White Robed Monks of St. Benedict

7.0000 Experiental

7.0100	Art
7.0101	"Transcendental Realism": An Introduction to the Nondual, Aperspectival GeometricArt Or Adi Da Samraj Gary Coates (Architecture, Kansas State University) For more than forty years, artist, scholar and spiritual teacher Adi Da Samraj (1939-2008) was involved in the production of a diverse, unique and voluminous body of visual art including; black and white ink brush paintings; color paintings; color and black and white underwater multiple exposure photographs; videographk suites synchronized with music, and; abstract geometric images generated by digital technology. Adi Da's purpose was to create images which would enable the fully participatory viewer to experience a taste of the inherently blissful state of nondual awareness that he asserts is our native condition once we transcend the presumption and experience of being a separate "subjective" self perceiving a separate "objective" reality. To make such "aesthetic ecstasy" possible he formed each image to be a "Self-Portrait of 'Reality Itself, which he describes as being inherently "Non-separate, One and Indivisible," and always prior to space-time and every separate and separative "point of view". Adi Da's exploration of the art of "Reality-Itself" culminated in his abstract geometric images, which he describes as being "aperspectival, anegoic and aniconic." These monumentally scaled images were aimed at undermining "the structuring-force of the conventional and ego-based uses of the body as a perceptual mechanism", in order to liberate the image-making as well as the image-perceiving process into "the free-domain of egoless coincidence with Reality Itself". This highly visual presentation, which focuses on Adi Da's geometric art, is based on a review of his published and unpublished writings, as well as direct experience by the author of Adi Da's art through study of digital archives and participation in his national and international exhibitions (including his highly acclaimed collateral exhibition at the 52nd Venice Biennale in 2007). The overall intention is to enhance the audience's capacity to understand and experience Adi Da's art in the radical way he intended.
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7.0102	An inside nondual view or proprioception of seeing/notseeing during an episode of retinal vein thrombosis Janelta Fleming Carruther, Bruce Carruthers Ordinarily the eye sees the outer world, not itself, except in mirror images of its outside. Sometimes this changes. Six 11"xl4" and four I4"xl7" charcoal and colour pastels sketched during the healing of a left central retinal vein thrombosis will be posted. They depict how the eye sees itself from the inside during the return of colour and geometric form from semi-blindness to nearly normal vision. This is experienced from the inside, proprioceptively, and hence nondually, with both vision, lack of vision, distortion of vision, and emotional reaction mixed together. Further verbal comment is not necessary.
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7.0103	Visual Indeterminacy, art and non-dualistic perception Robert Pepperell (Fine Art, University of Wales Institute Cardiff) In this paper I will argue that the unperceived world does not contain discrete objects or boundaries (dualisms). One of the functions of the brain and perceptual system is to categorize data from the world into discrete meaningful chunks and to impose distinctions on the world that are consistent with the biological needs of the perceiver. However, under certain conditions such as deep meditation, when afflicted by particular agnosias, or when faced with visually indeterminate stimuli these object distinctions break down or disappear altogether. The world can then appear as non-dualistic, i.e. devoid of the distinctions that characterize our habitual engagement with the world (a mode of perception termed 'nirvikalpa' in Indian psychology). I will show that artists have long understood this contingent nature of objective distinctions and tried to create works that evoke non-dualistic perception by dissolving the hard, deterministic boundaries around objects in their work. This has resulted in varying degrees of visual indeterminacy in art movements such as impressionism, fauvism, cubism, and abstract expressionism. I will discuss my own paintings, which attempt to induce a visually indeterminate state in the viewer, and the collaborative work I have done with psychophysi-cists and neuroscientists to investigate the effect of indeterminate artworks on behavioral responses and brain functions. I will close by arguing that our experience of visually indeterminate states brings us closer to an understanding of reality that is without inherent boundaries.
