What is an underlying question that gives form
to your work or interest in this field?
How do we ignite the natural genius of people individually
and collectively?
What is your personal experience of collective
wisdom in groups?
When we were in touch with the collective wisdom (more
than half a dozen times in the past year), we all became one mouth,
one mind and one spirit. The magic and experience was very perceptive
in the field and there was awareness and joy in people that lingered
on for next several days. As I experiment with igniting the natural
genius in groups, several design principles emerge and flow from one
to another.
What is it about the work in this field that excites
you and connects you to your own deepest self?
When I work with others –in helping them ignite
their natural genius I find that something opens up for me. It is like
I am looking into a mirror and all I see is reflection. When they begin
to reflect on themselves, I am somehow included in that reflection and
vice versa. The past, identities, differences all break down as we continue
the reflection process. It is like standing between two mirrors, you
see infinite reflections…
Please provide a brief storyline or snapshot of
what brought you to this work.
I grew up in an orthodox Brahmin family in south India
around a Hindu Temple. I learned Sanskrit and some of the priestly body
of knowledge from young age, I used to love to chant and engage other
kids in playing together on temple grounds. Many saints and sadhus passed
through our town and I got exposed to different ways of looking at the
same reality –group chanting, music, meditation, prayer, rituals,
story telling, playing games. They were all the same but approached
life from a slightly different angle. It helped me to see the system
as a whole – like appreciating a diamond by checking out reflections
from different facets of the diamond. I studied physics because I thought
it would help me understand the universal principles. About 20 years
ago, I went through an experience of discovering myself more from the
appreciative stance that others took – when I saw myself as others
saw me – I was deeply touched and recognized that I was being
a mirror for the group and they were being a mirror for me – at
the same time. Something happened and my capacity got ignited. Since
then, I have been curious and wanted to understand this phenomenon where
we are not two but not one. Later, when I was a fellow at Apple University,
I was studying conditions for discontinuous learning and thinking. That
is when I made the connection between early experiences of Vedanta and
the concept of Advaita – we are not two and not one. It is about
that transcendence that allowed me to explore how we can consciously
participate in igniting natural genius – it is neither yours nor
mine – but when it happens both of us tap into the same essence.
It is like all of us dipping into the same ocean of
consciousness. You might bring a tanker and I might bring a small pot.
We both take the same water with us. When the pot and the tanker are
inside the ocean, they disappear and only the water remains. The same
is true when the field shows up more powerfully and the individual identities
disappear and only the collective intelligence shines!
How would you like to be available to others in
this field?
I have dedicated myself to this work. I found that it
is better to connect with people who could really serve others in a
big way so I have been focusing on CEOs and senior executives to become
effective, innovative and successful by tapping into their inner genius.
Slowly they recognize that there is no ‘their’ inner genius
or mine. The next step is to recognize that there is no ‘inner’
or ‘outer’ and there is only genius. Finally, there is no
ignition just ‘unlearning’ and ‘unpeeling the layers
of conditioning.’
I will be happy to talk with others. My contribution has been to get
them in touch with their next significant step on their journey. It
looks like it happens reliably, repeatedly and appreciatively. They
can also attend our weekly gatherings on wednesday evenings in my office
in the Silicon Valley around this theme of practical spirituality if
they are nearby in California.
