Are enlightenment forums mainly ego trips?

[winterknight]

They seem mainly to be places where people compete over who is more enlightened, and who knows better than who else. The actual quality of advice and discussion is almost always very low, and people usually talk past each other.

I don't mean just this forum. I've seen it many other places.

Why is that?

[Preetom]

If you are not aware of yourself then everything is ego trip.

The answer is always DISTRACTIONS..ego's most favorite defense mechanism.

[Faceless]

Yeah it has nothing got do with “enlightenment” but more about seeing and understanding ones own conditioned field of consciousness. 

In that one sees that there is an art of living/life. 

 

ART BEING PUTING “THINGS” THERE RIGHT PLACE

Edited May 11, 2018 by Faceless

[zoey101]

@winterknight

I think it's just cool to get different perspectives to build off of. Especially on a site like this, where there are members from all over the world. The way the East learns about enlightenment and spirituality is quite different and can be contradicting to the West. So, at least from my perspective, I think the idea is to take what you feel can work for you and build on it, while still keeping your mind open to the millions of perspectives coming at you so that you can add to your method and grow

 

[Arman]

11 hours ago, winterknight said:

Why is that?

because they're generally reflecting a very wide demographic of people

the wider the demographic, the more of low consciousness energies of humanity are going to be reflected regardless of the groups overarching theme. you're describing the behaviors of most of humanity after all. Having an interest in spirituality isn't necessarily a particularly strong correlate to ones development. 

[Arkandeus]

accept what you see, then you will see beyond

[Joseph Maynor]

Only for people who assume Personal Development is synonymous with Enlightenment.  Those people are the worst haha!  Just kidding.  

Edited May 12, 2018 by Joseph Maynor

[Lelouch]

Yes. Seeking enlightenment is the biggest ego trip of them. Or like Alan Watts says it: ''Trying to get rid of your ego is the biggest ego trip there is.''

[MarkusSweden]

5 minutes ago, Lelouch said:

Yes. Seeking enlightenment is the biggest ego trip of them. Or like Alan Watts says it: ''Trying to get rid of your ego is the biggest ego trip there is.''

You are wrong my friend. 

Seeking truth can't be an ego trip if you are sincere about it, truth means enlightenment as you know. 

If you want enlightenment to show off, or just to feel better you will never reach to it. 

Most of us here is sincere, we go with the truth even when it drag us through hell. 

This is the worlds greatest forum for truth and consciousness. 

 

[Torkys]

@MarkusSweden Death and Truth are of many of the ego's greatest desires.

[Erlend K]

In the imortal words of newer age guru JP Sears

Competitive spirituality is the GPS that takes you to destination Ultra Spiritual. Like anything in which the objective is to be better than those you’re better than, spiritual competition serves as the legs you walk on—the same legs you will use to walk over (or stomp on) your competition. This holds water in Ultra Spirituality as well. More accurately, it holds holy water. Lots of it.

There should be a very intentional, yet subtly expressed, competitive element to everything you do in your spiritual practice if you wish to become Ultra Spiritual. And you shouldn’t even wish for it, because that’s just child’s play. You should intend it. In order for you to stop wishing and start intending so you can actually make it happen, let me exemplify this point with a contrasting example about statements of competitive spiritual deeds:

In the noncompetitive spirituality example, there’s no foothold for traction to propel you up the mountain of asserting your betterness, as Jesus, Lord Krishna, and probably even God teach in their spiritual mastery ways. In the competitive spirituality version, there’s a subtle quantification, which is a measurement by which others can measure themselves against you. An ideal result would have your companion/competition thinking, preferably in a self-defeating internal tone of voice, I only meditate for twenty minutes. I’m less of a person. This internal dialogue is the fragrant fruit of your Ultra Spiritual practice.

However, if your opponent’s internal dialogue says something like, "Well, I meditate for two hours each morning," then sadly the ground will crumble beneath your feet and you will slide down the slippery slope of insignificance. If this happens, your competition has obviously read this book more thoroughly than you, which puts your dreams of Ultra Spirituality in jeopardy, which means you should be extremely worried at this point. Nevertheless, keep reading.

 

[Lelouch]

@MarkusSweden It is and is not an ego trip, it is quite paradoxical  

 

[Faceless]

How much 'ego' do you need? Just enough so that you don't step in front of a bus.

Shunryu Suzuki ?

Edited May 12, 2018 by Faceless

[jjer94]

Quote

"The problem is that ego can convert anything to its own use...
even mp3's."
-DJ Trungpa.