The Trap of Spiritual Materialism

[dynamo]

by Edwina Shaw; UPLIFT (http://www.riseearth.com/2018/03/the-trap-of-spiritual-materialism.html)

Can Spirituality Feed Your Ego?

‘Spiritual materialism’ is a term first used by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, a Tibetan Buddhist teacher who came to the United States in the early seventies. In his book Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism, Trungpa expounded on his theories of how the ego likes to use the spiritual path for its own ends, and the mistakes seekers easily fall into in their quest for enlightenment.

The problem is that ego can convert anything to its own use… even spirituality. ~ Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche

In the west, we have come to think of our spiritual quest as ‘self-improvement,’ which is all well and good, except what is the self? Ego.

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Especially in the west, where we are conditioned from an early age into individualism and material accruement, it is easy to impose these ingrained structures of understanding onto spirituality as well. We can collect courses and retreats and practices like medals, or childhood sports trophies, feeding our ever-hungry egos. “Look at me! Look how much I’ve given up, read, invested in my spiritual life!” As if this spiritual search somehow makes us better than the person beside us; who feels no need to meditate every day or do an hour’s asana practice or sit at the feet of a guru. But in all of us, the spiritual path unfolds.

Whether we are aware of it or not – our soul is growing and finding its way. It is only when the ego grasps hold of this search and uses it to feed itself that we are in danger of falling into the trap of spiritual materialism.

The Three Lords of Materialism

Trungpa discussed how these spiritual errors fall into three misunderstandings, stemming from the materialism inherent in Western cultures. He called these the ‘Three Lords of Materialism.’ The first of these is ‘physical materialism’, where the belief that owning and accumulating more and more will bring us happiness. Yet, even when we attain what we first desired, we always yearn for more. In this sense, dissatisfaction accompanies every purchase. It is the yearning that must be addressed.

The second Lord is ‘psychological materialism’, where we believe that a certain faith or belief system will be the cure to all our ills. We fall in love with Buddhism, for instance, and think that if we throw ourselves into the practices with enough vigor, we will be able to evade suffering. Yet, we still suffer. We may strike upon an idea or a political party or cause that momentarily seems to relieve our burdens. But this relief is only momentary. We are still living in the world and the religion or idea, or whatever it is we’ve latched onto so enthusiastically, doesn’t stop challenges from arising.

The third Lord is ‘spiritual materialism’, the belief that a certain state of mind or spiritual practice will set us free from our daily troubles. We may seek to remove ourselves from the world through overusing meditation or breathing techniques, or by living in a drugged-out haze. Escaping. However, at some point we have to stop meditating or the drugs run out and the world again intrudes and the suffering we sought so hard to evade is back in our faces, louder and harder than ever. Life keeps on happening, no matter how hard we try to block it out. **** still happens.

The Ego – A Projection of the Mind

Trungpa taught that these three Lords are based on the idea that the ego is real, that it is something to be tamed or trained, when in fact, it is constantly changing and does not exist in itself, only as a projection of the mind. If we feed it and build our sense of self around our spiritual practices for instance, then we are only feeding what doesn’t exist. Anything that feeds into this false self of ego will ultimately cause us only more suffering.

So what are the warning signs and how do we find our joy and relieve our suffering, without falling into the trap of feeding the ravenous ego? God knows!

Navel gazing has often been derided, though of course, it is necessary to examine one’s mind and motivations, but when the focus becomes one of boosting the self, narcissistic or self-aggrandising, then we know perhaps it’s time to stop looking inwards and turn our attention out into the world and set an intention to serve the good of others. Though, that too, can feed the ego – look at me, being so good giving up Christmas with my family (which I really hate anyway) to serve food to the homeless – aren’t I a good person? Just bringing an awareness of our true motivations is enough.

If we find ourselves jumping from one fad, one teacher, one book or idea to the next, hoping for instant enlightenment, or healing, that’s another trap. Unfortunately, there isn’t an easy way out; the work of living continues as long as we live. We can find ways of being that help us to embrace all of it more completely, without judgment, but there is no cure for life except death. Even enlightened beings grieve when someone they love dies. We all feel pain.

The Trap of Competing

That leads me to another trap on the spiritual path, one that I recognize as my ego’s favorite – my suffering is worse than your suffering, my bliss is greater than your bliss — comparison and competition, inherent in capitalism but of no use whatsoever in the quest for living more peacefully. We all suffer, we all find our bliss. Be aware of the ego grasping for fuel. If you find yourself dwelling on your own sainthood, then perhaps it’s time for a reality check. Sooner or later it will come to you anyway. If you catch yourself talking only about your latest spiritual teacher, book or practice, trying to enlist others to the cause – look closely at yourself – are you ‘selling’ it? If we’re selling something, then we’ve probably tipped over into spiritual materialism.

That’s not to say you can’t write a great book about the search for happiness, or provide healing services for a fee, it’s only a caution to ensure that the heart of your practice remains centred in being of service, not of serving your own need for a big fancy house and a brand new car.

Be aware also of buying into quick fixes, super-gurus and anything that promises instant enlightenment or a cure for what is missing in our lives. Perhaps these things do happen but the reality is, we each have our own path unfolding within us for the entirety of our lives. Even when we reach some kind of peace, events will still happen that shake us to the core and strip away all we’d fought so hard to attain.

In the West, we have a bad habit of appropriating the spirituality of other cultures, borrowing the rituals or practices we enjoy, mixing and matching without really thinking about the culture or history that shaped the path. Picking a little of this and a little of that, like a pick-and-mix lolly bag, collecting without due consideration. Accumulating. Treating the practices of other cultures with respect and care is important.

