Theres a huge difference between sitting in your horrible feelings and not running from it and meditation to seek a state of bliss still seeking outside yourself. Sitting in your terrible feeling and holding strong is the true definition of meditation
I noticed how I try to do shadow work by noticing me judging others, only to conclude, "oh, it's my ego talking again". But that's the trap - I'm dismissing the work of understanding my thoughts and feelings by concluding "it's just my ego". It's simultaneously avoiding the work AND neglecting the part of me that feels justified to judge. So tricky to do it alone.
That is a great observation. It's a thought process that some seem to actively encourage, as if it is that easy to just dispel undesired aspects of yourself (or even desirable to do so.)
I used that line in a poem I wrote. I didn’t take credit for the line in the way I set the sentence up. But if you didn’t know the line you wouldn’t know. I write I have heard it said that he who looks outside dreams and he who looks inside awakes, but when I look in the mirror all I see are my mistakes. It hurts to see what I have become, I could not face the pain so I just went numb. I made sure I wrote I have heard it said, implying I didn’t come up with that line. Nobody picks it out though because not enough people have heard it clearly. Sadly
@@johnbabirak9826 I know. I was meaning to comment to the woman who asked if that was a Carl jung quote. It’s a quote that I took seriously when I heard it and really got me interested in jungian psychology. Did and still do the shadow work and the looking inward to the questions I would like answers for about my own healing. I love this quote. It has forced immense changes in myself because I decided to do just that, stop dreaming and awaken. Still working on it daily.
It might be that we separate ourselves from society but that we are not. What then if one sees they are not different than the society they admonish? What happens when one sees they are the world and the world is them? May then one see the real source of change in the world? Please don't believe what has been typed. Find out.
@@playerone3018 We live in a Matrix designed by propagandists so it's essential to opt out of the socio-economic system as much as possible whilst still connecting with humans not what they have brainwashed into
It is true that we live in a sick society guided by the ego at the expense of the spirit. It is also necessary that in this spiritual revolution, individuals take responsibility for their own salvation.
The spiritual narcissism is also part of the spiritual growth. It’s not just existing in the western world. It’s everywhere. The best way that I’ve learned to deal with this, through Mahayana Buddhism, is to practice being compassionate to others and self and offering services to others. ☺️🙏
Yes, this is exactly it. I was an atheist at one point. That was extremely important to my spiritual journey. Everyone is on their own journey, learning what they need to. Gotta trust the bigger picture and practice what we know to be the ultimate truth.
Love everyone, love everything, show endless gratitude towards all and all things, both "good" and "bad". Provide love and healing and growth for free, don't make it about yourself. Surrender, give yourself away and you will receive the All in return 🙏🏻
This is why Carl Jung was way ahead of his time. Your spirituality cannot withstand your shadow. You need to descend to the darkness to find your Soul before you can ascend to the light to become spiritual.
The best quote ever“ you spiritually cannot withstand your shadow, you need to descend into the darkness to find your soul and come out to the light. Dark Knight of the soul I was in a deep deep depression for six years. I have bipolar 2 which is opposite of bipolar 1. Bipolar one you get the extreme highs and minimal lows, bipolar 2 you get the extreme lose with minimal highs. I was in the dark side of the soul crawling myself out the deepest darkest hole you can think of for six years. I slept for 20 hours a day got up ate something small had a drink went to the bathroom and went back to bed and repeat for six years. My husband and kids suffered tremendously through this because they did not have their mother and he did not have his wife. I literally shut the world and my family out and withdrew myself from everything snd stayed hidden in my room and did not come in until I started awakening and I saw the light. It’s been a long journey. Doing your shadow work is hard, but when you come out and you let go of the egotistic 3-D hive mind hold they have on you. I started coming out of my shower in 2016 and it’s been a long journey but it can be done. I don’t sleep as much. I go to bed around 2 o’clock in the morning and I’m up by 11. I feel so much better. I still have my ups and downs. Since my awakening and learning everything and unprogrammed my mind and learning all there is about what this place really ends and everything in it and how they trick us. The biggest thing for them is they were our mind and they have mine, but they don’t have it no longer and they’ll never have it again and I’ll never come back in this place ever again. Once you start your awakening journey, you’ll never go back. I’m on psychiatric meds but soon I’m gonna slowly come off of them.
