Jim Carrey and friends opt for consciousness-raising over Lakers

Some might say that spirituality and Hollywood go together like sensitivity and pro wrestling.

But that’s just the kind of habitual/stereotypical thinking that more than 500 entertainment industry types vowed to vanquish at a conference Thursday night as they came together for the first meeting of the Global Alliance for Transformational Entertainment (GATE).

Spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle and movie star/seeker Jim Carrey headlined the more-than-three-hour session at an auditorium on the Fox lot in Century City. Along with singer Melissa Etheridge and several other speakers, they urged their colleagues in film, television, music and other media to transcend the tawdry and mundane with higher-minded fair.

It must have been important to those packed into the meeting. They missed the Lakers' opening championship-round game to be there.

Producer John Raatz, who formed the organization, said the time is ripe in the entertainment industry for an “up-leveling of consciousness” that, in turn, would lead to more work delving into the spiritual and divine.

Many attending the session and pledging to join in future work follow the teachings of Tolle, the best-selling author of “The Power of Now” and other books. The German-born Tolle echoes the Buddhist view that most of humanity is captive to the mind and obsessive thinking, patterns that can be broken through meditation and other techniques.

Participants said they hoped their own spiritual practices would free them from the mundane and prurient and lead them to projects with high aspirations, like combating hunger. HBO executive Scott Carlin told the gathering -- which included Garry Shandling, Billy Zane and Jackson Browne -- that audiences were yearning “for the sense of being nourished deeply.”

When he took the stage near the end of the evening, Carrey both embraced and satirized his nascent guru role. In a short film clip introducing his appearance, he cast a beatific gaze on the audience, delivering the message: “I’m Jim Carrey and I’ve come to free the world from sin.”

The actor said he had become locked in his own thoughts in part because of a childhood spent trying to entertain his terribly ill mother. Later in life he had the epiphany that most suffering came from fixating on one's own thoughts, while “heaven” could be found all around, by living in the present moment.

After making that breakthrough, Carrey said, “I want to take as many people with me as I can.”

Tolle’s remarks closed the evening. While he encouraged GATE to do more, the teacher said he had already found transcendent moments — ones that could help people “get out of the box of their minds” — in a fair number of films.

He cited “Groundhog Day,” “Titanic,” “The Horse Whisperer” and “American Beauty” as movies that incorporated important spiritual themes such as impermanence, stillness and the beauty of everyday things.

Yes, Tolle said, film can raise consciousness, if only for a moment.

--James Rainey

Comments

[Mo]

As long as they keep this spiritual talk within the arena of entertainment, that's fine. I don't think actors and entertainment figures should try to go into the area of spirituality and directly tell other people how to live their lives. That's not the job of an actor. They should be out there entertaining and inspiring people but not talking about subjects that they are not proficient in.

[Rob]

Sooo....
We won't have to suffer through another movie like "Liar Liar"?

[Sophie]

This is a joke, right? These people sell their bodies, and souls to "make it" and all of the sudden they are spiritual seekers? Hollywood and the entire industry are the polar opposite of everything spiritual.

[Sophie]

Geez. Just because they are after yet another trendy cult doesn't mean these people are spiritual.

[Gary McLarty]

Of course he's not going to be at the Laker game, he's from Canada. Now if it were hockey, skiing or some other winter sport then you might find him there. Plus he's a has been, and probably couldn't deal with the rejection of people not paying him any mind.

[Patricia]

Arrogant privileged people who think they know better than everyone else.

[Eric of Reseda]

To Sophie and Rob, you guys are perfect examples when they say, "humanity is captive to the mind and obsessive thinking". Rather than look at this and say, "Wow. TOP Hollywood leaders are talking about transforming the industry into a more positive force!", your cynicism and TOTALLY trite mutterings on Hollywood-types forces you to miss the point. The FACTS are, there IS spirituality on Earth, Hollyywood is NOT immune to elevated purpose, and a WHOLE LOT of Hollywood-types have donated MILLIONS to humanitarian and environmental causes, not just to stoke their own egos, but because they realize the position of responsibility they're in, the opportunities they have to improve the human condition. By the way Sophie, you idiot, Buddhism is not a cult. Geez.

[Shaun Mason]

What a complete load this is. The hubris of these people is beyond belief, and I guarantee you get more good feeling out of watching the Lakers break their feet off in the Magic than a thousand speeches from pretentious, sanctimonious, and clueless purveyors of pseudoscience and woo like Jim Carrey. Why don't rich movie stars ever promote rationality and critical thinking skills? Or science education? Or anything but self-aggrandizing claims to have the "answers" ? My question is rhetorical: who asked you?

[LK]

Carrey and his wife have done enough damage with their anti-vaccine nonsense. I wish he would just go see the Lakers.

[Risa]

one...I'm pretty sure you'd be better off with the word "fare" at the end of the 3rd paragraph.

two...rich storytelling will always have important humanistic and potentially spiritual elements to move people beyond their 'ordinary' mindset. Rather than calling for themes of films and TV and other entertainment to be some how more helpful or spiritual...an artificial construct or intention that will surely skew and ruin future projects (i.e. like newbie wannabe children authors will often have a "moral" or at least some intentional message to convey through their project...augh, worst stuff ever!)

...how about simply a higher demand by these professionals for outstanding storytelling and commitment to providing high quality interactions to ensure quality implementations. Take the energy and make it about being good at their work including how they treat everyone and the needs of the project/team.

Having witnessed some of the stupidest behavior and attitudes by entertainment people which regularly damages and often enough destroys the projects they are 'championing' added to lots of bad storytelling...it would be Transformational Entertainment to just improve these traits!

