11 - Two Directions of Spiritual Development

The key problem with Ken Wilber’s approach is very easy to identify in that he misleadingly interprets development in terms of just one forward direction (i.e. transcendent).

Thus he repeatedly states that development is the process by which each (lower) is transcended and included in a (higher) stage.

As with many of his ideas, his manner of dealing with immanence has not been properly consistent in his various writings. However his recent position would seem to identify immanence in terms of the top-down attempt to integrate each lower from the perspective of the corresponding higher stage.

However this does not strictly represent immanence but rather the transcendent aspect of integration.

The point is that the transcendent and immanent directions are equally important so that we can identify the forward development of Spirit with either aspect.

Only when we explicitly realise these two directions and then recognise their complementary nature through interaction with each other, can we hope to give a balanced interpretation of both differentiation and integration (each with forward and backward aspects).