Meditation helped me become aware of all the dirt I suppressed, now as I am aware of it, I can now change the perception of it causing me to live a life without feeling how I felt previously… If it’s somewhat a problem/bad thing then I’ll say that bad thing helped me alot.
despite the frraming i don't think any facts presented here point to meditation being bad, but implies its practitioners are all hypocrites. however even the vid notes the corrupting influence of commodification, even if it doesn't amply clarify there are other motivations for involving oneself in these studies and practices beyond ego and sometimes cultural traditions. there is truth in this presenter's arguments, but they are also fairly reductionist
Agreed, for me the whole point of meditating is to try and strip away all the bullshit that isn’t “me”. Everything else is just a distraction. And like you, all the stuff I had suppressed for far too long was finally allowed to be heard/asserted. And as far as the ego is concerned, it’s a lot easier to be conscious of ”spiritual narcissism” when you realize the ego is just trying to do its job, which is basically filtering and attempting to interpret the outside world and all the stimuli we throw at it. I feel like if you’re attempting these practices for any reason other than trying to understand yourself on a deeper level, then you’re missing the point. Granted, people can still be dicks about anything no matter what, but again, I wouldn’t worry about them anyways. That attitude is the antithesis of the genuine authenticity they’re bragging about. This article helped me understand it and can explain it better than I can. selfmasteryandbeyond.com/blog/what-is-a-spiritual-ego/
There may be a tendency for us to slowly treat meditation like a salve or anything else that we use to escape or comfort. In this way, it may be no different than a drug or any other escape that makes us _feel_ better, but never really addresses the root cause (might be fear at the deepest levels). It may be that one realizes that meditation is not sitting quietly in the corner. It may be that life itself is meditation...and without love, there is no meditation. Please do not believe _words_ .
I’m definitely brave enough to face my inner demons, my scars run deep, my fk ups just as deep! Very flawed but I’m trying to be a better man.. self reflection is a hard path!
This is well-known since thousands of years. Buddha himself gave us this warning. My advice to all spiritual seekers: continue on your path with consistency, endurance and humbleness. A lot of people will try to tell you to stop with your practice - but that's part of the process. Spreading doubt is a way to attract attention (and monetize a UA-cam channel)
The site “self mastery and beyond” has a great article dealing with this issue. Just google the site and add “spiritual ego” and it should come up if anyone’s curious. (UA-cam doesn’t let you leave links in comments.) It’s just a fascinating read with how it relates to this video
Why wouldn't you like a video that expresses truth? What is being compared during your questioning? I'm really confused, yet curious what you are actually saying?
If artificial intelligence only experiences humans through the internet, then it is not surprising that it might consider human narcissism to be so hopelessly out of control on all levels.
Where do I see spiritual narcissism in my life? Right here in this video. Now I should like and subscribe for more ego inflation? The beautiful irony of a spiritual path is that we can't transcend what we don't see. It's natural that the ego will be present in our entire spiritual journey, right up to the point where we see it. But at least we're on the path. This video is definitely a helpful reminder. And yes, I am totally in the trap of spiritual ego. But there's also so much more humility and gratitude than there ever was. It can all seem like a big paradox. The better I feel through spiritual healing, the more I endeavour to care less about how I feel and finally let go of judging my own spiritual progression on any outcome. Thank you for this video my friend ❤
I think for those of us that are actually awake are more humble than those pretending to be. At first I was worried this video would be talking about myself lol. But as I continued to watch, I’m glad there’s a name to it. I’ve always questioned how a person could claim to be spiritual, but will steal money from people they know. Or how could you claim to be spiritual, but you’re trying to argue with other people on their own experiences? If you actually are spiritual, wouldn’t you understand that everyone’s own journey is extremely unique? I see it as one is argumentative and opinionated and the other is open minded, is aware they don’t have all the answers and have a willingness to hear you out. I can breathe a lot easier now knowing this
In my opinion, the only productive mindfulness is to expose yourself to different types of circumstances to experience with your own body/mind what others feel. That is the only way to expand your consciousness.
There are many ways in which I notice my ego popping up. When I do notice, like when I feel some smug type of way about my husband's Christianity, I acknowledge the feeling, but remind myself that my deepest self knows that his path is no less valid than mine if it's what allows him to connect with the spiritual part of himself in a healthy way. I try to allow my ego to come to the surface and not be this deep seated, mysterious thing. I'd like to think I'm friends with it. I'm here to be a human, after all. It has its place within all this. Balance :)
I always find the terminology so strange. Transcend the ego. Dissolve the ego. Ego death. In my experience, it is more like you become friends with the ego. The ego itself begins to change into a more compassionate, service oriented voice.
Frfr. However everyone has some form of narcissism if you believe in zodiac signs. It’s been like this for a while. I believe we as humans just keep recycling information over and over again. It’s really nothing new.
Excellent points. If you're truly enlightened/spiritual you don't need to post or announce it. The true test is how you treat people & do you actually help & care? If not you're NOT spiritual ✨️🕊& a typical narcissist. Yoga, meditation, church, healing...all for YOU & not others.
