Question: There are discussions in a courtroom-style format in integral groups. What are we to arrive at as a group at the end of this kind of trial?

Answer: The trial should be based much more strictly, precisely, and more clearly differentiated so that later you can categorize it as a trial record that you understand what happened, what we have now, and what will happen.

Every person would evaluate the group and himself from the “human” level and the level of his egoism, that is, from the perspective of a number of roles such as the judge, the defense, the jury, and an observer, a listener, and the victim, the injured side.

There are many roles in every one of us because every person consists of everyone else. For example, there are five parts role-played in a group. This means that every person must find these five levels within him, and, on every level, he must feel how he regards this situation as he separates from everyone else.

Then, he reaches the conclusion that, in general, there is no one to judge and nothing to judge. He understands who can judge and who can justify, and everything we do only has the right to exist when it pursues a single goal: a connection.

When a person is able to softly change ranges—like a regulator, to go from one level to another—then he really becomes internally soft and integral. He activates absolutely all of his qualities, beginning with the lowest, animal qualities, and ending with the highest qualities, which are originating only in him, and, this way, he advances.
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From a Talk on Integral Upbringing 3/5/12

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In groups of integral learning, people experience serious changes during the course of discussions. It’s possible to tell just by looking at them, the wild development they are undergoing. After all, the material they are studying is not just simple material. When we work with it, we evoke the forces of nature concealed in us. When we speak of the next level, the forces of this level, this field, interact with us and constantly evoke strong reactions and turbulent changes. People undergo very serious inner processes.

And when they separate, they feel how much they lack this kind of communication. This is why it’s necessary to keep this virtual connection they manage to create between them. This is very important because it’s similar to parting with something great, something that gradually becomes somewhat more important than life itself.

When groups begin to live this inner life, they connect to a new source, the next level of existence. And then this separation from the group might be perceived as something very dramatic by a person, and we must also think about dampening the process of his separation or giving him a replacement, otherwise the person will feel like he is dying.
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From a Talk on Integral Upbringing 3/5/12

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Question: I have noticed that there is a lot of laughter and jokes during the discussions in integral groups. How serious should these classes be? Should we somehow fight the laughter?

Answer: No. We need to give the emotions an opportunity to come out, rise above us, laugh at ourselves, and understand where they come from. We are dealing with the origin of the second level “Man” above the “animal” level in us. And this is why these two levels have an equal right to exist. Under no circumstances should we suppress the animal level. The egoistic level remains, it flows beneath us, and it’s always in the process of growth. And accordingly, we grow and rise above it. We’re not able to grow without the growth of egoism in us.

It’s hard to determine how much people are developing egoistically during the first encounters in an integral group. However, later, different excesses and contradictions will start appearing in them. And working with it now becomes very interesting, since the purpose is to develop our integral interaction through this. This will happen later.

But for now, laughter, exclamations, a variety of very deep inner outbursts, represent the inability to express our sensations. All of this is the need to ascend: either a negative one, which comes from egoism, or a not yet resolved or realized altruistic level. But this is a good thing. The main thing is to let it all come out.
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From a Talk on Integral Upbringing 3/5/12

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If I study in the integral education group, I shouldn’t be interested in the gender, personality, or the marital situation of the people in the group. What interests me is only their effort to transcend themselves, the extent that we can ascend together.

It’s as if their souls hold hands, souls without bodies, sex, or any family burdens. It’s as if from the 12 people who learn in the group a spirit exits, and all 12 spirits rise together to the next level. That’s the way that they basically want to see themselves.

From the discussions in the focus groups, I see that women understand this more. And men are right in a sense that a quick integration into each other may lead to problems. When people come closer spiritually, it’s good. But afterwards, when they return to the usual corporeal level, this closeness can bring all kinds of unwanted connections. No other connections in the group, except for spiritual connections, are desirable.

Under no circumstances do I want to forbid anything. I simply say to them that for the attainment of equality, the connection, the general mutual spiritual combination, it’s absolutely forbidden for us to cast even a small anchor within our corporeal relations. We need to completely separate from them.

