The Seven Deadly Sins - One is Enough to Kill You - series by Hamza Yusuf

[Fleetinglife]

Hamza Yusuf: ‘'It’s a misnomer to call them deadly sins, because they are not really sins, they are states of being.’’ 

Chris Hedges: ‘’Well, Evagrius never called them ‘sins’ . 

Yusuf: He called them ‘thoughts’. 

Interesting and very helpful summation series I found via Chris Hedges covering all of the seven of the seven deadly 'sins' or 'thoughts' (there were actually originally eight according to the early Christian theologian, monk, mystic Evagrius - which included the Deadly Thought of 'Melancholy' or 'Self-Pity' or 'Self-Loathing' as the eighth one but later more mainstream church theologians like Saint Gregory excluded that one out) and their origins, theological, metaphyiscal, moral and ethical significance and their presence and manifestations in modern societies across the globe in an one hour interviews with each guest with theological expertise on the topic.

''Renovatio editor-in-chief Hamza Yusuf—conversing with scholars, leaders, and writers—explores one of religion’s most enduring conceptual frameworks, the Seven Deadly Sins. These conversations, filmed to capture their warmth and intimacy, shed light on how the sins manifest themselves within us, illustrate their devastating consequences on our culture, and elucidate their corresponding virtues for all of us who struggle with sin.''

I watched and compiled notes/transcript one the first one I watched which was  the sixth one about Wrath which featured Chris Hedges as a guest and notes which I took from that episode on Wrath will post here in a Word Document and I will also post the link to the site where all the episodes  of interviews on each of the seven sins are and will post subsequent notes I take and compile in my Word files of the other episodes that cover the remaining sins which are of relevance of me or I see as personal priority to contemplate on in my own life:

On the Third Deadly 'Sin' or 'Thought' (as Evagrius calls them): WRATH.

https://zaytuna.edu/renovatio/7-deadly-sins

 

 

The Seven Deadly Sins WRATH - Hamza Yusuf.docx

Edited November 24, 2021 by Fleetinglife

[Zigzag Idiot]

I began learning the enneagram years ago as Helen Palmer presented it.  Similar to Almaas' work in that whatever 'chief feature' (vice) one has when worked on over time can become a virtue that one has,,

[Fleetinglife]

9 hours ago, Zigzag Idiot said:

I began learning the enneagram years ago as Helen Palmer presented it.  Similar to Almaas' work in that whatever 'chief feature' (vice) one has when worked on over time can become a virtue that one has,,

Hmmm seems very interesting and profound. Thank you for sharing, this seems very useful and helpful to whom is studying and going more deeply into the matter of all the deadly 'sins' and vices for that matter ! I will be sure to check out her and Almaas's work online as well!

Edited November 24, 2021 by Fleetinglife

[Fleetinglife]

13 hours ago, Zigzag Idiot said:

in that whatever 'chief feature' (vice) one has when worked on over time can become a virtue that one has,,

Btw I found this interesting definiton of the differences and evolving relationship between sin and vice according to the teaching of the Christian mystic Evagrius Ponticus as accordingly explained and summarized briefly by Hamza Yusuf, that i thought I share with you if you find it interesting from a spiritual perspective:

''What's the difference between sins and vice?''

''Vice would be in my theological understanding of it. Vice is the habitus, it would be the state of being and Sin, is actually, so it would be more like the difference between the universal and the particular.

Sin would be the actual action that emanates from the negative habitus of vice.

One is more literally a state of being, or literally if you look at Evagrius where we got these deadly ‘thoughts’ from, because he was the first to identify eight. Evagrius identified these eight ‘thoughts’ and then he has a process, the first one was a kind of triggering event, and the triggering, went to a kind of coupling, which was like an internal dialogue, and that led to an ascent, you ascent to the thought, and then there was what he called a captivity, and then he said whether you struggled with it and overcame it, would depend whether you actually acted on it. 

So the act would be the sin, where the vice would be the process that led you to it.''

 

Edited November 24, 2021 by Fleetinglife

[hyruga]

Bro Fleetinglife, the 7 sins most probably won't kill you.

There is nothing good or bad but thinking makes it so. -in Hamlet

For example, being a glutton means you desire more food for yourself. It protects and saves you from dying of hunger. 

Being angry means you know that your boundaries are triggered and you should act. Being angry and voicing them out also heals any stuffed up traumas that could potentially be inside you. Being angry can inspire you to work harder and put in better work.

It's not the sins that's bad or deadly. It's how you control yourself in relation to these 'sins'. For that, you need to have strong mindset and emotional strength among other things.

 

 

[JosephKnecht]

...watch out for Pride. 

[Fleetinglife]

@hyruga

@JosephKnecht

I will have to definitely check out the remaining ones and write out notes on the remaining ones I have in mind, that I personally think I had the most trouble with, Sloth and Lust, after a break I took from this series.

@hyruga 

14 hours ago, hyruga said:

For example, being a glutton means you desire more food for yourself. It protects and saves you from dying of hunger. 

Being angry means you know that your boundaries are triggered and you should act. Being angry and voicing them out also heals any stuffed up traumas that could potentially be inside you. Being angry can inspire you to work harder and put in better work.

It's not the sins that's bad or deadly. It's how you control yourself in relation to these 'sins'.

This sounds like the survival efficient aspect to it that you are mentioning in relation to the cultivation of personal character and one's life's work and purpose, but in terms of spiritual development and advancement as a person, I think holding onto and repeating consciously or unconsciously the patterns of these 'thoughts' and 'states of being' as manifested in your life and your experience of it is tantamount to achieving greater results in self-introspection and self-understanding on some deeper metaphysical and epistemic levels.

For example, the miss of Wrath that Hedges was talking about and discussing with Yusuf was aimed to point in ways how it manifests itself unconsciously in social groups and people as a form of possession, that they unconsciously approach other people and their lives from that state of their being and how it harms not only themselves but people around them in cultivating an unhealthy atmosphere and discourse around various topics and concerns of social importance and furthering and expanding the links in the chain of hurt, as Leo termed it, without forgiveness or in some way to find a way of letting go and purging that wrath. He was aiming to show these are deeply unconsciously manifested in people's beings and that anger is just the consequence of their outside manifestation with something that is deeply embedded and not settled from within.

I understand your point since at the time of posting this I kinda felt in that paranoid way that if I don't stop succumbing or giving in to the temptation of these self-gratifying habits they will eventually lead to my self-annihilation, decay, decline, and eventual destruction, but since then I have tried to approach them using a more consciousness centered manner of how I feel about them and think about them and in a sort of trying to let that pass away, understand and have compassion and understanding for myself why do they manifest and are here in the first place and to slowly let go of it and ween myself of these habits during a prolonged period of being consciousness centered, abstinent, patient, understanding, pragmatic and purpose-driven for some other realistic goals and plans that I can realistically partially succeed by and achieve in the coming years in my life. In short, I have slightly let go of the dogmatist approach towards it and my understanding of my mistakes and faults up until this point and their origins , that you are warning me off as a piece of friendly advice, if my assessment is correct.

6 hours ago, JosephKnecht said:

...watch out for Pride. 

I think Pride can be more or less present in the cultural programming in accordance and in regards to a certain level of dvlp or consciousness stage of the society you currently live in as demand from the nature and character of the ideology that is propagated and amplified in that said society for its citizens and how they should perceive and feel towards their collective identity and the society in which it is cultivated - wher is a fine line for example in a stage Blue society/country between patriotic feelings towards your nation of birth or origin and prideful national exclusionary close-minded ethnic narcissism and ignorant arrogance?

Edited January 9, 2022 by Fleetinglife