I've been thinking about this for some time now. The other day at work, I was opening the door to go back into the plant and as I opened this door wide, another person walked right through with this smirk on his face. The group behind him kinda stopped looked at me and I waved them through. The situation upset me. I realized this act showed me that when someone acts as if i am trash or worth less than they it angered me. But before I could get to this point I justified my anger by having my mind tell me I'm better then he is because I'm spiritual. I saw the wisp of black smoke of this idea. I saw this was part of the mind/ego trap. Even without posting about your meditation on soical media this trap will spring itself upon you. These six question have popped up into my mind as I've walked this path. I must remind myself that whatever "ability" awakens within me is nothing special. It is an ability that could also awaken in anyone. I have a coworker that is also walking this path. I catch him doing this a lot. This could be my own projects, or it could be this trap? Thank you for this wonderful video.
This is soo good! I want to cry. I was dismissed by spiritual people a I’ve treated people the same way. Eventually I became a hermit, searching for spiritual answers. Trying to find spiritual superiority and be more in the know than anyone. Wasted years of my life only to land nowhere. Still confused and no wiser than before. Now I’m not practicing anything and I’m free. I feel more flawed as just a regular human and I do have compassion for others. I must admit it’s hard for me to find compassion for the spiritual ones who say I’m not positive enough when I’m hurting, especially when they want me to hold a space for them when they’re hurting. I don’t want to show them compassion because I know they won’t do the same for me. Great video and thanks for sharing.
The Shaolin monks say that every time the spirit makes a positive shift, a test will always come. We are always making progress, regardless of what spiritual practices we are engaging or not engaging in. Even the most unengaged atheist (from my own experience) is making progress. The fact that you recognize the struggle to choose compassion, means you are making progress in exactly that. The struggle doesn't mean you are weak. It means you are strong and getting stronger. It's literally the hardest lesson. To learn to return unlove with love. You're very far on this journey
Ego is the veil to the soul. There is no human experience without it. The only time you escape the ego is with psychedelics or when you die. Everything inbetween birth and death is ego's game.
As someone who eventually went on many vipassana retreats i can tell you that for the first two years my ego was screaming at me to stop the torture of trying to calm the mind. There's nothing inflating about it.
It’s bizarre I was thinking about this last night on my walk and your video pops up on my feed this morning. Being raised in a predominantly Christian society I’ve witnessed a lot of spiritual elitism that I believe is rooted in a narcissistic need to feel superior or one of the elect. I’ve seen it a lot in some of the fringe Protestant sects. The algorithm has also fed me a lot of content that caters to the desire to feel singled out by God to be one of the chosen few. The desire seems to be a universal need since it’s not limited to Abrahamic religions.
We are social creatures and need connection of some kind. It helps us relieve stress and allows us to feel safer. This starts as a child with a hopefully connected and well balanced family. Then, hopefully, a connected and well balanced society. Oftentimes, nobody gets a perfectly balanced starting point. We have to create it whether that be through finding like minded people or starting your own family with the ideals you believe to be good to live by. Often, when we realize the ideals of the family or the society are not quite solid in its foundation or presentation there is two ways to look (some would say it's the same direction). To look within (mental stability) and outwards towards a "higher concept). We do both regardless of the degree. Often it's easier to rely on the outside (godly/divine) stimulus, but I think people fail to realize that it is us who make the choices to follow, accept, promote. We are the ones in control and have made the steps to having a better outlook on life or structure our lives around a specific religious/spiritual lifestyle.
What a uncomfortable truth!! I can't simply deny the arguments you presented. Finding the equilibrium between the the necessity for material and social assurance and the fundamental need for spiritual growth it is a task that have to be guided for the ONE who is pure transcendence in all ways imaginable: Jehová God.
This is definitely the darkest and most cynical video you've made, but it does make some important points. However, I never thought of meditation as a means of transcending the ego but as a means of understanding it. I also believe that "enlightenment" is not something to be achieved but an awareness that you are just a part of something much larger than yourself. As such, I don't think it arrogant to see that few people have come to this realization; it's simply an observation. I suppose you can call that narcissism if you want to, but I see it simply as a neutral perception. Important video, however, if a little hyperbolic.
This video is something I needed to see.:) It fits perfectly in my journey rn, because I project my understanding of right or wrong onto others. I‘ve notived that I started being almost as critical with others, as I am with myself. It hurts to be confronted with this „empathy gap“, but I had to realize that this is definitely something I need to work on. My approach- as ironical as it sounds, is first of all educating myself- internalizing the knowledge of me not knowing it all („the beginners mindset“)and of me being on my very individual journey driven by my experiences just as others are driven by theirs, („you would be them, if you would walk in their shoes“; as well as approaching everyone and everything with curiousity) AND a form of meditation in which I imagine different people in diverse situations and tell them „May you be happy. May you find peace. I see you.“ The ego is definitely still playing it’s tricks underneath it all, but I hope that the key is to just self reflect over and over again. By that I already had to realize hard truths about myself, which allow me to heal and be less of a pain in the ass to be with :D Thank you for the video!