We need to understand that the human who now begins to grow from within us is a Human Being. And next to him our body exists like a puppy or a cat that you must give what it needs. When you give your “animal’’ what it really needs, not more or less, that’s the best and healthiest thing for it. Give it the needed portion and don’t think about it any more. And as far as everything else is concerned, raise it and connect it above—the human within you.

Thus, it’s actually desirable to not know anything about others and to always aspire upwards. We will become familiar with each other to the extent that we clarify our problems in the group, meaning the problems that arise at home, in the family, or with the children. We will begin to see it as the approach for ascending upwards. I open up about it specifically so that the group will help me solve the problem at the corporeal level and rise above it higher to the next, human level. In this case, it’s necessary.

Except for that, in the meantime we need a lot of empirical data that we will use to make conclusions, and life will teach us.
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From a Talk on Integral Upbringing 3/1/12

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Convention of Unity, Day Three, Lesson 5

Convention of Unity, Day Three, Workshop 5

Convention of Unity, Day Three, Lesson 6

Convention of Unity, Day Three, Yeshivat Haverim 3

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Convention of Unity, Day Two, Lesson 4

Convention of Unity, Day Two, Workshop 4

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Convention of Unity, Day Two, Lesson 2

Convention of Unity, Day Two, Workshop 2

Convention of Unity, Day Two, Lesson 3

Convention of Unity, Day Two, Workshop 3

Convention of Unity, Day Two, Yeshivat Haverim 1

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Question: Let us say that there are forty to fifty people in a group of integral learning. Where should the women be during the studies?

Answer: Figuratively speaking, women need to take men by the hand, bring them to their place, and sit them down. At the same time, they also can participate in this group, but purely externally. Men should not feel or see them.

Women must not be in the way of the men. It is best for them to observe the men though a video camera from another room.

Men sit in a circle. They can hug, be close to one another, and perceive their unity, their proximity, in different ways through whatever words they wish to use. They can cry and admire.

Women, practically, cannot have this kind of state between them, of course, except for certain eccentric individuals who also exist. This is why they need to sit in a separate auditorium, not in a circle, but in rows, in whatever way they wish to arrange their chairs or just randomly scattered around, and have a screen where they can see the men’s group.

This is exactly how they learn. They listen to the same article, feel and understand what the men are doing between them, and they do their inner preparation. Basically, they do not need more than this.

They understand the importance of the objective the men have undertaken and which only they can realize. At the same time, the women change and shape themselves, and this is absolutely enough. In other words, the men carry the importance and the realization of the goals with the absolute support of the women in the background.

Question: In other words, do women not need to take part in the discussion of what they see?

Answer: No, men absolutely do not need it! Women only need to express their support, admiration, and participation. Maybe, they can do some things to help.

Men must feel that they are supported constantly and passionately, that women seriously participate and, at the same time, are very demanding and attentive, like a mother. They demand a result from what is happening. As soon as the men attain any result, women need to show them their admiration and their approval without which they cannot advance.

Question: When women gather in a separate place, can they somehow communicate, talk, and discuss things?

Answer: Of course. First of all, they need to help themselves. Bring cakes, fruit, and sweets. They need to create a nice environment for everyone, but never impose mutual internal work on one another! It must be voluntary.

Naturally, they will feel close in spirit, a sort of a women’s union, but not more than that. Everything is done only around the men.
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From a Talk on Integral Upbringing 3/4/12

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Convention of Unity, Day One, Lesson 1

Convention of Unity, Day One, Workshop 1

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Question: Quite often during our discussions in the integral education groups, we slip into the usual, ordinary state. We begin to compliment one another and so on. How should we escape from such states so that we will not waste our time?

Answer: There has to be a clear plan in front of everyone or a big screen with the text, and you should know that you must flow along its path as if you were in a little, common boat. Imagine that we are in the huge sea and this text is our guide.

Together, we read the same article and its study is a certain step forward on our part. The article is divided into parts or sub-steps. We read one or two sentences and discuss what they say and how they help us unite, rise, and correctly use everything that exists within us. At the same time, the text itself must direct us and give us clues as to what we should do. Essentially, it should play the role of a teacher.
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From a Talk on Integral Upbringing 3/2/12

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