This past Sunday’s Beyond Awakening featured a dialogue with Candice O’Denver entitled “Open Intelligence Outshines Experience — Uniquely in Each of Us.”
Candice O’Denver is a brilliant and extremely well-educated mother and grandmother, as well as a true “Renaissance Woman” whose teachings are serving people all over the world. I have described her work as one of the most innovative spiritual teachings in the world today, but Candice rarely uses the word “spiritual” at all.
During our conversation, we explored some of the creative leading edges of her teaching work. Her talks and writings express, in my opinion, some of the highest non-dual spiritual instructions; and she expresses them in elegant, original, fresh, and universal terms, without the usual spiritual associations and baggage. The system she teaches is called Balanced View — also the name of her international organization which makes her teachings available freely “for the benefit of all.”
Our conversation ranged widely, hinging upon my noticing of a series of elegant distinctions that are implicit in Candice’s choices of words. For example, instead of calling her instructions “pointing-out instructions” (the phrase used traditionally in dzogchen), Candice speaks about “confirmation.” This choice of words connotes that our relationship to open intelligence and freedom is always already full and doesn’t need to be “pointed out” to us (as if it were “over there”) but is more properly “confirmed” (because it is “right here”).
Candice spoke passionately about the need for the subject/object duality of God to be “wrathfully destroyed.” Several times, she quoted this passage from the Bible; “You are my Beloved and in You I am well pleased,” to demonstrate this, emphasizing that “You” and “Beloved” are One. I agreed, adding that this involves making a shift from a theistic reaching out to an invisible entity “out there,” to the courageous boldness of saying I am God.
Another fascinating (and “spiritually futuristic”?) aspect of Candice’s teaching is her expertise in technology and information systems, as well as her deep engagement with art and music. All these fields are avenues for the expression of Balanced View’s work.
On one hand, she expresses her teachings in terms of “data” and “intelligence” rather than “consciousness” and “phenomena”, and her team has invented a computationally intensive algorithm for open intelligence and spontaneous altruism. On the other, we see the Massive Vibe project, which offers the direct transmission of comprehensive intelligence through a new style of music—combining the off-beat and silence with radically innovative word combinations.
I invite you to listen in to the full dialogue here.
Announcement
Join us this Sunday, August 31st, for a rich conversation with Candice O’Denver entitled “Open Intelligence Outshines Experience — Uniquely in Each of Us.”
Candice O’Denver’s “Balanced View” teachings on identity and intelligence are radical, innovative, unique and original. Even though they are resonant with the “pure consciousness” teachings of dzogchen they are non-traditional and disarmingly direct.Her approach cuts to the root, using fresh, intuitive, universal language, like “open intelligence,” “instinctive recognition,” “outshining,” and “being of benefit.”
And the teaching, rather than being a complex, esoteric wisdom available only to initiates, is open to all and for the benefit of all. Paradoxically, though, it is always uniquely arrived at by each individual.
Balanced View draws on Candice’s lifelong familiarity with computers, the Internet, and information theory, as well as over 40 years of study of the implications of critical theory, art, and literature, and also her deep engagement in the Sanskrit and Tibetan languages, art, music, literature and cultures.
One summary of Candice’s innovation is, “In short moments of clarity, repeated many times, your natural open source intelligence becomes more and more obvious until it is predominant at all times. Open intelligence is illuminated at the crucial juncture of open intelligence and data.” The freedom offered by open intelligence is that we are no longer “victims” of data.
Complete relaxation is the core of open intelligence and spontaneously being of benefit to others through whatever is shining forth in the moment. Recently for Candice, this involved walking off stage at one of her teaching events and inviting others to come up and show whatever strengths, gifts and talents they wanted to show—so that others could shine forth with their own benefit. “We become youthful and lively,” says Candice, “because we are simply being who we actually are.”
In our conversation, we discuss many things, including the “Massive Vibe” project, in which Candice has worked with an international team of renowned vocalists and musicians who deliver the direct transmission of comprehensive open intelligence via a new style of music—combining the off-beat and silence with radically innovative word combinations to create music people can not only hear, but see.
I recently visited Candice at her home, and we recorded a remarkable conversation I’m delighted to be able to share with you this Sunday.
I hope you’ll tune in!
Announcement
About Candice O’Denver:
Candice O’Denver is the founder of the Balanced View teachings, whose unique methodology begins and ends in the naturalness of our own open intelligence. It offers an education in the nature of mind, allowing people to realize their greatest potential and to be of benefit to all. This grassroots movement empowers people around the world to see their strengths and talents and contribute them for the benefit to all, enjoying increasing happiness and joy and tapping into their potential for living life in a deeply caring and beneficial way.
Candice studied in a Yale mathematics program for gifted children. At the age of 18, she attended a UCLA international program for young philosophers where she focused on the pragmatic application of philosophy to be of immediate, and permanent benefit. Bypassing undergraduate school, Candice was accepted into and completed graduate school, studying both critical theory and fine arts with a variety of professors at California College of the Arts, UC Berkeley, and Stanford.
Candice applies precise levels of organization and explanation used in computer science to arrive at specific results in the philosophy of mind, and has developed a comprehensive educational platform for studying the nature of intelligence. From her 44+ years innovating a comparative analysis of all systems designed to define human nature as well as a standardized comprehensive map for defining human nature in contemporary terms, Candice invented Balanced View, a standardized education in the nature of mind used throughout the world.