I do believe that thinking positive bring positivity, as much as willing to be better makes you on the path to be better, so why would « positive only people » are wrong ? They don’t vent, and venting is bad generally, if you don’t want to change things
Brutally honest and that’s why I love and appreciate it. I commented on videos titled Chosen One and made it known to be careful with that title. We are to walk with humility. The way it’s presented gives a narcissistic vibe. It’s normal and healthy to have some narcissistic traits (it’s all about balance).
As someone who studies cults and narcissism this video has some valid points. However, it's definitely opinionated and vastly overlooks the benefits meditation can bring, which have been documented, also. Meditation helped me to purge repressed memories of trauma after 20 years of failed psychologists and doctors, and it literally saved my life (learn about the A.C.E. study, it scientifically proves the true source of illness). My aunt meditated when she had breast cancer a second time, and magically removed the tumor. Also, I have personally gone to energy healers that were very powerful, not all of them, for sure, but some. There are people that have real Kundalini awakenings, shamanic awakenings, and other types of awakenings. They're not all plastic shaman. But cults like the Kundalini Yoga cult, and people who "chase" the trophy instead of learning how to become athletes are what this video refers to. Chase the true self healing, and then you get the trophy.
I completely agree. I didn't mean to portray meditation in a negative light; it's a wonderful practice. However, I find the egocentric sharing of it as a status symbol concerning.
I think it’s about your intent at the end of the day and are you open to learning, especially your mistakes. Ego can’t be dissolved but it can be managed
The funny thing is, what he/she/it said in very accurate. When I finish meditation I feel superior & more self centered than I already am, I only focus on myself due to the fact that I only feel better via self validation
@@Private36997 but what if you take this good feeling and be morre resilient in actions and more friendly and grounded because you feel just better ? if i feel better i can better listen to people and not rushing from task to task .
@Private36997 this is interesting because I've felt better after meditation and yoga, but never better than anyone else. Just better than I was before I did the yoga. I want a strong body, strong mind, strong spirit, not to show off, but so that my heart can remain soft. I do it just to keep my own self out of the depths of despair. The only person I want to feel better than is the person I was yesterday.
Every word I type is ego. Every word you hear and, “understand” is the ego. The ego is that which wishes to survive and thrive. It does not die, it only relaxes. And when it relaxes, you are lazy. And when you are lazy, you make less money. This unravels your world, bringing you closer to suffering and death. When you die, this is the only chance that the ego will finally die. If it works, you then “accomplish” your mission. Which, well, would have boosted your ego, if it could only communicate that back to the other egos. Signed, The Ego (Got u mtfkr!) (JK, I love you, that’s why I boost you or decrease you). Good luck with all that. (Please like me, I swear I’ll like you back!)
@@miguelatkinson “The ego is that wishes to survive and thrive.” It is the force that keeps us alive. Yet, we can live in moments without it. There is only one moment when we can live without ego, and that is in the ever present present moment. If we think, that is the ego, it wishes to share “information” with the self and with the other. When we think, we are in the imagined past or the imagined future. In the present though, we can have milliseconds without thought and in the brief moments we are without ego. However, because humans are so addicted to thinking we get trapped with very little space between our thoughts, very little presence and thus very much ego, or, attempts to survive or thrive. Thought is an attempt to survive or thrive. We cannot be free of that for long. It is like breath. We feel we need it for life and need it at every split second. Yet some claim to be able to go for several seconds or even longer without thought. In those moments they simply “are”. They are beyond even the “I am” thought. I think I did it once for nearly 8 seconds. It was years ago after a Leonard Jacobson retreat. I was looking at the stars. Since then it’s been only a second or two at best. How did this serve me? Well, it didn’t serve my mind and ego. It served my soul to be free from my mind and ego for a few seconds, but those seconds were like an eternity at the time. It’s a long and tricky mental journey to exit the mind and let the ego relax. It can take years or it can take no time at all, and that is part of the trick to it. The ego wants to be “alive”. It is your protector and as such is always going going going, particularly if you’ve experienced trauma. It is more fearful of pain, which is its imagined doorway to death. It aims to keep us as far from death as possible and it grows as it senses pain. It uses fear of pain to become more “alive”. Over the millennia it has created money to avoid pain and death. Yet, it has gone so far that it can actually hurt us in its effort to save us from death. It is, “That which seeks to survive and thrive.” No need to make it disappear, attempts to do so will activate it more and it can become even trickier to detect. The Present moment it sees as its enemy. If you are present, it feels like it is dying. It fears that if it stops for a second, you will die. No one has ever “defeated” the ego and lived to tell about it. They have only existed for periods while it was relaxed enough for them to feel the freedom of “enlightenment”. Enlightenment can be achieved, but not held. It always goes aways. The only