Nirvikalpa

"The eating from the Tree of Knowledge, then, was not itself Original Sin. It represented the acquisition of self-consciousness and of true mental reflection, and with that evolutionary knowledge men and women then had to face their prior alienation. They still were born, still suffered, still died-but now they knew, it, and had to bear just that new and agonizing burden. This is why we said the eating from the Tree of Knowledge was not Original Sin or Original Alienation, but the Original Apprehension of Original Alienation. By eating from the Tree of Knowledge, not only did men and women realize their already mortal and finite state, they realized they had to leave Eden's subconsciousness and begin the actual life of true self-conscious responsibility (on the way to superconsciousness, or Actual Return). They did not get thrown out of the Garden of Eden; they grew up and walked out. (Incidentally, for this courageous act, we have Eve to thank, not blame.)"" - Ken Wilber

One of my early influences is Ken Wilber. I was brand new to "the search" and stumbled upon the Shambhala "Ken Wilber" forum in the early nineties. There I met an amazing group of "seekers" whom, in one way or another, had been touched by Ken's writing. Ken is an Enlightened philosopher helping us understand the highest human evolution and integrating all philosophies into one unified picture.