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7.0200	Meditation
7.0201	Consciousness: Where Science and Spirituality Meet Swnmi Antar Jyoti (Publications, Truth Consciousness) Creation is a never-ending phenomenon. Even if we travel billions of light-years to the end of the universe, the same question will arise: What lies beyond? It is limitless Light everywhere—you can hardly conceive it. The very conceptions you are making are the barriers between you and your truth. To break those barriers, you have to give up conceptions. Then you and your truth will be one, indescribable, beyond time and space. There is no language there. You cannot know the truth. You become the truth that you already are. To Know, you have to Be. At some point even scientists will say, "We tried everything. We reached where we could. It gave us many experiences, but the secret of creation is still elusive." It will always remain elusive as far as ego can perceive. You do not have to worry about where or when the universe started. Where it starts is space; when it starts is time. The totality cannot be calculated within time and space. Time and space are conceptual; therefore truth cannot be known within time and space. When you are one with the truth, your very questions will not arise. The solution is not in answering your questions, but where questions do not arise. When time and space conceptions are lost, no dimension exists. It is all-pervading Light, infinite and eternal. If we build telescopes of immense measurements—let's imagine one that is a thousand light-years in diameter—we will see fantastic, unimaginable things, but even then it will never end. Our resources will end but we will not discover the source of creation. If you really are bent upon knowing the truth of the universe, you need not go anywhere. Just drop your ego. Know thyself, you will know everything.
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7.0202	Mechanisms of action Shauna Shapiro Based on Dr. Shapiro's recent book, The Art and Science of Mindfulness, the presentation draws on scientific research and meditative practices for those interested in awakening the mind and opening the heart. Drawing on current psychological theory and research investigate the nature of mindfulness meditation and explore the mechanisms of action through which mindfulness meditation has its transformation effects.
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7.0203	Ekstasis and (VR) Space: Nowhere, everywhere, elsewhere Meehae Song, Diane Gromala (School of Interactive Arts and Technology, Simon Fraser University) "Meditative awareness is like completely open space. But not space as we commonly understand it, because awareness is not a place, nor does it have any particular form or shape. This space is neither outside the body nor inside the mind." (Tarthang Tulku, Gesture of Balance, p. 69) In this paper, we seek to explore this nondualistic "space" by comparing two virtual reality (VR) meditation applications: the Meditation Chamber, our previous work involving sitting meditation with a new work-in-progress, a walking meditation application. The Meditation Chamber combined immersive VR with biofeedback technologies in order to discover if the unfamiliar sense of immersion and the real-time feedback helped users achieve meditative states. We found that the majority of the 411 users reported that it did, especially users who had never meditated. As users slowed their respiration, the visuals changed in real-time while changes in galvanic skin response (GSR) and heart rate affected the sound. The new walking meditation application is a fully immersive application also using VR and biofeedback technologies. Meditators walk on a uni-directional treadmill through physiologically-driven virtual landscapes that are displayed on stereoscopic displays or a head-mounted display in real-time. We believe this is a good platform for discussions on the issues of nonduality as mindful mediation is a practice that elides the distinction between mind and body. In addition, the immersive, interactive "space" of VR is felt concurrently with the forces of "real" space. Both meditation and immersive experiences appear to enable or enhance our abilities to changes rnind/body states - changes that do not conform to dualistic thought or being. The Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh teaches us that nondualism in "Buddhist teachings guide us to look at things neither the same nor different. This way of seeing things is something that can be experienced."
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7.0300	Movement
7.0301	Biodanza, Dance of Life — Experiential workshop combining music, movement and relationship to provide a sense of oneness and wholeness Belisa Amaro (San Francisco School of Biodanza) Biodanza is a non-verbal, embodied workshop that promotes the experience of interdependency of living systems through interaction amongst its participants. Biodanza, which means Dance of Life in Spanish, uses world music, movement and relationships with self, partners and the group to support participants' weilness, vitality, and joy. "Trie practice strengthens our identity and our experience of radical interconnection and a consciousness for universal solidarity. Created in the 60's by Rolando Toro, Chilean anthropologist, psychologist and artist, Biodanza is an international movement with more than 100 teacher training schools around the world — including one in the U.S., located in San Francisco. Biodanza was has been offered at Esalen, Harbin Hot Springs, Bay Area National Dance Week, Sacred Dances Festival and many other renowned organizations and events. About the facilitator Belisa Arnaro pioneered Biodanza in the United States, where she has been teaching since 1998. Born in Sao Paulo, Belisa brings her passionate Brazilian soul and her impulse to connect with others to her work. She is the director of the San Francisco School of Biodanza, the only school teaching this system in the U.S.