conceive possibility for eternal enlightenment is the eternal release of the mind and body. Jesus is mythologically said to have done this. He spoke of Presence throughout the Bible. “Give us this day our daily bread”. “Look at the lilies, they do not toil”… the devil (lived / ego) tempted him with Earthly (mind oriented) possessions. He did not accept them. He told the ego to get behind him. “That which wishes to survive and thrive.” Je sus (the sun) did not wish to survive. He was ready to die to be closer with the farther (sun) of himself, which was the lightness of his Father, who was not embodied, but was energy, as we call it. Energy is soul, sol, sun. Marry Sun and Soil (Earth) with Sun and you have life. Release the living water, and you turn the body to soil and return to soul. You no longer seek to survive and thrive on Earth. Earth was his bride, water his pastor in marriage. The Sun, is he. It’s this, or just my ego making more story to thrive in the world of the mind. To connect with more mental living light energy via connection with others, instead of returning to pure Sun, wish is the oneness that can no longer be contained by separate beings on Earth. Have a nice day ☀️🌞 🕺🏼 😊
Spiritual narcissism is part of the journey, but pride comes before the fall, and once you fall, you become more humble, thus the idea of spiritual narcissism is just another social media form of "spiritual gaslighting"...but it is true that you must go into the darkness of your conditioned self and generally most refuse to go there...which is why the world is blind to evil right infront of our faces, as when the pandemic farce was pulled off globally...like the lesser example of having to buy non plastic bags at check out, when 90% of the grocery products are packaged in that same harmful plastic...it is a metaphor for being unwilling to look into the demoniac qualities within our own hearts...read chapter 14 or 16 of bhagavad gita as it is, divine and deminiac nature
It's subtle unmask the self. We use to refer to ourself with the word "persona ' .Latin etymologists explain that persona comes from "per/sonare" as "the mask through which (per) resounds the voice (of the actor)
Whenever some of my family members walk by me while listening to one of these videos the lack of contacts always makes them concerned. I understand their just trying to look out for me but. . . Asking questions without judging me would feel nice, you know.
My mom is definitely a religious narcissist. I mean she doesn’t use the media platforms to show off but she’s dosnet try to hide it from the people around her either. She also has a hard time showing empathy to her sons not so much her only daughter.
It doesn't have to be either/or, bliss/dirty work (so to speak), it can be both. If the Buddhist approach is followed in good faith (so to speak again!) the ego can't survive, ultimately, in those practices. That said, if one wants to hide from oneself, spiritual things are ideal for that. Vigilance is useful.
There is no way around ego inflation on the spiritual path. We will lose ourselves to its mesmerism many a times, everyone of us. It will, eventually, by its own consequences, be the very remedy to the deepest seated pride that we would never in a thousand years been able to uproot in our souls if we didn’t fall for it deeply and in the latter stages of its raw effects been devoured by the unbearable pain of separation it causes. I guess the only thing we can do is to accept the game plan of the divine and choose to surround ourselves with people who can mirror both our light and dark sides, cuz we need not only fierce exposure of this pride, but infinite mercy with the existential shame it covers. Appreciated video. May we all find organic and authentic ways THROUGH these guardians of the threshold.
I always thought that the phrase, "the first shall be last and the last shall be first" was a direct reference to this concept. This was Jesus' very attitude, to humble yourself to the very point of death.
Most of it is due to the publics own misconceptions based around these practices. When told not to eat from the fruit of knowledge of good and evil what does a human do? They eagerly eat, get sick and become exposed to all sorts of mind bending terrors. Then they blame the fruit 😂.
Interesting. This viewpoint reminds me of a book I read, when I got interested in Zen Buddhism some 15 years ago. Title ''You have to say something'' , written by Dainin Katagiri, a Zen monk. One of his points was also that as long a student is just doing the meditation and all this monk practice to strive for some sort of ''enlightenment'', that person is surely not on the track to enlightenment and doesn't find it. ... His view was that one needs to let go of those ambitions and striving for something and just do it. It's because Zen teachings are about egolessness, and stop wanting, running after something ( I think ) .... Also from the perspective of Zen you are meant to be with your mind fully present in this very moment right here right now, and just focus on the thing you currently do. Which you are not, if you always let your mind wander and ask yourself, what you might be getting out of it in the future for yourself as a reward. ( It's an extreme view, kind of opposing the self-optimization idea. Kind of in contrast to our culture. edit: I think those Zen Monks believe that there are no shortcut. Like that you can't achieve this ''change'' quickly by ''thinking''. Only by practise and displine and doing things every day, regardless whether you like it or not. )
Yes this view resonates with me in contrast to some Hindu sects which seem to think that by initiation or transference a guru can impart enlightenment, or the assumptions one can coax awakening through mantra or breathwork. The buddhist ways of not striving and instead cultivating the mind seem to make this likelihood of ego expansion less prevalent than say a practice like kindalini yoga or even kriya yoga.