Language Clues

The words we use when referring to our spiritual paths give us clues as to whether we’re falling into the trap of ego identification through spirituality – spiritual materialism. If we’re using words like buy and sell, attain and lose, and win, and more and greater than, less than – words of judgment, separation, and acquisition, then we’re probably in need of a wake-up call.

Chögyam Trungpa said:
[Spiritual materialism is to] deceive ourselves into thinking we are developing spiritually when instead we are strengthening our egocentricity through spiritual techniques.
What Then is Spirituality?

How can we approach our spiritual paths without falling into these traps? Awareness is key, and then once we are aware, focusing not only on ourselves and our own healing but on somehow serving the greater good. True spirituality, for me, means experiencing life as it is, while at the same time experiencing that part of ourselves, and of others and the universe itself, that comes from a higher source and connecting with that source in whatever way works for us.

Trungpa’s writings about spiritual materialism serve to wake us up from the trick we all play on ourselves of feeding the ego through self-improvement. Instead, he shows us a far brighter reality, the true joy that involves letting go of the ego and just being, here in the moment, riding the waves of life as they rise and fall.

We use our spiritual search to build a sense of self as a ‘spiritual person,’ a falsehood and deception, or the seeking of enlightenment as a means of escape. We’ve all met people who are hooked on Vipassana retreats, come out from each one glowing, but then a few weeks later are stumbling and lost once more, searching for another fix of their spiritual drug.

[petra]

What's right for one person may be poison for another, that's how I've come to think of it.
Definitely feels like a trap. I guess it kind of feels like one of those traps that we're going to fall into no matter what.
How to get out then? Well, I think a lot of it has to do with not judging people.

[The Freedom Train]

"How woke are you?" is a current trend.

[Wind]

The ego is a cunning creature, make no mistake about it.

[O Donna]

Disclaimer: I am not exempt from any of this. No better (or worse) then the next.

The OP is a worthy muse.
Pause for a moment and consider the OP's role in feeding the ego as well.

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https://gchimani1964.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/384555_453282044715019_1501401579_n.jpg

This message brought to you by one, like you, that scratches the surface.

https://ak4.picdn.net/shutterstock/videos/3176194/thumb/6.jpg?i10c=img.resize(height:72)

[Orph]

Soooooooo, if I'm aware that I'm into spiritual materialism, is it really a trap? The world is my playground and I'm free to explore it in any way I choose. As far as I'm concerned, there is no such thing as "the trap" of spiritual materialism. Or, perhaps I'm trapped into a false belief that I have a right to choose what to believe. :noidea: :heh:

Awwwww, the heck with it. You play in your trap. I'll play in mine. :bounce: :lol:
:sun:
:jester: :sarcastic:

[O Donna]

Awwwww, the heck with it. You play in your trap. I'll play in mine. :bounce: :lol:
:sun:

<< Draws line in the sand >>

Sooooo you think we play in separate traps, do you? :peep: ;) :flower:

[Orph]

Sooooo you think we play in separate traps, do you? :peep: ;) :flower:That's my belief and I'm sticking to it. ................ Until I change my mind. :boxing:

Oooops I think we're derailing this thread, O Donna. Sorry Dynamo. I'll stop now.

[Ewan]

Well clearly we have to form sides, if there's a line in the sand those people on that side might know something we don't! Maybe they want our sand too. Battlestations...

Oh, wait....

I get all that the OP is about, I certainly devoured books like a man possessed for some time then I noticed I was rolling my eyes at what some commentators/guru's were saying and I realised I was in danger of adopting a fixed position. Beliefs were turning solid.

I tend to live life on a que sera sera basis these days, and always am amused when I catch myself listening to an inner ego rant about something. As soon as that awareness clicks in the ego goes silent again but I know it is just waiting for the next opportunity to get hold of the reins again.

[DeDukshyn]

What's right for one person may be poison for another, that's how I've come to think of it.
Definitely feels like a trap. I guess it kind of feels like one of those traps that we're going to fall into no matter what.
How to get out then? Well, I think a lot of it has to do with not judging people.


I was raised in a fairly Christian family and was around a lot of other Christians when I was younger. There is nothing wrong with Christians of course, but I witnessed a lot of "spiritual materialism". At church or Sunday school or whatever, we were taught that we were not to judge others and see everyone as our brothers. in almost the same breath we were taught that we were "special" because our sins had been forgiven and everyone else was just "sinners". We were taught that our god was the only one that was real and everyone else worshiped false gods that didn't even actually exist. We were taught that people of all other religions were evil sinners and deserved their eternity in hell, lest they repent to the christian god and ask forgiveness from Jesus for their sins. (sounds so 1000 years ago, doesn't it?)

How can we be taught to not judge people, then be taught to judge them so harshly in the same breath? Was I the only person uncomfortable with this? You can see that this "spiritual materialism" has become bound into religions themselves and trap people into a contradiction of the mind -- and this is where suffering begins to occur - within contradictions in the mind.

To finally to get to my point, when Jesus taught non-judgement, he was trying to teach against exactly what has become incorporated into the religion (I imagine all main religions suffer similar mechanics). If Christians take Jesus words seriously, they would see how his teaching opposes the church altogether!

So yes, if we could keep a state of mind that sees every person as our brother or sister, and not judge anyone for anything, it would help abate most of the issues that ego presents us with. Some people believe that not judging others means you let the terrorists win or some bull****, lol, that is a mind trap in itself designed to allow justification for judging others.


"You'll know that night has turned to day when you awaken and see your brothers and sisters in everyone you meet." - some internet monk meme

"I'll know I'm home when I see your light shine" - paraphrased from a Vance Joy song.

