On Friday, May 1, at Café Sayu in Haebangchon’s Center One, the experiential reading group “Reading Vibe” will be held—where we read Ken Wilber’s “Big Holiness” together, discuss it, and share insights.
If you’ve ever opened a Ken Wilber book even once, you’ll probably remember the strange density you feel from the very first page. Each word seems familiar, yet afterward there’s a feeling that something doesn’t quite take hold in your hands. That’s not simply because it’s difficult. It’s because his philosophy contains something that can’t be received by the mind alone. A place is provided for you to walk that path together—reading and talking side by side—rather than trying to go it alone, which is so hard to do.
Who Is Ken Wilber — “The Einstein of Consciousness Research”
Ken Wilber (1949~) is a leading figure in modern integral theory, spanning Eastern and Western philosophy, psychology, science, and religious traditions. With his first book written at only 23 years old, 『The Spectrum of Consciousness』, he changed the paradigm of human consciousness research. Through some 20-plus books since then, he has established “Integral Theory.”
The AQAL model he proposes is a map of human experience that views all quadrants, all levels, all lines, all states, and all types through a single framework. He’s also a practitioner who has directly practiced methods from Zen Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhist disciplines. He is widely regarded as a thinker who was the first to connect Eastern enlightenment with Western psychological development theory into one.
『Big Holiness』 — Five Awakenings That Complete Me
Ken Wilber’s latest work, 『Big Holiness』 (original title: Finding Radical Wholeness), is the culmination of his lifelong intellectual journey. As a complete conclusion to the integral theory that connects 『no boundary』 and 『a history of everything』, it guides you toward a path to discover true spirituality without relying on the doctrines of any particular religion.
At the heart of the book are five journeys. Waking Up—an experience of becoming one with the deepest dimension of life; Growing Up—the process of expanding consciousness from a self-centered view to a world-centered one; Cleaning Up—the work of facing inner shadows and healing; Opening Up—the practice of opening your heart toward others and the world; and Showing Up—living as a fully engaged social being. Wilber says that when these five work together, conflicts between an individual’s inner world and society can be healed at the same time.
Sung Hae-young, Professor of Religious Studies at Seoul National University, commented on the book: “It beautifully and clearly portrays the human history in which Eastern and Western religions, science and spirituality, psychology and mysticism, and consciousness and the unconscious are integrated.”
Reading Vibe — An Experiential Reading Group “Beyond Reading”
On Friday, May 1, 2026, at 4:00 PM, at Café Sayu 2F, Kkita-jung in Seoul’s Haebangchon, the experiential reading group Reading Vibe will be held. We’ll read and share Chapters 15–17 of 『Big Holiness』 together.
This is not a time for listening to lectures. The session proceeds in a way that invites participants themselves into the text—reading in silence—then having conversations with a partner, and directly discovering the moment when the book’s language meets their own lived experience.
It consists of three flows: a 25-minute focus session to concentrate fully on the text; a resonance session where you share deeply what you find in the book with your partner; and an integration session that ends with a full Q&A with Professor Jo Ok-kyung. The awakening of nondualism is that it doesn’t stay in solitary reflection—this meeting is what it’s trying to say.
Everyone who is encountering Ken Wilber for the first time is welcome. You don’t need to read the book in advance.
Professor Jo Ok-kyung, the guide who can explain Ken Wilber’s language in the easiest way
Professor Jo Ok-kyung, who will lead the session, is a researcher on Ken Wilber who represents Korea. She has served as a professor at the Seoul Buddhist Graduate School. She is currently the chair of the Korean Association for Meditation Studies and the president of the Korean Association for Somatic Psychology Education. Having directly translated major works by Ken Wilber—such as 『Integral Psychology』, 『Beyond Eden』, 『Ken Wilber’s God』, and 『The Eye of Spirit』—she is a guide who understands the context beyond the text as closely as possible.
Event Overview
Date & Time: Friday, May 1, 2026, 4:00 PM ~ 6:30 PM
Location: Kkita-jung, 2nd floor of Café Sayu (11 Sinheung-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul; Haebangchon Center One)
Participation Fee: KRW 30,000 (KRW 20,000 for Big Holiness course participants); one drink per person is separate
What to bring: Must bring Ken Wilber’s 『Big Holiness』
Registration: Naver Reservation (https://booking.naver.com/booking/12/bizes/1609318)