Why Does The Road To Enlightenment Crank Up The Ego?

[Skenderberg]

I've noticed that when you talk to those people on this road they think they are some sort of a monk.

Because they read some books and now they think that they know more than anyone else about life.

They look at party people and say that it is a waste of time and life etc. Plus much more stuff.

Last night, I found myself in a conversation with a group of self-help junkies. We spoke about enlightenment and what it is and so on. When I said that they should try to quit searching for it and that maybe enlightenment is a state of mind where you feel joy most of the time, and that it isn't a destination, just for fun and see what happens. Stuff became interesting. They talk like they are gods?

Edited August 27, 2017 by Skenderberg

[Sukhpaal]

I guess a lot of it comes from spiritual arrogance? Just a thought. I find myself viewing others around me differently as I progress in personal development. Of course I am mindful of it and I know it is just spiritual arrogance. I guess it usually happens regardless, but it is important to stay mindful of it and stay aware. Once you really start believing that you are "higher" than others just because you do personal development and meditate, I guess you fell into a huge ego trap.

[Sukhpaal]

This is just adding on but, I think too much theory without actual 'being' makes the "spiritual ego" grow more. I feel that experiencing things for yourself first before you start preaching it on others is important. Because if you experience the power of 'being' yourself you might feel less inclined to preach to others. 

[Extreme Z7]

On 8/28/2017 at 6:30 AM, Skenderberg said:

They talk like they are gods?

Your forum title makes it sound like you were asking about how the ego tries to resist enlightenment practice. But you're actually talking about something completely different.

Actually the phenomenon you described is exactly how egos react to their belief system being threatened. This is greater seen in people who avoid enlightenment than does who do. Surely you've seen how a religious fundamentalist or militant atheist behave in relation to their beliefs?

Y U SINGLING OUT SPIRITUAL SEEKERS???

Edited September 9, 2017 by Extreme Z7

[hinawashi]

Exactly what @Shiva said. The more I read I more I feel so stupid myself, and while I'm less inclined to talk about what I have learned, I do talk more about how many mistakes I've made in the past and how much of a fool I am.

Perhaps that's the very reason I'm becoming less and less talkative nowadays.

[cosmicrays]

Reading self-help books makes you think that you are different than the others, in a sense that you are better. But in reality, that's just the words of the authors that pump your ego without you being aware.

[Moreira]

In my case i've noticed that the more I progress in spirituality the ego becomes humble and accepting everything.

And also a signal of spiritual progress is accepting others like they are, in their stage of life and awareness that they are, and not considering them inferior. Everybody has their own walk and their own path. Criticising others that are in lower stages of awareness or progress is like a deaf making fun of a blind.

[Joseph Maynor]

A lot of people ground their need to know and need to believe in Enlightenment, which turns it into another dogma.  Spirituality is best when it is free from all that clinging.  You wanna be unmoored spiritually, not trying to set an anchor.  That will make you miserable and defeat your purpose.  

[AlwaysBeNice]

The ego was made to deny it's own suppressed feelings/fears, to look superior, even to your own self (because it (almost) meant death to you as a child if you didn't).

And what's a better hide-out idea than 'someone who is beyond it all'! 

After all someone might even understand the enlightenment concepts, which has always been the norm for 'getting it' in the west.

I think especially intellectual men generally have it rough on the path and will almost always go through a spiritual intellect ego trip for a while, it's so tempting to be the understanding king of the universe, yet your also and perhaps even more ironically still in petty thought trip.