Integral Leadership: Waking Up
Transcend the limitations of the ego and access higher states of consciousness.
Last week we introduced an integral perspective on leader development using Ken Wilber’s wake up, grow up, clean up, and show up model. You can review that here.
This week we are taking a deep dive on Waking Up, which involves a shift in consciousness from identification with the individual ego to a realization of one's true nature or spiritual essence.
Experientially, this is where we get into the territory of unity consciousness, oneness, nirvana, interconnectedness, and transcendence of ordinary perception.
There is no Me, there is no separation
Nondual wisdom, often associated with philosophies like Advaita Vedanta, Zen Buddhism, and certain aspects of Taoism, emphasizes the fundamental oneness or unity of all existence. Here are some essential teachings of nondual wisdom:
Oneness or Non-duality: The core teaching is that reality is ultimately indivisible and non-dual. There's no fundamental separation between the self and the universe, or between any apparent dualities or polarities such as good and evil, subject and object, or form and emptiness.
Transcendence of the Ego: Nondual wisdom teaches that the ego, or the sense of individual self, is illusory and ultimately unreal. True understanding comes from transcending the egoic perspective and realizing the deeper truth of unity.
Direct Experience: It emphasizes direct experiential insight over conceptual understanding. Rather than relying solely on intellectual analysis, nondual wisdom encourages practices like meditation, mindfulness, or self-inquiry to directly experience the truth of oneness.
Emptiness and Form: Nondual teachings often talk about the interplay between emptiness (Shunyata in Buddhism) and form (the manifest world). Emptiness does not negate form, but rather, form arises from and is inseparable from emptiness. This points to the interdependence and interconnectedness of all phenomena.
Presence and Awareness: There's an emphasis on presence or awareness as the ground of being. This awareness is not something separate from reality but is the very essence of it. Cultivating present moment awareness is seen as a key practice in realizing nondual truth.
Beyond Language and Concepts: Nondual wisdom often points out the limitations of language and conceptual thinking in capturing the ultimate truth. It suggests that truth can only be pointed to, not fully described or contained within words or concepts.
Ethical Implications: While nondual teachings emphasize the unity of all existence, they also recognize the importance of ethical conduct and compassion. Understanding the interconnectedness of all beings naturally leads to a sense of compassion and ethical behavior.
Freedom from Suffering: Nondual wisdom teaches that realizing the truth of non-duality leads to freedom from suffering. By seeing through the illusion of separateness and the ego, one can transcend the root causes of suffering and find lasting peace and contentment.
These teachings can vary in emphasis and expression across different traditions, but they all point towards the same essential truth of oneness and liberation from the illusion of duality (separateness).
So how do I Wake Up?
The beautiful and poetic answer is… you just do. Waking Up, as noted above, is extremely experiential.
The primary task of waking up is to transcend the limitations of the ego and access higher states of consciousness.
Practices for waking up may include meditation techniques from various spiritual traditions, such as mindfulness meditation, breath awareness, or mantra repetition. Contemplative practices, like inquiry into the nature of self and reality, also play a crucial role in awakening.
Nondual Teachers
I am happy to share my favorite wisdom keepers in this space. I am a student myself and take that position with reverence to the wisdom traditions that have nourished this truth for thousands of years.
Below are a few nondual teachers that I have grown to love and respect dearly. Each link contains a nondual piece of wisdom that I believe are essential to integral leader development.
Dustin DiPerna - Participatory Listening
Dustin DiPerna - Spiritual Realization
Dustin DiPerna - Understanding Spiritual Experience
Compassion Works - Nondual Wisdom
Loch Kelly - From Headspace to HeartSpace
John Prendergast - Awakening the Deep Heart
Amoda Maa - Timeless Truth for the Contemporary Teacher
Waking Up in Leadership
So how does this relate to developing leaders?
If it isn’t already obvious to you, a leader who has experienced waking up has more spaciousness around the content of their leadership.
Their posture is at one with all.
Their experience is peace and spaciousness.
Their beliefs are that there is just oneness. There are no problems, and no one to “solve” them.
They benefit from unlimited freedom and peace.
When a leader can experience this state, the trappings of the ego fall away. They are no longer hijacked by their embodied patterns of egoic self-preservation and defense. They no longer need to prove their are worthy. They do not need to control anything because there is nothing to control. They do not need to seek answers because there are no problems, and they are already the answer they are seeking.
It’s important to note that this is a temporary state of consciousness. This is not a mode of being in which one person stays for an indeterminate amount of time. These are momentary experiences of peace, freedom, and enough-ness, which resource the leader so they can re-engage with their leadership anew.
The Conscious Leadership Group does an excellent job of explaining this state of consciousness in leadership, as well as three other states of consciousness that a leader might move through in any moment. If you prefer videos, this video of co-founder Jim Dethmer discussing the four styles of leading and when to use them is an excellent entry point.
While I do not consider myself a nondual teacher, I do support my clients in integrating this state into their leadership in practical ways. If you find yourself longing to explore this with a coach, feel free to schedule a consultation with me to get started.
Next Week: Growing Up
Next week we are going to get into growing up. This is the territory of development and maturation. I am a huge nerd in this arena… so we may spend a few weeks here to really unpack this together. We shall see what wants to come through me when the time comes.
Until then, may we all experience the bliss and oneness of waking up.
May this work serve all beings, everywhere.
Soulful blessings,
Emily