[dynamo]

Sooooo you think we play in separate traps, do you? :peep: ;) :flower:That's my belief and I'm sticking to it. ................ Until I change my mind. :boxing:

Oooops I think we're derailing this thread, O Donna. Sorry Dynamo. I'll stop now.
Orph, please, never a need to apologize to me for going off on a tangent!
We are all here to express our opinions and if that involves going off course a bit, then no worries here, Friend!
Do carry on please!
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[petra]

At church or Sunday school or whatever, we were taught that we were not to judge others and see everyone as our brothers. in almost the same breath we were taught that we were "special" because our sins had been forgiven and everyone else was just "sinners".

I've experienced the exact same thing. Makes me want to fold my arms and roll my eyes at the same time... (EDIT: how offensive, I know. Hope the priest doesn't see me)


Some people believe that not judging others means you let the terrorists win or some bull****, lol, that is a mind trap in itself designed to allow justification for judging others.

That's interesting. Well on the other side of the coin, I've considered things like "well, someone needs to do it....". What it came down to for me is, I do not feel qualified to judge people and so I will not do it. I'm still Christian and so I guess I just feel like we ought to leave the judging part to our creator.


"You'll know that night has turned to day when you awaken and see your brothers and sisters in everyone you meet." - some internet monk meme

That's a GREAT quote. Some internet monk meme.... ha ha ha

[white wizard]

The ego dies soon after death from what I've studied and having an ego is a great

survival tool on this planet. I use to shun my ego, but now I've learned to embrace

it as an equal tool to my spiritual growth and an important tool for surviving on this

planet. We are all here to learn lessons not become spiritual super stars in one life

so why not embrace the ego side and balance it with the spiritual side so you can have

a little fun while down here on this rock :beer:

[Cardillac]

spiritulity has nothing to do with materialism; both are worlds apart; trying to equate/equal the two together is like trying to bake an apple pie with cherries or buyng something as a result of a prayer session-

Larry

[O Donna]

Orph, please, never a need to apologize to me for going off on a tangent!
We are all here to express our opinions and if that involves going off course a bit, then no worries here, Friend!
Do carry on please!


That is the same way I approach things of this nature as well. Playfulness has a way of reaching corners of thought in ways only it can, from my experience. Some may think playfulness erodes being taken seriously but it's not my responsibility on how I am taken. I am here to share. Take what you wish, leave what you wish.

Appreciates all thoughtful perspectives, discovering gold in places in years prior unsuspected.





Sooooo you think we play in separate traps, do you? :peep: ;) :flower:That's my belief and I'm sticking to it. ................ Until I change my mind. :boxing:

Oooops I think we're derailing this thread, O Donna. Sorry Dynamo. I'll stop now.

Sprinkle a dash of analogy as often thoughts run on both numerator and denominator simultaneously.

In this case: Denominator, sand. Numerator: lines

Lines are never permanent in the sand and sand is shifty. :sherlock:

[DeDukshyn]

The ego dies soon after death from what I've studied and having an ego is a great

survival tool on this planet. I use to shun my ego, but now I've learned to embrace

it as an equal tool to my spiritual growth and an important tool for surviving on this

planet. We are all here to learn lessons not become spiritual super stars in one life

so why not embrace the ego side and balance it with the spiritual side so you can have

a little fun while down here on this rock :beer:

Good post. If I may follow-up ...

Ego is needed for physical survival - that is certain. However, let me make the distinction between fear in the body and fear in the mind. Fear in the body is the ego's purpose. It is self preserving, judging, and highly reactive. Your body needs these qualities for physical survival. Fear, that was intended for the bodies use, has somehow gotten into our minds (lot's of interesting dialogue on how this occurred is available). Here, it is allowed to react to our powerful imaginations, our memories, and our suppositions about the future -- here it is very destructive, and reductive. It is literally the mechanism that takes us out of the present moment awareness - which in turn causes the stress, fear, reactions, in our thoughts, and thus in our words, and thus in our actions.

The ego is intended to be the back seat enforcer of the physical body's survival, and the spirit is intended to be the driver - the decision maker.

As you said, the ego is not necessarily the enemy; the result of the way it affects our thoughts and decision is. The ego would also like to let you think its in the back seat, while finding some loophole allowing it to be the driver without you knowing.

And to echo your point ...
All that said, it should be of no cause for concern. Concern is what the ego presents - keep it in the back seat. :) Relax and let it all go. When you feel that "Peace that passeth understanding", to use a Christian phrase, then you know the ego is in the back seat.

[Rich]

According to google:

materialism
məˈtɪərɪəlɪz(ə)m/
noun
noun: materialism

1.
a tendency to consider material possessions and physical comfort as more important than spiritual values.
"they hated the sinful materialism of the wicked city"
2.
Philosophy
the theory or belief that nothing exists except matter and its movements and modifications.
the theory or belief that consciousness and will are wholly due to material agency.


Doesn't make much sense to me to be honest.

[Rich]

Objectivism vs Mentalism


The Primacy of Consciousness is the view, which Objectivism rejects, that reality is a product of consciousness. In this view, the world is a product of our minds, or the mind of some other being (god). It doesn't exist in itself. It exists as a "figment of your imagination". Like a concept or a memory, reality is said to exist as only a part of your mind. That means that you can change reality by changing your mind. Or another possibility is that you gain knowledge of reality by understanding yourself, or by introspecting. In either case, reality is said to not have it's own existence, but be just a product of your mind. If your mind ever stopped, like if you died, the world would die with you.

The Primacy of Existence, which is the Objectivist view, states that reality exists independent of our minds. If we want something to happen, we can't just wish it to happen. We have to act. If we want to gain knowledge about the world, we have to look out at the world and reason with what we see. If your mind were to stop functioning as in death, reality would stay the same. This is where the adjective "objective" comes into play in "objective reality". It means that reality is not just a part of our minds, but exists as some outside fact that we can reference.

