Evolutionary Spirituality

Evolutionary Spirituality

Towards an Engaged Evolutionary Myticism

Episode IV

Arguably our most significant interpretive framework for the nature of reality is the modern scientific discovery that the world and the universe are not, as the ancients believed, static or cyclical. The universe, and everything in it, is evolving.

Cosmic and biological evolution are foundational truths of existence, and the implications are profound and multi-dimensional, extending outwards in every direction. In the 21st century, the context for any path or practice of enlightenment must surely embrace this knowledge and perspective. It is perhaps the most important shift in our understanding of enlightenment in the 2500 years since the Buddha first attained it.

Andrew Cohen and Dr. Marc Gafni are pioneers in the field of evolutionary spirituality, each with their own unique perspective on this newly emergent tradition. They share a strong foundation in an evolutionary approach to spiritual awakening, while emphasising distinctly different but intersecting dimensions of the path and practice.

Both Marc and Andrew have produced pioneering bodies of work in this field, and formulated many of its core tenets. Their teachings uphold and demystify the foundational principles of traditional, modern and postmodern wisdom streams, weaving them together into an integral whole, and ultimately pointing toward a new evolutionary mysticism – what might even be considered a “religion of tomorrow”.

The aim of these dialogues is to celebrate the creative and dynamic evolutionary tension between these two perspectives – to catalyse awakening to higher states and stages of consciousness, giving rise to liberating insights and life-affirming perspectives in a unique tapestry of coherence and meaning, and an inspiring example of emergent spirituality in action.

Episode IV: Towards an Evolutionary God (Part Two)

From a philosophical perspective, when we contemplate the nature of God we usually think in the abstract of an eternal and unchanging Absolute Principle.

The direct experience of Samadhi at first appears to confirm the infinite nature of God as static and unchanging – as we bathe in the light of pure being and merge with the Godhead, we become absorbed in a non-dual state of perfect and absolute oneness and bliss, in which nothing ever happened, nor seemingly ever could.

But all of that changes when we return to the relative realm with a disorienting jolt. We see that the whole of reality is in an unending state of chaotic and apparently imperfect becoming. So if the cosmos is evolving, yet the nature of God is perfect, infinite, static and unchanging, we are faced with a philosophical and metaphysical dilemma.

When we truly wake up to the deep truth of cosmic evolution, the nature of God changes. The Absolute Principle is indeed eternal, immortal, but it is not a static eternity. It’s an eternity that’s evolving. God is not at rest, but rather constantly self-generating and complexifying, on a journey of infinite becoming. God is the deep-time yet timeless intelligence at the heart of reality, endlessly creating its own future.

As human beings, when we wake up to the evolutionary nature of God, we recognise with astonishment that we are the leading edge of that process. Within the context of self-reflective awareness, evolution is awakening to itself, recognising itself in us. The universe is becoming self-conscious – God is waking up literally in and through us.

Now we recognise God to be an infinite being who is also unfolding, expanding, as an evolutionary process – and we are the conscious interior of that process. We are the vehicle for the journey that God has taken into infinite becoming.

In their first dialogue, Marc Gafni and Andrew Cohen will share and explore their deepest insights into the ultimate mystery that lies beyond life and death.

  • From the deepest metaphysical perspective, what is the distinction between life and death?

  • Is life the manifestation of an eternal metaphysical source, or is it merely the extraordinary emergence of a fundamentally material process?

  • How do our conscious and unconscious convictions about the ultimate source of the evolving universe affect our moral and philosophical relationship to living and dying?

  • Is consciousness part of an unbroken developmental continuity in the cosmos, or merely an emergent epiphenomena of matter?

  • Is death the absolute end of what was, or a transition that is part of an infinite unfolding?

  • Is the nature of death a question of belief, or do we have real data to support our understanding of it? If there is data, then what is it and where do we find it?

  • Do we have a more enlightened relationship to death in the 21st century, or can the great wisdom traditions still illuminate our understanding?

  • Is the fear of death an experience to be transcended, embraced or both? Is living forever a wish that we would want fulfilled?

  • What are the political, social and economic implications of our relationship to death?

*

REGISTER NOW FREE

Evolutionary Spirituality

  • Series of FREE dialogues

    Marc Gafni & Andrew Cohen in an inspiring demonstration of emergent spirituality in action

  • Live interactive Zoom video call

    Including 90 minutes of dialogue and 30 minutes of Q&A

  • Video recordings available after each event

    Lifetime access to all dialogues in the Manifest Nirvana library

Frequently asked questions

Date and Time

Manifest Nirvana and One Mountain, Many Paths Present

Evolutionary Spirituality: Towards an Engaged Evolutionary Mysticism

Dr. Marc Gafni & Andrew Cohen in Dialogue

Thursday 8th December 2022

Cost: FREE

Video recording will be made available after the event

USA: 7am PST • 8am MST • 10am EST

UK: 3pm

EUROPE: 4pm CEST

INDIA: 8.30pm IST

REGISTER NOW FREE

Date

Dec 08 2022
Expired!

Time

UTC
3:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Local Time

  • Timezone: America/New_York
  • Date: Dec 08 2022
  • Time: 10:00 am - 12:00 pm

Location

Manifest Nirvana
Online at Manifest Nirvana

Speakers

  • Andrew Cohen
    Andrew Cohen
    Resident Teacher

    Andrew Cohen is a spiritual teacher, author, cultural visionary and inspirational speaker. His work has been acclaimed by luminaries from all walks of life, from academics to philosophers to spiritual pundits.

    Andrew has become known for his willingness to boldly cast aside the sacred cows of the spiritual world. His work grapples with demystifying the wealth of knowledge found in the great wisdom traditions, and with making enlightenment deeply relevant to a post-modern audience.

  • Dr. Marc Gafni
    Dr. Marc Gafni
    Co-founder of The Center for Integral Wisdom

    A visionary thinker, social activist, passionate philosopher, and author of ten books, Dr. Marc Gafni earned his doctorate in philosophy from Oxford University. Gafni is considered by many to be a kind of Einstein of Philosophy who is leading a team of thinkers articulating a new vision of meaning for the world.

    He teaches on the cutting edge of philosophy in the West, helping to evolve a new ‘dharma’ or meta-theory of Integral meaning that is helping to re-shape key pivoting points in global consciousness and culture.

QR Code