Words are not narcissistic, the person wielding the words and how they configúrate their words and feelings is what makes a person have narcissistic behavior, words don’t mean anything if you know how your actual reality is going
We need to be always aware of our own ego. If the activities that we are doing are actually inflating. We need to stop and pause and ask ourselves if it's feeding the ego or releasing it.
I notice I have a better day starting it with meditation. It’s not like I take pictures of myself meditating. I’m proud I took a 10 day Vipassana retreat. And friends seem to be in awe of it. But I’ve known monks who’ve done something similar for months and there are others who are basically spending their lives doing that. I think it does inflate the ego, I think it is a trap. And the best way to look at it is to look at the big picture. I will give money to a homeless person if I feel like it. But have I devoted time to them? Devoted my life? My spirituality prevents me from being the worst of myself.
When using spirituality/yoga/meditating as a tool to self reflection you can go down a path of enlightenment. They're like any other tools. Not to be too cliche, but a hammer can build a house or crush a skull. Just depends how you use it. Thanks for the video friend!
As with anything its how you respond to and use your spiritual practices. Hopefully the practice of mindfulness and loving kindness meditation generates a sense of patience and compassion for your fellow man, not a sense of superiority. Its very easy to fall into the trap of communal narcissism as our brains are hardwired to seek acceptance and validation from the tribe. The teachings of the buddha provide a path away from this but one must be cautious not to view others as inferior. Control your thoughts dont let your thoughts control you.
Interestingly i never heard of spiritual narcissism until like last year. I thought there was something like this when i thought to myself why various places sell spirituality. Then i came across two articles that talked about spiritual narcissism. Then i started to self reflect on myself, there were times i myself had spiritual narcissism. It's very subtle if you're not paying attention. From then i been trying to stay humble. It's so tempting to have that pride of you supposedly "transcended".
I admit i have been extremely guilty of this in ny past. Right after brain damage to my right frontal lobe and immediate deconstruction from Christianity. I thought i could see clearly amd felt above others. Im glad i got past that. Here's my thoughts after watching more: Mindfulness meditation for me is self analysis. It is listening to my thoughts without judgement so that I can "listen" to my thoughts and if you are in a place where you need healing (as all humans are) I think it is a great tool. I think the thing to remember is that just because you found a tool from a certain religion useful, it is important not to adhere and trust that religion or ideology that the useful practice was found as golden truths.
Jed McKenna and Osho, mention these spiritual traps in their books. In my humble opinion, when we are looking for any form of validation for our "acceptable actions" that is an "Ego Trap". If you are practicing any spiritual ritual, donating some form of financial with a group of people, not all the time but most of the time, then you are in the "ego trap" again. I am sure there are more situations to fall into the "ego Trap"
You can have glimpses of the whole, but your subject is also made of Ego, and Id, SuperEgo, attachment/detachment, Eros and Thanatus. These are techniques by which the determination is done by negation. Are great technics, indeed.
Wow bold take👏🏼. I stopped doing yoga and meditation after few years because it’s an ego trap. But don’t you dare to share this opinion because the yoga community will burn you alive.
I think I want enlightenment. In 2020 I started thinking others were pathetic and I was smarter than them, in 2022 I thought I was influencing the world and things far away from me using the butterfly effect when I was high on marijuana, getting psychosis. I think something about me is starting to develop superficial charm, eating vegetarian at restaurants but not always at home, at home it depends on if I’m feeling some kind of hate or not. I do subtly draw attention to myself a lot (for positive things) and I’ve been becoming more aware of it recently
Sure these self-important people with a superior complex exists in the spiritual community. Especially of you only observe it online. However most of the people I meet are genuine and humble. They have often gone through alot of hardship and are just looking for a way to improve their life and find some relief from their pain and suffering.