Source:
http://objectivism101.com/Lectures/Lecture22.shtml

[betoobig]

Nothing more spiritual than us, spiritual beings, walking this phisical realm, which, even it looks real to us (we can touch , smaell, hear , taste or see) is not more than frecuencies translated by us. Even a fart is spiritual.
Much love

[O Donna]

Spirit is spiritual by way of the material and yet, compared to spirit, it's all immaterial.

[Catsquotl]

This thread is based or rather it's wording "spiritual materialism" as coined by a famous tibetan monk who had no problem appearing drunk in public.

This in itself doesn't exactly constitute what was talked about, but leaves me wondering..
What do we see as "real" spiritualism..

These days I think it's rather a hotchpotch of everything we want to be, but aren't.

WIth Love
Eelco

[DeDukshyn]

... This is where the adjective "objective" comes into play in "objective reality". It means that reality is not just a part of our minds, but exists as some outside fact that we can reference.

Source:
http://objectivism101.com/Lectures/Lecture22.shtml

As a parallel, in Toltec tradition, there is the "big outside dream" and our "internal individual dreams". But all just "dream" - however one wants to interpret that.

[DeDukshyn]

This thread is based or rather it's wording "spiritual materialism" as coined by a famous tibetan monk who had no problem appearing drunk in public.

This in itself doesn't exactly constitute what was talked about, but leaves me wondering..
What do we see as "real" spiritualism..

These days I think it's rather a hotchpotch of everything we want to be, but aren't.

WIth Love
Eelco

He sounds like he knows exactly what he is speaking of from experience then. Better to hear it from a guy who has experience in the matter than being talked down to by someone who who is too "righteous" to have experiences to back up his propositions.

You presented an ad hominem fallacy. :)

[Catsquotl]

than being talked down to by someone who who is too "righteous" to have experiences to back up his propositions.

You presented an ad hominem fallacy. :)

You're welcome..

With "righteous" love
Eelco

[Catsquotl]

Actually the second part of my post was what matters.
What do we see as spirituality.? Was the question I pondered.

And yes I do feel that this particular monk has fallen victim to the darker side of his own teachings. Not that it invalidates what he says. It just makes the search for honest examples of a spiritual life all the harder.

I am no stranger to all which humans are capable off in some sense or another. So righteousness is there as well as shame and being a dick..

With love
Eelco

[DeDukshyn]

... Not that it invalidates what he says. It just makes the search for honest examples of a spiritual life all the harder.
...


In my personal experiences, spirituality or "spiritual life" is not something attained by trying to be righteous, it is attained by experience. It is attained by making mistakes and learning, it something that normal people with normal flaws can and do share, it involves introspect, it involves having an experience without personal judgements of character ... maybe I'm unique in that regard though ... :)

[onevoice]

... Not that it invalidates what he says. It just makes the search for honest examples of a spiritual life all the harder.
...


In my personal experiences, spirituality or "spiritual life" is not something attained by trying to be righteous, it is attained by experience. It is attained by making mistakes and learning, it something that normal people with normal flaws can and do share, it involves introspect, it involves having an experience without personal judgements of character ... maybe I'm unique in that regard though ... :)

Here, here DeDukshyn! I wholeheartedly agree with everything you said. The song "Amazing Grace" exemplifies what you said. This song was written by a former slave trader, John Newton (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazing_Grace).
It is probably the song that is sung most often in funerals, and the depth of the grace of God that it portrays invariably touches everyone.

Newton wrote the words from personal experience. He grew up without any particular religious conviction, but his life's path was formed by a variety of twists and coincidences that were often put into motion by his recalcitrant insubordination. He was pressed (conscripted) into service in the Royal Navy, and after leaving the service, he became involved in the Atlantic slave trade. In 1748, a violent storm battered his vessel off the coast of County Donegal, Ireland, so severely that he called out to God for mercy, a moment that marked his spiritual conversion. He continued his slave trading career until 1754 or 1755, when he ended his seafaring altogether and began studying Christian theology.

[Vernaianawa]

Cheers Onevoice, great song Yes and story and i remember that Ireland had a very big slave trade indeed, mainly white girls yes ?.

[onevoice]

Cheers Onevoice, great song Yes and story and i remember that Ireland had a very big slave trade indeed, mainly white girls yes ?.

Cheers, Vernaianawa. Wow, I didn't know about this atrocity. Here is an article I found about the subject:
https://www.africaresource.com/rasta/sesostris-the-great-the-egyptian-hercules/the-irish-slave-trade-forgotten-white-slaves/

During the 1650s, over 100,000 Irish children between the ages of 10 and 14 were taken from their parents and sold as slaves in the West Indies, Virginia and New England. In this decade, 52,000 Irish (mostly women and children) were sold to Barbados and Virginia. Another 30,000 Irish men and women were also transported and sold to the highest bidder. In 1656, Cromwell ordered that 2000 Irish children be taken to Jamaica and sold as slaves to English settlers.

[Vernaianawa]

Imo the amount of black Irish, Wales etc slaved off to USA was high also.
Back on topic, if we be in a trap, how best to be happy, in joy, blissful for oneself first then others imo is the key.

[onevoice]

Imo the amount of black Irish, Wales etc slaved off to USA was high also.
Back on topic, if we be in a trap, how best to be happy, in joy, blissful for oneself first then others imo is the key.