[Blondie]

There is a time and place for everything.Pls don't ruin the Laker game with your spiritual beliefs during the game.Yes this is America and not Canada,every one has the right to express themselves.PLs not during the game.

[Peter]

Shaun, Risa, Blondie, L.K., et al

Get a life and stop mucking up the waters of life. Why would criticize someone or something that is trying to raise the quality and conscienciouness of life? Do you ever say anything nice about anyone? If not, why not?

[Rob]

Eric - you miss my point. As most religious folk do.

Jim Carrey has made MILLION$ of DOLLAR$ making Lowest Common Denominator films - polluting our airwaves in the name of making money.

and now, with MULTI-MILLIONS earning interest, he's gonna get spiritual and tell ME how to live?

No dice, Jim.
Hows about you DONATE ALL OF YOUR CASH and then let's see how sincere you are.

Until then?
ALL religion is a Cult.
And no matter WHO is thrusting it upon you, I'd prefer to not have anyone tell me how to live my life - especially when their previous history in this world is full of missteps and horrible lies - as Jim Carrey's is.

[Woodland Hills Guy]

"...they urged their colleagues in film, television, music and other media to transcend the tawdry and mundane with higher-minded fair."

Didn't you mean "higher-minded fare"?

[janey]

Monkey see, monkey do. Because Oprah exalts Tolle, I guess entertainers and "regular folk" should, too. It happened in politics when she went gaga over Hussein; now America should behold our spiritual guide: ET. Please. These emperors hath no clothes.

GO LAKERS!

[janey]

To Peter (four posts before this). If you have a map you'll notice that we are responding to an article that's written in America. Here, people are allowed to express their opinions freely. We get to disagree, we get to "muck the waters". Imagaine that. If this upsets you, perhaps YOU should shell out a thousand bucks so ET can counsel you into everlasting calm. GO LAKERS

[brett alexander roberts]

Great story!

[Bob]

Jim Carrey and his wife Jenny McCarthy are responsible for the deaths of a lot of people as a result of their anti-vaccination hysteria. Are there no better people that Times reporters can cover?

[Tavis]

JIm's statement that he came to "free the world from sin" is spectacular, really. God made Jesus to be sin. He, Jesus, took our place in the shame of our sin to pay the price of sin, which is death. God, "made him to be sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." The righteousness you receive is not gained by anything you do; it is the gift of what God has done for you. Put your trust in Jesus, not Jim, and you will be saved.

[Elliott]

Any effort to help people become more spiritually minded (not religiously minded) is an asset to our society. Spiritual in the sense of being elevated, going beyond where you have been, to a place related to our higher emotions. Unfortunately 99% of our world population are emotionally crippled. Not from choice but because no one has educated the masses to see beyond their limitations, bias, prejudice or other narrow, self-serving views of the world. Encouraging people towards aesthetics (perfection) and excellence in a world of such diversity and ignorance (not knowing) is extremely difficult. Even a slight nudge in a direction to make this world a better place should be honored or at least appreciated. We truly live in a global community where we can benefit society from finding common ground Instead of attacking one another. Finding where we can work together helps the world improve. It is always our choice if we are seeking to have a life as well as making a life that enhances our family, our friends, our neighborhood, our community, our country and our world. I encourage and respect the efforts being made, no matter who they are, and look forward to valuable repercussions from trying to make this world a better place.

[KansasGirl]

What bilge.

[philip]

wow... what's with all the bile, kids???

Apart from whatever petty jealousy is ringing through, wouldn't this be an opportunity to celebrate that someone - who actually appeals to the masses - is putting himself out there for raising consciousness and reaching a large audience?
What kind of consciousness would piss on such an effort? Really, come on... Turn it on. You have a brain, right?

Now... do I agree with everything that was said that night (I was actually in the audience)? - no. Absolutely not. I have a hard time when people ask me to suspend my critical thinking. I like my critical thinking. But I also realize that I am not my mind alone. My mental body is not the only tool I have to experience this really - though wonderfully convenient when it comes to solving math problems, or to actually logically interpreting text instead of emotionally reacting to it.

Now, is consciousness in the media a new thing? Not at all. Think it's funny when it gets advertised as such. If you think about entertainment and the arts, it's actually deeply rooted in consciousness practice. Long before the Greek drama, media had been used to stimulate specific experiential states - and hence states of consciousness. Go ask a Shaman.

Over the last decades we apparently forgot that function, and while art has become gangrene in empty museums, entertainment has turned into mass manipulation, advertisement and propaganda.

What these people did last week, was to take a stance to take the arts back. Kudos to them for doing it, for standing out there, speaking their truth, and for being willing to let a bunch of whiny jealous and petty people shit all over them as you just did in these comments.
I think that deserves applause, and my hands are clapping for Jim and Eckart, whether I agree with them or not...

Thank you for attempting to make a difference in such an unconscious world.

[Deb]

WOW!!! Sooo many negative "comments" coming in on this--! I find it quite disturbing and shocking--as well as disappointing--:(
Please tell me this is NOT "The Norm" speaking for the masses---

I say, "Thank You c3 and ALL involved for putting on such an event!!!
AND-Thank YOU Jim Carrey, Eckhart and ALL who participated--!!!
MORE PLEASE---!!!"

[Gordon]

I think this is great. I think this is very positive. Let's see what happens from it!

Of course, some will be upset, because he's not doing it their way.
Some will resort to trying to point out anything he ever did that was 'less than spiritual'.
And some will say that he is trying to force them to accept his viewpoint.

So, where did you say this rubbish was?

[Mary]

Anti-vaxers like Jim Carrey should be shunned. He is a pathological liar and a fraud.