Self-help vs Spirituality

[Identity]

Just had this idea of the distinction between self-help and spirituality. Practicing my visual thinking skills;

Let me know what you think ?❤️

[Bill W]

Nice, and I agree, it's the same thing. Self Help and Spirituality. 

[Identity]

Lol, I meant its not the same.

Self-help I tried to depict as focussing on this bubble within consciousness, the self. Trying to change it’s content.

Spirituality as the dissolving of the self, letting to of the limitations and beliefs. Letting infinitely loving consciousness run the show.

[Bill W]

I'm going to agree and disagree if that makes sense! I can see the point you are making.

For me, if I am pursuing spiritual wellbeing then I am by default helping myself and hopefully helping others. That's the way I see it anyway, loads would disagree no doubt. But if there was a poll on here and people answered 100% honestly I'm guessing maybe 80-90% people on here are in some way trying to help themselves? And in the relationship and dating sub-forum that percentage would be about 105% 

Edited December 26, 2019 by Bill W
God

[Raptorsin7]

I think self help is a form of spirituality. And many spiritual practices are a form of self help. The purpose of all this stuff is to improve your direct experience. To improve your life right NOW. So the distinction doesn't really matter, they are both targeting your experience as a human and are aiming to improve it in whatever way that matters to you. 

I think the distinction could be coming from a judgement on self help. Like, i'm not into self help that's for undeveloped people. But i'm really into spirituality that's more advanced.

[Identity]

Ohh yeah, for sure, 80% what Im doing is straight up survival, than 18% self-help. The last 2% goes into spirituality on a good day.

 

[Dan502]

 

[Bill W]

[Eph75]

You don't just have to "let go", spirituality can mix nicely with the self-help aspect of processing and adding understanding, which in turn can help with increasing the chance for acceptance and the ability to let go. 

But yes, self-help is about fixing something while spirituality is about realizing that there is nothing wrong to begin with. 

[LfcCharlie4]

Self-Help/ Personal Development is still incredibly useful unless you wish to go live in a diaper or become a monk. 

PD encompasses Diet, Fitness, Career/ Business, Emotions, Trauma,  Skills, etc etc 

So, I don't see why it's a one or the other scenario, you have a shit diet? Go work out how to fix that. 

Awakened and addicted to porn still? Go figure out how to fix that. 

Even post awakening Self-Help will have value in your life in an array of areas, for example Self-Realisation/ Enlightenment won't automatically make you incredibly fit, wealthy or have great relationships. 

Don't think enlightenment will solve all of the issues you face in your life. 

What you need will be different from what I need for example. 

 

[Javfly33]

7 hours ago, LfcCharlie4 said:

Self-Help/ Personal Development is still incredibly useful unless you wish to go live in a diaper or become a monk. 

PD encompasses Diet, Fitness, Career/ Business, Emotions, Trauma,  Skills, etc etc 

So, I don't see why it's a one or the other scenario, you have a shit diet? Go work out how to fix that. 

Awakened and addicted to porn still? Go figure out how to fix that. 

Even post awakening Self-Help will have value in your life in an array of areas, for example Self-Realisation/ Enlightenment won't automatically make you incredibly fit, wealthy or have great relationships. 

Don't think enlightenment will solve all of the issues you face in your life. 

What you need will be different from what I need for example. 

 

How could actually someone be Awakened and be addicted porn? It seems impossible to me.

I consider myself that I use porn as an addiction, but just because I spent my 99% of my time in a very low-consciousness state.

When I have been "very" consciouss, I can watch my thoughts, my emotions, and feelings that interconnects to actually let me to use porn. In that state i can very easily , or better said, effortlessly, choose the wiser option. That´s what I call intelligence, and not my ego mind

I am one of those "believers" that beliefs that once realized the Self / Awakening , the mind starts to purify itself and starts discarding what you decide is not wise to continue. 

Maybe you won´t become a millionarie, but how couldn´t Awakening solve nearly all of your neurosis? (which is just everything that needs to be solved on Self-Help). 

However I am referring to be Consciouss all the time , if we are calling Awakening to have had mistical experiences, but we are not realized and we are "remembering" our insights and using them as a belief and not as a present direct experience, then of course self-help won´t be cured, but because i wouldn´t call that an Enlightened person.

[Javfly33]

@Identity Don´t worry, what you "solve" in Self-Help will also count in Spirituality.

I remeber I started doing Yoga+Meditaiton+Psychedelics 2 years ago for Spirituality but I had to stop because in the process of becoming a little more consciouss I realized I was full of trauma and neurosis. I stop all spiritual practices (that´s what i thought) to focus on self-help but in the process of self-help all what you are doing in purifying your ego/neurosis which are just a representation of your distance to Truth!

Is beatiful how all it interconnects!  Enjoy the ride!