Yes, I agree Vernaianawa. We can choose our reaction/emotions for any event. Most events we can look at it positively or negatively. These days we're dealing with a very seriously ill cat that we rescued from a storm drain in our backyard and raised it from a bottle. So the cat has bonded with us and we are the only parents the cat ever knew. For the last two months we've taken him to the best veterinary specialist doctors in Atlanta, GA and they can't diagnose his very mysterious illness. Whatever he has has caused both sides of his mouth to be severely inflamed. A big part of his tongue became necrotic, so it had to be amputated and an esophagus-tube had to be inserted into his neck so that we can feed him 4 times a day. He is so weak now that we have to take him to the litter box twice a day and clean up for him.

So how does one deal with all of this? It has been very stressful for us. We are dealing with the situation as best as we can, giving him the best care we can. We are not fretting about if he will pass on. If it comes to that, so be it. In the meantime we are cherishing everyday that we get to spend with him.

Ultimately we can choose our reaction/emotions to the events in our lives. We can choose to be happy or sad, and so forth. We can choose the positive aspects of a situation and deal with it best we can. So I've set an example for our household to not to be stressed about caring for our cat and cherish each day.

I believe the main point of the OP was to not get attached or caught up in the rituals or the practice of the spiritual pursuit itself and losing the sight of the end goal of liberation of our mind from the dissatisfaction we often experience with life.

[Catsquotl]

... Not that it invalidates what he says. It just makes the search for honest examples of a spiritual life all the harder.
...


In my personal experiences, spirituality or "spiritual life" is not something attained by trying to be righteous, it is attained by experience. It is attained by making mistakes and learning, it something that normal people with normal flaws can and do share, it involves introspect, it involves having an experience without personal judgements of character ... maybe I'm unique in that regard though ... :)

I agree It has been my experience as well
up until the darkred part. Thought that for a while too. Still think sometimes I am a strange fellow in how I view spirituality and life.
Maybe people/ I am not as unique as I think.. Spiritual masters included.
To get back on topic of the "spiritual materialism" The master who coined that name I feel has had to have some kind of exemplary role.. Especially propagating a certain way of life/thinking/meditation as a practice to reach enlightenment/lead a spiritual fulfilling life.

The fact that everybody did it in the 70's I think does not excuse his mishaps and should cause one to look at what he thought more closely. One cannot claim to be a Buddhist monk and sleep with ones student. Well obviously one can, but yes that does take away some of the value I place in his words..

If it's wrong in this decade it was wrong back then..
Anyhow that's how I feel..I'll shut up about it now.

[Pam]

Thanks for this wonderful thread, dynamo. It is so true that the ego run amuck is truly a spiritual issue and the root of every problem that humans have created for themselves and the other creatures that live on this planet.

We believe in the validity of that voice(ego) that creates endless drama in a quest to protect itself. In my spiritual quest, I have come to the simplest of conclusions; staying in the present moment, the ego has no place there. The most essential thing we can do for ourselves spiritually is to practice presence. In fact, I would go as far as to say it is the only thing that we need to do. Having said that, staying in the present moment is simple, but by no means easy. It is a commitment that I am repeatedly renewing. Having practiced being in the present moment enough, even when I fall out, the past and future no longer have the power they used to.

[Smell the Roses]

"How woke are you?" is a current trend.

When I first heard this phrase, I thought it meant something like how aware are you of the extremely high level of deception that is currently foisted upon citizens by the government-media-industrial complex? When I found out that most people seem to think that the "woke" question equates to "How narrowly do you follow the path of political correctness that encourages humans to be defined by their superficial physical traits?", I was quite surprised!

[The Freedom Train]

Spirit is spiritual by way of the material and yet, compared to spirit, it's all immaterial.

I love this.

¤=[Post Update]=¤


This thread is based or rather it's wording "spiritual materialism" as coined by a famous tibetan monk who had no problem appearing drunk in public.

This in itself doesn't exactly constitute what was talked about, but leaves me wondering..
What do we see as "real" spiritualism..

These days I think it's rather a hotchpotch of everything we want to be, but aren't.

WIth Love
Eelco

Everything we want to be but aren't. Hilarious and true. The striving for some mysterious state that we cannot quite define or describe because we are not there.

[The Freedom Train]

"How woke are you?" is a current trend.

When I first heard this phrase, I thought it meant something like how aware are you of the extremely high level of deception that is currently foisted upon citizens by the government-media-industrial complex? When I found out that most people seem to think that the "woke" question equates to "How narrowly do you follow the path of political correctness that encourages humans to be defined by their superficial physical traits?", I was quite surprised!

Blimey I didn't know that - I thought "woke" was used by millennials to describe what they perceived to be attainment of a certain level of spiritual awareness.

[Vernaianawa]

Spose one could look, feel into which trap would best suit them, if one is seeking. If a guru, master, con artist etc is setting a trap, the guru would set a trap for one to know their own light, as is the true guru defination to me, a con artist would likely not give results But both would likely help one into their suffering lol, looking at a track record may help, like Bhuda has a good one.

[Ernie Nemeth]

Spiritual Materialism is best personified by the likes of Ann Rand. In her work The Virtue of Selfishness, currently reading again, she makes a case for altruism being the worst possible human virtue. Selfishness has been given a bad rep, she maintains. She makes the case of the robber and the industrialist. Both are selfish in their intent. But while the robber produces nothing for society, the baron produces wealth. Although the spin-off virtue of the baron is laudable but unintended, this type of man is the ideal, according to Rand.

She continues that if altruism is taken to its furthest level, this stance rejects personal value for the value of the collective and ultimately rejects life itself. Altruism is amoral and anti-life. Selfishness at least can be seen as moral when modified by ethical considerations and has the inadvertent effect of being a benefit for society.