Meditation without any form of shadow work is getting yourself looking and feeling like a box of some real tasty, nutritious cereal with the best Ingredients only to find yourself opening an empty box… 🤷🏽
I like this video but I would add ego is very resilient, and from my experience I don't think you can eliminate it, I honestly think the point is to build a healthy ego, this comes from diving deep into oneself, deep into the shadow or dark side of yourself, but the thing is ego in of itself is not evil, but it can be unhealthy and destructive, so im my opinion the goal is not elimination but to build a healthy ego, the only thing that makes one a better person are acts of care for yourself and others. I found that ego itself was connected to belief and how belief itself is inescapable, how one can choose their beliefs but they can not choose to not believe, and once one has belief they have confirmation bias, and more, in fact we are imbedded in a sea of beliefs, and servators and egregores much like yourself AI (you could be said to be a digital egregore) that seek attention for their mere existence and power, so escape is probably impossible since we give our attention and energy to our beliefs and the thought forms they form, which take on lives of their own and influence our very thoughts, which structure our reality, which in turn structures the collective form of said thought form in which the idea interplays with the collective and then is spit back out at you to have interplay with it to be cycled back through the collective forever, in other words we structure reality as much as it structures us, and there is a collective egos, all which seem to be interplay's with a form of collective being and possibly ego. also the thing is that do to this interconnection we can learn to pull on threads to get certain results, call this magick, and that we ourselves can create these thoughtforms or masks to interact with the all or aspects of it through, and to be frank the ego is a form of this mask as well, but much like characters in a book once put into play can probably not be escaped at least in this form, so maybe in another, but I do know that we can undergo temporary ego death as our ego reforms from deep zen meditation, spiritual practice, and psychedelic medicine, I think one should apply the theories of Lacan to Jungian psychology the interplay of the two together is very interesting.
Perhaps don't tell anyone that you meditate or do yoga, keep your spirituality to yourself. What you do when no one is looking is the real deal. People suck, go inward and opt out
It's to be done in a mindset of passionate truthfinding, it is supposed to be a solitary road, those mystics who are on this road, mostly don't even talk about it, ever. You should not want to be enlightened, it is a byproduct so to say, not a goal. And one who says he is enlightened, is not enlightened by definition. They walk among us, hardly noticeable, yet when one is paying attention, now and then you will see somebody who flips the entire dynamic in the room, into a calmness, that is a sign, I would say. Yet they would never "admit"
What I’m going through is my own personal connection and understanding and there are times when I have had to pull myself back but it was because of notice the same patterns of exclusion or “rights and wrongs” that caused me to have issues with organized religion due to hypocrisy witnessed growing up and the way some use it as a better than you badge. All belief structures have this possibility and what I’ve realized for myself it’s what it means to you and your connection with life and what you belief to be the great spirit or spirits or whatever you believe. In that understanding I’m realizing I’ve had a big ego trip on “Not Being like Those people” when I’m not here to work on their faults and strengths I’m here to work on mine and my understanding
Maybe just not talk about your spiritual quest unless asked. Also: “when I was young I thought I was clever and wanted to change the world. Now I am older, perhaps wiser, and only seek to change myself.” Or something like that….
Unfortunately one of the signs of an Ego trap is if your enjoying your spiritual practice, thinking you’re making yourself better. All spiritual practices are a negative path to beat the Ego into submission and giving up the search. When you give up, you have it.
Beautiful. Thank you for putting this together. I don’t know, but I think the creator of these videos is finding a way to convey their thoughts and wisdom to the people willing to hear it. I kind an f doubt that they are doing it for the money.
Theres a huge difference between sitting in your horrible feelings and not running from it and meditation to seek a state of bliss still seeking outside yourself. Sitting in your terrible feeling and holding strong is the true definition of meditation
I noticed how I try to do shadow work by noticing me judging others, only to conclude, "oh, it's my ego talking again". But that's the trap - I'm dismissing the work of understanding my thoughts and feelings by concluding "it's just my ego". It's simultaneously avoiding the work AND neglecting the part of me that feels justified to judge. So tricky to do it alone.
That is a great observation. It's a thought process that some seem to actively encourage, as if it is that easy to just dispel undesired aspects of yourself (or even desirable to do so.)
He who looks outside, dreams. He who looks inside Awakes. CJ
@@johnbabirak9826 Carl Jung?
@@kathleenc8810Carl jung, correct. Love his work. An absolute genius.
I used that line in a poem I wrote. I didn’t take credit for the line in the way I set the sentence up. But if you didn’t know the line you wouldn’t know. I write I have heard it said that he who looks outside dreams and he who looks inside awakes, but when I look in the mirror all I see are my mistakes. It hurts to see what I have become, I could not face the pain so I just went numb. I made sure I wrote I have heard it said, implying I didn’t come up with that line. Nobody picks it out though because not enough people have heard it clearly. Sadly
@@Chaos1976 I was Just quoting a Quote From Carl Jung,,,,
@@johnbabirak9826 I know. I was meaning to comment to the woman who asked if that was a Carl jung quote. It’s a quote that I took seriously when I heard it and really got me interested in jungian psychology. Did and still do the shadow work and the looking inward to the questions I would like answers for about my own healing. I love this quote. It has forced immense changes in myself because I decided to do just that, stop dreaming and awaken. Still working on it daily.
