tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14160875.post114913180508264871..comments2024-03-18T14:55:43.910+05:30Comments on Savitri Era Learning Forum: Sri Aurobindo commands an incredible breadth of knowledgeTusar Nath Mohapatrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12067509498066370100noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14160875.post-45231943054093431742009-10-17T05:52:52.327+05:302009-10-17T05:52:52.327+05:30FEATURED IN THE APRIL 2007 ISSUE OF DNA MONTHLY
...FEATURED IN THE APRIL 2007 ISSUE OF DNA MONTHLY<br /><br /><br />1. Review of Michael Murphy's The Future of the Body, by Brandon PeeleTusar Nath Mohapatrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12067509498066370100noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14160875.post-4356118370888448172009-10-17T05:51:30.026+05:302009-10-17T05:51:30.026+05:301. Review of Michael Murphy's The Future of th...1. Review of Michael Murphy's The Future of the Body<br /><br /><br />Brandon Peele <br /><br />Michael Murphy, Founder of The Esalen Institute, a storied organization that cultivated many of the great minds of the '60s and the human potential revolution of the '70s, put together the Institute's research on a wide variety of disciplines in The Future of the Body. This collection spans studies of physiology, philosophy, psychology, anthropology and religion, looking deeply into the question, What is possible? The logic being that if one human can attain remarkable feats in a particular realm, given the plasticity of the human mind and body, we all can if we apply the same diligence. Moreover, the book takes an evolutionary perspective of humanity, such that we begin to see humanity not just as begetting and dying, but rather more like software releases. Each version (generation) makes improvements in consciousness, integrity, and ability. <br /><br />What I found most useful in this book was the painstaking detail and diligence of the research. Up until now, I only had an intuition that anything is possible, as evidenced by the lackluster beginnings of groundbreaking individuals such as Michael Jordan, Albert Einstein, Andrew Carnegie, Bill Clinton and Ken Wilber. When I was loaned this book by my friend, a longtime spiritual seeker and devotee of Aurobindo's Integral Yoga, I knew that I was meant to read it. And now I know why. The Future of the Body is the skeptic's bridge into higher consciousness, human potential, and transformation. <br /><br />Although I remain skeptical of all unsubstantiated claims, I now have a wealth of data from which to draw upon when communicating my understanding of human potential...<br /> <br />While each of these phenomena can be disputed individually, taken as a whole, a distinct appreciation for the plasticity of the human emerges and the realm of possibility indeed appears infinite. The 800 pages of research, when synthesized and looked at as a story of both individual humans and humanity, posits that the average human is achieving only a fraction of his/her potential. It's sort of like we were all given Ferraris for our birthday, but all we ve managed to figure out is how to check our hair in the side mirror. <br /><br />Murphy doesn't leave the reader with just the data, but also presents a way in which we can achieve our full potential, learn to put that Ferrari in gear and open it up on the freeway. He explores the variety of transformative practices that have been used to cultivate these great abilities and achieve these amazing feats, looking at areas spanning visualization, meditation, energy awareness training, sensory deprivation, psychotherapies, somatic disciplines, athletic training regimes, and fields of philosophical inquiry. <br /><br />The main insight that this effort produces, which may be common knowledge to some, is that of the Integral Transformative Practice (ITP). The analogy that describes this practice best is that of the cross-trainer. We can achieve x% performance increases as a freestyle sprinter; however, as documented performance research has shown, we can achieve gains of x+% when we practice not only freestyle, but butterfly, back and breast strokes. As Ken Wilber has further refined, an Integral Practice incorporates exercises which touch on the four main avenues of human development: Cognitive (creative pursuits, reading, writing, etc.), Kinesthetic (aerobic, anaerobic, flexibility, balance, coordination training), Psychodynamic (psychotherapy, Gestalt therapy, dream journals) and Contemplative (meditation, prayer, etc.). These can be loosely interpreted as Mind, Body, Soul, and Spirit... <br /><br />I recommend this book to skeptics as a transformative life-changing work, to mystics as a resource to avoid sounding crazy, and to every human interested in self-improvement. <br /><br />[Brandon Peele writes on philosophy, spirituality, psychology and economics on his blog at http://www.GTAwareness.com]Tusar Nath Mohapatrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12067509498066370100noreply@blogger.com