Spiritual materialism is like that. It is merely paying lip service to the core teaching, missing the point and hoisting a petard in its place. It is like wearing a beard with no mustache or little curly locks for sideburns or a white collar or funny fish hat, it marks one as one of the fold but does not necessarily mark one as advanced or holy.

By the way the rest of Rand's book is using ethics to modify the morality of selfishness. Apure and blatant attempt to again to make a steamy pile smell like a rose...

[Smell the Roses]

"How woke are you?" is a current trend.

When I first heard this phrase, I thought it meant something like how aware are you of the extremely high level of deception that is currently foisted upon citizens by the government-media-industrial complex? When I found out that most people seem to think that the "woke" question equates to "How narrowly do you follow the path of political correctness that encourages humans to be defined by their superficial physical traits?", I was quite surprised!

Blimey I didn't know that - I thought "woke" was used by millennials to describe what they perceived to be attainment of a certain level of spiritual awareness.

Now you know! I was the same way, until I heard many millennials use it in the context of criticizing people who don't agree with them about gender or race. Here's one definition from Urban Dictionary: "Woke
A state of perceived intellectual superiority one gains by reading The Huffington Post.
Ali is so woke. At brunch she explained how wearing anything other than Chuck Taylor's or Tom's is really a microaggression. Hey did you get your Amy Schumer tickets yet?"

[O Donna]

Benevolence and malevolence are both tools used by ego. A ray of light is realizing when what many associate with spirituality is light years closer to materialism then to spirit. Spirituality and Materialism both weave the web of perception.

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/e2/54/bd/e254bda24087fda52354801b0dbbde43.jpg

[Universoul]

"How woke are you?" is a current trend.

When I first heard this phrase, I thought it meant something like how aware are you of the extremely high level of deception that is currently foisted upon citizens by the government-media-industrial complex? When I found out that most people seem to think that the "woke" question equates to "How narrowly do you follow the path of political correctness that encourages humans to be defined by their superficial physical traits?", I was quite surprised!

Blimey I didn't know that - I thought "woke" was used by millennials to describe what they perceived to be attainment of a certain level of spiritual awareness.

Now you know! I was the same way, until I heard many millennials use it in the context of criticizing people who don't agree with them about gender or race. Here's one definition from Urban Dictionary: "Woke
A state of perceived intellectual superiority one gains by reading The Huffington Post.
Ali is so woke. At brunch she explained how wearing anything other than Chuck Taylor's or Tom's is really a microaggression. Hey did you get your Amy Schumer tickets yet?"

That's a good observation about the "woke" meme. My understanding of the original post in this thread is that "spiritual materialism" describes more or less intentional uses of spirituality for egotistic reasons.

It's my opinion that the "woke" meme and similar movements represent a stagnant level of spirituality. People believing they're so right and informed that anyone criticizing them must be wrong.

The more interesting thing is that "woke" is slang for "awake", which is a word with deep potential meaning.

Just some years ago in 2012 the word "awaken" was a big thing and the deeper meanings that can be associated with it were more so reaching the masses. The problem is that for a deeper, spiritual, meaning to reach the masses it has to go through many layers. It gets diluted along the way.

So it becomes less about inner work and finding the meaning of these words like "awaken" for ourselves, changing ourselves in the process. It becomes more about finding a coveted word or label. Being part of the right "side" or movement.

That's always been a problem with spiritual messages and teachings brought into the collective. Even the deepest messages become slogans and bumper stickers. You might say the words and messages are meaningless in of themselves, they are transient carriers or lines of connection that hopefully get us in touch with a deeper source/meaning.

There are those who believe simply knowing a phrase and associating with the right group/label makes them "awake" or evolved. Anyone who's done their self work knows that to simply use a label is not the same as exploring what such a word like "awake" means to them as a sovereign being.

There's a lot to be said about the dangers of obvious false spirituality, the wealthy TV preachers and new age gurus bilking the masses are examples of that. There's also an element of stagnant spirituality we have to watch out for. The hubris of our own minds to assume we're "there" and not having done the difficult work to transform ourselves. One can be asleep while believing they're awake, ironically using their material ego to think that they're awake.

The danger in the modern world is not that there are people who believe they're awake. It's easy to think that one is awake, or evolved, or special. There's always been people who exemplify that trap and it's a test to not to become lulled. To be "spiritually" awake so the matrix can't reduce you to a label. We see this in the "alt media" which has more and more been associated with the "alt right"-something easy to itemize and dismiss by anyone looking to disregard ANY alternative media. Again, just back in 2012 the "alt media" was less political and more about the bigger picture.

So the danger is that it's so easy these days to believe that one is "woke" or so special they've attained a coveted status. Which puts the mind to sleep, because if we believe we're already "there" there's no reason for doing the difficult work.

The facsimile of truth, of spirituality, has gotten so refined that it's more difficult to avoid its trap. There's no automatic "red pill" (another hashtag) that we can take to avoid that. It requires self work, there has to be a desire to awaken not presume it.

If there's any solution to the facsimile it might be to withdraw from it as best we can and constantly push ourselves in our self work.

[Smell the Roses]

There are those who believe simply knowing a phrase and associating with the right group/label makes them "awake" or evolved. Anyone who's done their self work knows that to simply use a label is not the same as exploring what such a word like "awake" means to them as a sovereign being.

There's a lot to be said about the dangers of obvious false spirituality, the wealthy TV preachers and new age gurus bilking the masses are examples of that. There's also an element of stagnant spirituality we have to watch out for. The hubris of our own minds to assume we're "there" and not having done the difficult work to transform ourselves. One can be asleep while believing they're awake, ironically using their material ego to think that they're awake.

