Towards a Geographic Big Mind

Zen master Genpo Roshi's Big Mind process has become something of a sensation amongst the integral scene here in Boulder, for good reason. Unlike the traditional "narrow" paths of certain meditation schools, which focus on a bull-headed, laser-pointed pursuit of satori, Big Mind is devoted to exploring all of the minds, personalities, forms of consciousness, etc. which are part of one's 10,000 minds (and if you don't think you have 10,000, try staring at a blank wall for 10 minutes without thinking).

Using a voice dialog process, Big Mind facilitators engage groups in sessions lasting 2+ hours, having them look at the many facets of their minds. The Controller figures big, as it is a voice which allows the facilitator access to all of the other voices. If the facilitator wishes to speak to, say, my Desire voice, the Controller must be honored and petitioned first. What's interesting is that, each time a new voice is brought on stage, participants are asked to shift in their seating position. We actors might take it a step further: shifting in voice, mannerism, accent, etc.

During a session yesterday, we spoke as several voices: The Controller, Apathy, Anger, and Desire. All of these, besides the Controller, have "enlightened" versions of themselves as well: Apathy becomes Equanimity, Anger becomes Warriorship, Desire becomes The Lover, and so on. In flipping the egocentric versions into their more trans-egoic counterparts, we engage in a process of transmutation, using the energy of what appear to be very selfish emotions to inhabit far more useful mindsets (to a sufferring world in need of them at least). The Selfish Sentient Being becomes a Hero, just by examining the capacities of his own mind. [Note: most powerful for me was the switch from Anger to Warriorship, both of which share an intense motivation for action.]

Now then, let's take this a step further. First, let's assume that folks like Howard Bloom and Andrew P. Smith are correct in suspecting that at some point in the near future, the entire planet itself will become a sentient being, utilizing its oceans, ecosystems, civilizations, and infrastructures much the way an amoeba makes use of its organelles. Second, let us pretend for a moment, as I once did, that it is cities which serve as the loci of energy and focus within this global superorganism.

Could these cities also be viewed as "minds" in the Big Mind process? Could one identify with the global superorganism, and then inhabit and speak as its many minds? Could a skilled facilitator draw from you the Voice of New York City? The Voice of New Orleans? The Voice of Boulder? The Voice of Timbuktu? The Voice of Iran? The Voice of China? And would each of these bring its own capacities, intelligences, and ultimately, enlightened counterparts?

Can you feel the part of you that is America? Australia? Swaziland? Nova Scotia? Great Britain? The Moon?

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