Using the Five Wisdoms to Build a Sustainable Product

This past August, in Venwoude, the Netherlands, the Five Wisdoms Institute delivered a five-day seminar on sustainability and leadership. The seminar was hosted by Experience Integral, which aligns disciplines, such as the natural sciences, economics, politics and psychology, with the more subjective aspects of individuals and cultures. 

One goal of the seminar was to design sustainable organizations based on three principles: take care of yourself; take care of each other; take care of the environment. Below, Miriam van Groen describes her group’s process.

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Our goal was to develop a sustainable product in a half hour, each team member representing one of the five wisdom energies. My energy was Buddha – an energy I am not familiar with in my daily life. For that reason, I decided to try it out.

Many of us struggled to let go of our ‘product’ ideas. We had difficulty letting our colors shine. A few of us, including myself, were partially ‘rainbowing,’ or taking on multiple colors. I wanted to make sure everyone was included in the design process, which reflects ratna energy (yellow). I also wanted to have something to present on time – something that better than the other groups, which reflects karma energy (green).

In the end, our group made a good pitch, but the process was not smooth. We presented an application that calculates and helps reduce ecological footprints by combining GPS information for travel and product information for purchases. Given the size of the footprint, the app suggests sustainable products and services to fit different lifestyles.

The exercise allowed us to get a glimpse into our energy and how our group dynamics changed under time pressure. The other groups seemed to have more harmonious processes, which showed us what is possible when the energies combine their qualities to reach a common goal.

How to Build an Organization Focused on Sustainability

This past August, in Venwoude, the Netherlands, the Five Wisdoms Institute delivered a five-day seminar on sustainability and leadership. The seminar was hosted by Experience Integral, which aligns disciplines, such as the natural sciences, economics, politics and psychology, with the more subjective aspects of individuals and cultures. 

One goal of the seminar was to design sustainable organizations based on three principles: take care of yourself; take care of each other; take care of the environment. Below, Foreno van der Hulst describes what it was like to use the Five Wisdoms to build a sustainable organization.

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During the Embodying Integral Sustainability seminar we explored and experienced the Five Wisdoms in action. We formed in a team and each team member embodied the qualities of one of the wisdom energies.

Our assignment was to envision a new sustainability project and present it to the wider group. Our project combined clean drinking water with sustainable energy production. We experienced benefits of having all wisdom energies explicitly present.

Many leaders use Vajra energy (holding the vision) and Karma energy (being focused on time and efficiency) together. We noticed that having these two energies separate brought balance to the team. One person could really focus on vision, while the other made sure we stayed productive and on time.

The team member holding Padma energy helped us stay internally engaged and reminded us think about how our project connects with the needs of local communities. Ratna energy helped us invest time and energy on teaching each other about our particular fields of expertise, as well as the local resources of the region and our partners.

Finally, our team had to make sure to engage the person holding Buddha energy. We found this energy could be overlooked easily, but engaging it brought new ideas, insights and perspectives to the project.

Working with the Five Wisdoms was a powerful and effective way to divide team roles and allow all the team members to bring their wisdom to the table. Having all of the energies present allowed us to design a robust project in a short amount of time, in a very fluid way.

Five Wisdoms = Evolutionary Intelligences for Sustainability of the Human Hive

This past August, in Venwoude, the Netherlands, the Five Wisdoms Institute delivered a five-day seminar on sustainability and leadership with Barrett Brown, Co-Director of Integral Sustainability Center, and Marilyn Hamilton, author of ‘Integral City: Evolutionary Intelligences for the Human Hive.’

 The seminar was hosted by Experience Integral, which aligns disciplines, such as the natural sciences, economics, politics and psychology, with the more subjective aspects of individuals and cultures. One goal of the seminar was to design sustainable organizations based on three principles: take care of yourself; take care of each other; take care of the environment.

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Experience Integral invited a powerful group of practitioners to the Embodying Integral Sustainability Conference. Integral City incorporated the Five Wisdoms into the program, providing leaders a new way to work with spiritual practice, energy and collaboration.

The Five Wisdoms were introduced by Irini Rockwell, a student of Chögyam Trungpa. Irini has spent years translating the Five Wisdoms from Buddhist tradition, making this system for cultivating authentic presence accessible to westerners.

What did we learn?

Irini began each day with meditation and a physical practice that helped us open (and stay open) to our potential. Each morning after Anouk Brack, founder of Experience Integral, guided us in an embodiment centering practice, Irini guided us through an embodied sense of spaciousness.

Chögyam Trunga designed postures for each wisdom energy – to help practitioners directly relate with energy. The ‘Buddha posture,’ associated with the color white and feeling of space, invites openness and simplicity. Starting each day with this posture increased our receptiveness and feeling of ‘possibility.’

As we moved into each day, Irini introduced the other four wisdoms. Everyone was invited to notice his or her dominant and sub-dominant energies, as well as any masks he or she might use to adapt to life conditions. Moving from one energy to another, in group exercises, we formed and re-formed in waves that broke into lively exchange as we experienced different energies arising.

We reflected on past patterns, of how we have been manifesting energies. We then contemplated how we might use the Five Wisdoms in our life and work, how we might fully explore who we are.

With this inquiry, we noticed our natural affinities with other participants and our relationship to each of the Five Wisdoms.

On the last day, we moved into our sustainability work with an invitation to notice how the Five Wisdoms inform organizational design as defined by the Integral City master principles: take care of yourself; take care of each other; take care of the environment.

Each leader developed a Sustainability Business Canvas and self-organized into one of three groups, based on the three principles. We brainstormed possible organizations, missions and goals aligned with each principle. We discovered we used the Five Wisdoms in different combinations and sequences to align organizations with each principle (more to follow in future blog postings).

 It was most satisfying to recognize the Five Wisdoms as an evolutionary intelligence and we are deeply appreciative of Irini Rockwell as the ‘Wisdom Leader’ who guided us to awareness, practice and application.