The danger in the modern world is not that there are people who believe they're awake. It's easy to think that one is awake, or evolved, or special. There's always been people who exemplify that trap and it's a test to not to become lulled. To be "spiritually" awake so the matrix can't reduce you to a label. We see this in the "alt media" which has more and more been associated with the "alt right"-something easy to itemize and dismiss by anyone looking to disregard ANY alternative media. Again, just back in 2012 the "alt media" was less political and more about the bigger picture.

So the danger is that it's so easy these days to believe that one is "woke" or so special they've attained a coveted status. Which puts the mind to sleep, because if we believe we're already "there" there's no reason for doing the difficult work.

The facsimile of truth, of spirituality, has gotten so refined that it's more difficult to avoid its trap. There's no automatic "red pill" (another hashtag) that we can take to avoid that. It requires self work, there has to be a desire to awaken not presume it.

If there's any solution to the facsimile it might be to withdraw from it as best we can and constantly push ourselves in our self work.

Universoul has made a valuable point here. In the so-called alternative media, for example, a person can easily be found who thinks he is “awake” merely by virtue of listening to the Alex Jones radio program. As awakening is not a binary switch but rather a process, can any person claim to be fully awake?

[Wind]

There are varying levels to awakening. Being a beliver or a conspiracy theorist doesn't necessarily make you more aware, for example people believe in things like Flat Earth theory are in fact more deluded and ignorant than the people who are "asleep". They just think that they know more, but they have bought into a false belief system.

[Universoul]

There are those who believe simply knowing a phrase and associating with the right group/label makes them "awake" or evolved. Anyone who's done their self work knows that to simply use a label is not the same as exploring what such a word like "awake" means to them as a sovereign being.

There's a lot to be said about the dangers of obvious false spirituality, the wealthy TV preachers and new age gurus bilking the masses are examples of that. There's also an element of stagnant spirituality we have to watch out for. The hubris of our own minds to assume we're "there" and not having done the difficult work to transform ourselves. One can be asleep while believing they're awake, ironically using their material ego to think that they're awake.

The danger in the modern world is not that there are people who believe they're awake. It's easy to think that one is awake, or evolved, or special. There's always been people who exemplify that trap and it's a test to not to become lulled. To be "spiritually" awake so the matrix can't reduce you to a label. We see this in the "alt media" which has more and more been associated with the "alt right"-something easy to itemize and dismiss by anyone looking to disregard ANY alternative media. Again, just back in 2012 the "alt media" was less political and more about the bigger picture.

So the danger is that it's so easy these days to believe that one is "woke" or so special they've attained a coveted status. Which puts the mind to sleep, because if we believe we're already "there" there's no reason for doing the difficult work.

The facsimile of truth, of spirituality, has gotten so refined that it's more difficult to avoid its trap. There's no automatic "red pill" (another hashtag) that we can take to avoid that. It requires self work, there has to be a desire to awaken not presume it.

If there's any solution to the facsimile it might be to withdraw from it as best we can and constantly push ourselves in our self work.

Universoul has made a valuable point here. In the so-called alternative media, for example, a person can easily be found who thinks he is “awake” merely by virtue of listening to the Alex Jones radio program. As awakening is not a binary switch but rather a process, can any person claim to be fully awake?

Thank you, the ego mind is a tricky thing. How do we ever know if we're awake? Thus the ongoing work...

It's interesting you brought up Alex Jones because there are certain elements in the alt media that become traps in of themselves. Then again for some people Alex Jones is a stepping stone, they spend some time on him then move on. It does however seem that people are more willing to be galvanized into one of those steps these days rather than continue to grow. Maybe the manipulation in our world is so strong that some people can't help it.

It's almost as if humanity is being regressed and reduced to a primitive and reactionary state (left vs. right, constant petty fighting over false divisions).


There are varying levels to awakening. Being a beliver or a conspiracy theorist doesn't necessarily make you more aware, for example people believe in things like Flat Earth theory are in fact more deluded and ignorant than the people who are "asleep". They just think that they know more, but they have bought into a false belief system.

That's a good point. They're often the people who shout the loudest.

Flat Earth is also interesting because a flat Earth is a more 2D model. Flat Earthers look like they're connecting with or regressing to some 2D aspect of consciousness and projecting that on the 3D world. Where as we ought to be pushing ourselves to look at the world, and ourselves, in more nuanced and complex ways.

To connect this to the first post in this thread, and not get too off topic, maybe I've described the second and third traps (http://www.riseearth.com/2018/03/the-trap-of-spiritual-materialism.html) in my own way. Perhaps there's an overriding message to it all-there's no one dimensional answer/path/system that is absolute. We have to constantly test ourselves so we don't fall into that trap.

[Smell the Roses]

For sure, I have fallen into the second and third traps at different times. Then, when you do attempt to leave all of that behind, there can be a feeling of being rootless. I have tried to avoid what is mentioned here in the OP article about the appropriating of other cultures, by seeking the truth of Christianity. But then it can be very difficult to relate to other Christians, who are there for different reasons. I suppose it is inevitable that one feels somewhat alone if one refuses to adhere to the rock solid tenets of any one particular group. For example, I tried hanging out with the Trump fanatics in my town. But as soon as I would talk about how and why I actually didn’t vote for Trump (or anyone), they would give me a blank look and move on. They didn’t really want to explore the things we did have in common, since I wasn’t able to mark all of the boxes of being a “true Patriot”. But it was fun for a while, and my kids got to go to a nice barbecue one time!

