious
mindlevel by level and world by world. There are hundreds
of meditations in this course. You are guided to progressively explore
each level in great detail.
I intend this to release
this for spiritual seekers...[The Mudrashram® Correspondence Course was released on July 23, 2006] While I strongly recommend that individuals both take the Master Course
and Advanced Course before taking this class, I recognize that for
many reasons they cannot do that. The information that is taught
in this course is too important to put barriers to people's inner
discovery. This course will assist them to see what is there. [Individuals who wish to take the Mudrashram® Correspondence Course will need to take either take the Mudrashram® Master Course in Meditation or the Accelerated Meditation Program first.] |
Interviewer:
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The entire Continuum
of Consciousness?
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George:
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Yes. The whole enchilada.
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Interviewer:
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Well, thank you for taking
this time for the interview and letting our readers get to know
you better.
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