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7.0302	Acro Yoga Tyler Ryan Blank, Donna Carroll (AcroYoga) Through the practice of AcroYoga, individuals come together for the support of their unique selves within the greater community. Utilizing partner yoga, thai massage, and acrobatics; we gather our strength,release into flexibility, focus on balance, cultivate compassion, heal with one another, and play joyfully. AcroYoga blends the spiritual wisdom of yoga, the loving kindness of Thai massage, and the dynamic power of Acrobatics. These three ancient lineages form the foundation of a unique practice that cultivates trust, connection and playfulness. Our highest aim is to bring individuals into a state of union with themselves, with each other, and with the divine. From this place of mutual support the true self can be realized, honored and shared for the benefit of all. Available to people of all abilities, Donna Carroll and Tyler Blank will be your guides through these simple movements and partner asanas (poses). Donna and Tyler will be offering a demonstration of what is possible through the practice of AcroYoga, by "flying" with one another, as well as offering the gift of flight to those in the conference willing to participate (trust)! Gentler aspects of partner yoga will also be shared so that you may experience some simple and powerful ways to release stress & holding in the body,while gathering and increasing strength, and the power of available to you. Find out how the "Other" can be a playful mirror, enlightening aspects of yourself you have forgotten about, or had not realized before. By and by, the Two individuals become One team, working in harmony, as one organism with many limbs.
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7.0303	Quantum BioFeedback for the 21st Century: WOW Processing Laura Cirolia, Rev. Louisa Dyer, MA (WOWProcessing) The WOW Processes are dynamic, alchemical experiences that can alleviate suffering on any level of Being — physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual — by activating present moment awareness and then grounding the Power and Love of Presence into new, conscious choices for living and loving. Using these powerful, precisely timed guided meditations with the WOW hand position produces a quantum biofeedback that facilitates easy release of whatever is no longer wanted, awareness of what is truly desired, and real-world activation of who you truly choose to be - happier, healthier, and consciously evolving. WOW quickly and easily: energizes creativity, enhances clarity of purpose, reduces suffering, upshifts the quality of love in your relationships, helps you accept, embody and express Oneness, and brings you into greater alignment with true purpose.
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7.0304	Breema: The Art of Being Present Mary Cuneo (Breema Center) We need to come to a dimension of consciousness in which we can see things as they are. We have been conditioned to never be present. We're always in the past or future. So we don't know we exist, and we receive life energy mechanically, without knowing it. The aim of Breema is to bring us to a tangible experience of presence that becomes our foundation for a new dimension of health, consciousness, and self-understanding. Breema is a unique and simple approach to experience body-mind connection. It offers a profound understanding of the underlying unity of all life that is expressed in a dynamic and practical philosophy—the Nine Principles of Harmony. Join us for Self-Breema exercises and Breema bodywork—a living expression of the unifying principles of existence, through touch and movement. Practicing Breema offers us the possibility of entering the process of disidentification with ourselves. In the unification of body, mind, and feelings, we receive Conscious energy. With it we can see the reality of things. This is the alchemy that turns lead into gold. Lead is our fragmented, conceptual relationship to life through past and future. Gold is the present moment. Since 1980, the Breema Center has been presenting Breema's practical approach to harmony and Self-understanding. This presentation will be done by staff instructors from the Breema Center. "When you're present, everything that exists in the entire universe is present with you. Because when you're present, you are unified in unity."
