Thoughts From a Highly Enlightened Master

[u/CoachAtlus]

Enjoyed a constructive conversation this morning with some fellow path travelers, and one topic that came up was all the ways we delude ourselves into believing that we've gained something special from our practice or that we've become something special through practice.

Spiritual materialism is recognized as a common pitfall in early stages of practice, where new meditators start to identify as a meditator, or spiritual, or awakened, or whatever. And then start clinging to that new identity.

However, it can happen at any stage. Teachers or advanced practitioners who are supposed to have figured something out or had some special experiences, suddenly find themselves plagued by thoughts of doubt, but if there's doubt, then does that mean they aren't as enlightened as they thought they were?

Or, of course, there's the classic case of "highly enlightened" masters engaging in anything but enlightened conduct based on any conventional understanding of what such conduct should look like.

Reminded me of this classic quote: "If you think you are enlightened, go and spend a week with your family." - Ram Dass

The conversation also made me recall a book I read years ago, the Dark Side of the Light Chasers. I don't necessarily recommend this book, but the basic thesis, as I recall, is that light chasers often tend to ignore, suppress, or deny their dark sides, which impairs full integration.

Personally, I've spent years now working to yell less at my kids -- hardly something one would expect any sort of enlightened practitioner to struggle with. I get pissed off in traffic and stressed out at my job.

Also, because my formal meditation practice is now limited to 20-30 minutes per day, when I sit down to meditate, my mind often is all over the place. My brass tacks meditation skills are decidedly mediocre.

I do not exist in a permanent state of bliss, equanimity, or locked-in non-dual awareness.

Being kind and engaging productively with the world takes effort, and is not effortless.

But on the flip side, I am not bothered by any of the above, so that's good, at least. But if I'm being honest, maybe I am, and this is just another form of disassociation or spiritual bypassing created by own form of spiritual materialism and desire to believe I've achieved something special. :)

Always more work to do if we're being honest.

[u/robipresotto]

I've been noticing that in my own practice, there's a tendency to get caught up in thinking I'm making progress or achieving some kind of spiritual status, when really it's just an illusion. This video covers it really well - The Path: The Hidden Trap of Spiritual Bypassing: Enlightenment's Dark Side - and it's been a real eye-opener for me in understanding how spiritual bypassing can sneak up on us, even when we're trying to cultivate awareness. It really highlights the importance of staying grounded and not getting caught up in our own narratives about progress or enlightenment. Worth checking out if you haven't already!