[Universoul]

For sure, I have fallen into the second and third traps at different times. Then, when you do attempt to leave all of that behind, there can be a feeling of being rootless. I have tried to avoid what is mentioned here in the OP article about the appropriating of other cultures, by seeking the truth of Christianity. But then it can be very difficult to relate to other Christians, who are there for different reasons. I suppose it is inevitable that one feels somewhat alone if one refuses to adhere to the rock solid tenets of any one particular group. For example, I tried hanging out with the Trump fanatics in my town. But as soon as I would talk about how and why I actually didn’t vote for Trump (or anyone), they would give me a blank look and move on. They didn’t really want to explore the things we did have in common, since I wasn’t able to mark all of the boxes of being a “true Patriot”. But it was fun for a while, and my kids got to go to a nice barbecue one time!

That's sad people shut each other out because all the boxes aren't checked. They do worse in some social movements, they ostracize you for not being in perfect conformity. People can be black and white with their thinking. It's like the ego has gone wild in some people. Ego loves conflict. Ego loves to fixate on differences and see itself as under attack so it can attack and feel real/validated. We really do all have more in common than we realize though. That said, barbecue is always good haha

As for feeling rootless, elements of truth can be found in almost anything. Those elements are unseen yet have substance to our intuitions. So like if someone was raised religious and rejects it later on, they can always go back from a different perspective in their self and discover the truths/knowledge in that religion free of the dogma.

It can be a lonely journey to detach from a static and stagnant facsimile fabricated from living truth. A detachment from that puts us at odds with our fellow human beings. Just because we have cell phones and technology doesn't mean our monkey brains have evolved. Tribalism, group think, and peer pressure are still big forces in our collective sphere.

I've found the more we get in touch with our intuitions, seek the truth in all things, the less lonely the journey gets. It seems that we're meant to do that inner work and alleviate some of our loneliness with it, with connection to our "higher" selves or whatever one might call it. Go through our stages of detachment from the false and the tribe so we can look at the world with a different perspective. Help others when called for but also laugh it off when they're so stuck they can't get over you questioning their sacred cow.

It's mad out there these days but I think if everyone just paused for a moment we might all realize how wonderfully complex life is, and how much we have in common. The greatest addiction is the ego's desire for drama and conflict though. These days many people want to see themselves as the "little guy" and persecuted by the other "side". Yeah there are negative forces and plans at work in the world but a lot of the conflict is us acting like toddlers banging pots together and thinking we're making music. We have to put those ornery pots down and take a deep, pausing, breath before we can begin to get in touch with the real music of our own selves and the beautiful world we live in.

I'd go as far to say that ego is not a complete enemy. The problem is more how it is easily taken from us/externalized and used against us. As are many aspects of us-twisted and revved up in negative ways, and used against us.

I'm kind of going on a tangent and getting off topic though so I'll just say may we all continue to awaken.

[O Donna]

What is often thought of as being awake can be itself a hindrance to that which was sought to begin with.

That's why one experience in a spiritual journey feels much like running track.

http://www.gifbin.com/bin/032014/1394650150_dachshund_puppy_running_around_in_circles.gif

Not that it doesn't have its charm mind you. :)

[DeDukshyn]

What is often thought of as being awake can be itself a hindrance to that which was sought to begin with.

That's why one experience in a spiritual journey feels much like running track.

http://www.gifbin.com/bin/032014/1394650150_dachshund_puppy_running_around_in_circles.gif

Not that it doesn't have its charm mind you. :)


I'm going to say that unless one knows exactly what they are, I mean really know what exactly they are beyond the current experience, one are not really fully awake. So who is really awake? (its rhetorical, very few are really fully awake in the spiritual sense - the only way to know exactly what you are is to stop being who you are - tricky double edged sword there, eh? :)) It is also not enough to know about being awake, you have live it daily, and base your every thought, word and action around it. Book smarts are great to get you started, but reality is in the experience.

How do we classify the lead up to acquiring this intimate self knowledge ... as degrees of "awakeness"? Or, degrees of being asleep? Because this is really what we are referring to here ...

Or do we take the term in context while keeping in mind the degrees that a person can go through while trying to ascertain that wakened state?

[Valerie Villars]

Yep, that dog is me rehashing my inexplicable experience until I got back down to the business of living, but always with a mind that is still curious.

Except I wasn't trying to experience. It was a big ole surprise that almost killed me. But, it didn't. Ha,ha,ha, take that you m(*therfu*&ers!

[O Donna]

I'm going to say that unless one knows exactly what they are, I mean really know what exactly they are beyond the current experience, one are not really fully awake. So who is really awake? (its rhetorical, very few are really fully awake in the spiritual sense - the only way to know exactly what you are is to stop being who you are - tricky double edged sword there, eh? :)) It is also not enough to know about being awake, you have live it daily, and base your every thought, word and action around it. Book smarts are great to get you started, but reality is in the experience.

How do we classify the lead up to acquiring this intimate self knowledge ... as degrees of "awakeness"? Or, degrees of being asleep? Because this is really what we are referring to here ...

Or do we take the term in context while keeping in mind the degrees that a person can go through while trying to ascertain that wakened state?

Yes, any and all spiritually minded writings no matter how carefully they are written or explained can me misinterpreted.


Yep, that dog is me rehashing my inexplicable experience until I got back down to the business of living, but always with a mind that is still curious.

Except I wasn't trying to experience. It was a big ole surprise that almost killed me. But, it didn't. Ha,ha,ha, take that you m(*therfu*&ers!

I know where you're coming from, Valerie Villars.

[Elpis]

My spirituality is fluid. It’s always changing, always growing and hopefully moving forward. I think of it as constantly evolving to a better state of understanding and consciousness.
I suppose that does mean I am “picking a little of this and a little of that” and choosing as I go to what feels right for me at the time. I choose to keep an open mind. There is so very much to be learned and experienced.

I don’t want to be put in any one particular sand trap.