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7.0305	The Overarching Themes involved in understanding and observing patterns of human movement: Mobility/Stability, Inner/Outer, Function/Expression and Exertion/ Recuperation Karen Studd (Dance, College Of Visual and Performing Arts) Understanding what "is", by what "is not", is necessary to making sense of our world. This process is differentiation. Differentiation is based in the experience of our bodies. This is vital to our development and survival; as we identify self/other, choose fight or flight and what is edible or inedible. From the simplest level, even cells function by differentiating between what is inside or outside the cell wall. The construct of duality generates polar opposites. Up/down, hot cold, in/out etc. While these can be understood as opposhes, they are two sides of a coin. In other words; the whole. Duality is a primary part/whole distinction. Increasing complexity results from differentiation. Progressing from simple to complex expands potential. We move from a simpler existence into a more complex one. We see this in the development of societies as well as in individuals. In observing this in human movement, watch a child playing a board game with an adult. The child is totally absorbed in the event, for every move, the child's entire being is involved. This is registered in full-bodied postural actions. One is more likely to see the adult using isolated gestures to move a game piece. For the adult the game is not all consuming. He maintains control of the time allotted for play, and demands of other responsibilities. Problems arise when this multi-tasking leads to disconnection from the moment. While differentiation serves us in managing the complexity of our lives, it may inhibit us from fully experiencing the larger whole of life. Development and growth need not be limited to a linear progression from simplicity to ever more complex differentiation. It should be a spiral that allows us to return to the wholeness of Being. Full potential is realized in integration of the whole.
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7.0400	Music
7.0401	TaKeTiNa — experiencing duality through a rhythm process Elaine Fong Imagine being able to experience the duality of chaos/order, expansion/contraction, falling in/falling out, in a rhythm process that uses your body as the principal instrument. TaKeTiNa is a unique process capable of activating human and musical potential through rhythm. In TaKeTiNa, the body is the main instrument. Using your voice, your hands and your feet, you are guided into three separate rhythmic layers which directly affects the nervous system. The experience of simultaneity is therefore direct, intense and lasting. TaKeTiNa conveys rhythm in such a way that people can absorb, understand, and learn in the most natural manner. Instead of being taught random rhythmic patterns, TaKeTiNa guides its participants directly into the experience of primal rhythmic movements that are anchored in the sensory-motor system of every human being. This underlying rhythmic foundation expresses itself through music in every culture. The TaKeTiNa process combines the rhythmic knowledge of ancient cultures with insights from our modern world including rhythm research, cybernetics, neuroscience, and chaos theory. Both information systems are present in this new path of learning. TaKeTiNa is a rhythm process developed in 1970 by Austrian composer and percussionist Reinhard Flatischler www.taketina.com). Today it is applied worldwide in the field of education and therapy in music universities, hospitals, rehabilitation-clinics, psychotherapy practices and pain therapy. It is also used in work with theater groups and corporate trainings. The effects that the TaKeTiNa Rhythm Process have on the nervous system are researched and verified in various projects with scientists and physicians.
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7.0402	TransDance® with Heather Munro Pierce Heather Munro Pierce (Temple Arts Institute) Come delight your inner Buddha as we engage in an embodied exploration of the Seven Factors of Awakening through movement, music, and mindfulness. A TransDance journey integrates elements of tribal motion, freeform expression, moving meditation and activated imagination into a potent, playful and prayer-full ecstatic dance experience. Spaciously facilitated, all movement is at your own pace and interpretation. Heather has facilitated inspirational, transformative and healing movement for nearly 20 years.
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7.0403	Hear and Heal - Experience firsthand Sound's tremendous Power to Transforms and Heal Silvia Nakkach, Facilitated by The Vox Mundi and CIIS Sound Healing Community of Practitioners (VoxMundi Project) "There is something in music that transcends and unites. It symbolizes the yearning for harmony, with oneself and others, with nature and the spiritual and the sacred within us and around us." - His Holiness the XIV Dali Lama. Today, the field of sound and music healing is rapidly gaining recognition as an essential component of health care in our society. These sessions lead by advanced sound healing practitioners and musicians offer you both the scientific framework and practical demonstrations of how sound and music heals by bringing our nervous system into balance. You experience the integration of forms of bodywork and tuning forks to better adapt to the stresses of life and open the flow of energy. You learn why sound healing is becoming parr of a larger context of integrative health applications including: achieving states of relaxation, improving mental clarity and brain functioning, relieving stress by drawing our body into a centered space, enhancing massage, acupressure, creativity, and meditation, and ways to apply sound to the body to manage pain and increase joint mobility. Each practitioner brings his or her own particular modalities which combine yoga, voice, sound and music with shamanic healing, art and live music making through medicine melodies that mirror your natural sense of being, and devotional chanting to clear and open your heart.
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7.0500	Other
7.0600	Self Expression