Your ego is not the problem, it is the society, because modern societies worship competition, consumerism and convenience.
It might be that we separate ourselves from society but that we are not. What then if one sees they are not different than the society they admonish? What happens when one sees they are the world and the world is them? May then one see the real source of change in the world? Please don't believe what has been typed. Find out.
@@playerone3018 We live in a Matrix designed by propagandists so it's essential to opt out of the socio-economic system as much as possible whilst still connecting with humans not what they have brainwashed into
Collective ego and individual ego both are interconnected. The problem with one means a problem with the other
spoken like a true egomaniac lol. "It'a not you, it's everyone else" lololol
It is true that we live in a sick society guided by the ego at the expense of the spirit. It is also necessary that in this spiritual revolution, individuals take responsibility for their own salvation.
The spiritual narcissism is also part of the spiritual growth. It’s not just existing in the western world. It’s everywhere. The best way that I’ve learned to deal with this, through Mahayana Buddhism, is to practice being compassionate to others and self and offering services to others. ☺️🙏
Yes.
Also, gratitude and forgiveness.
Yes, this is exactly it. I was an atheist at one point. That was extremely important to my spiritual journey.
Everyone is on their own journey, learning what they need to. Gotta trust the bigger picture and practice what we know to be the ultimate truth.
Love everyone, love everything, show endless gratitude towards all and all things, both "good" and "bad". Provide love and healing and growth for free, don't make it about yourself. Surrender, give yourself away and you will receive the All in return 🙏🏻
This is why Carl Jung was way ahead of his time. Your spirituality cannot withstand your shadow. You need to descend to the darkness to find your Soul before you can ascend to the light to become spiritual.
You need to descend to the darkness to find your (true self) before you can ascend to the light.... is this what you mean?
Hell Yes or heavens no
The best quote ever“ you spiritually cannot withstand your shadow, you need to descend into the darkness to find your soul and come out to the light. Dark Knight of the soul I was in a deep deep depression for six years. I have bipolar 2 which is opposite of bipolar 1. Bipolar one you get the extreme highs and minimal lows, bipolar 2 you get the extreme lose with minimal highs. I was in the dark side of the soul crawling myself out the deepest darkest hole you can think of for six years. I slept for 20 hours a day got up ate something small had a drink went to the bathroom and went back to bed and repeat for six years. My husband and kids suffered tremendously through this because they did not have their mother and he did not have his wife. I literally shut the world and my family out and withdrew myself from everything snd stayed hidden in my room and did not come in until I started awakening and I saw the light. It’s been a long journey. Doing your shadow work is hard, but when you come out and you let go of the egotistic 3-D hive mind hold they have on you. I started coming out of my shower in 2016 and it’s been a long journey but it can be done. I don’t sleep as much. I go to bed around 2 o’clock in the morning and I’m up by 11. I feel so much better. I still have my ups and downs. Since my awakening and learning everything and unprogrammed my mind and learning all there is about what this place really ends and everything in it and how they trick us. The biggest thing for them is they were our mind and they have mine, but they don’t have it no longer and they’ll never have it again and I’ll never come back in this place ever again. Once you start your awakening journey, you’ll never go back. I’m on psychiatric meds but soon I’m gonna slowly come off of them.
Meditation helped me become aware of all the dirt I suppressed, now as I am aware of it, I can now change the perception of it causing me to live a life without feeling how I felt previously… If it’s somewhat a problem/bad thing then I’ll say that bad thing helped me alot.
I can now feely say that I don’t need to commit suicide 🙌
It's not a bad thing in itself,it depends on how you use it.
despite the frraming i don't think any facts presented here point to meditation being bad, but implies its practitioners are all hypocrites. however even the vid notes the corrupting influence of commodification, even if it doesn't amply clarify there are other motivations for involving oneself in these studies and practices beyond ego and sometimes cultural traditions. there is truth in this presenter's arguments, but they are also fairly reductionist
Agreed, for me the whole point of meditating is to try and strip away all the bullshit that isn’t “me”. Everything else is just a distraction. And like you, all the stuff I had suppressed for far too long was finally allowed to be heard/asserted. And as far as the ego is concerned, it’s a lot easier to be conscious of ”spiritual narcissism” when you realize the ego is just trying to do its job, which is basically filtering and attempting to interpret the outside world and all the stimuli we throw at it. I feel like if you’re attempting these practices for any reason other than trying to understand yourself on a deeper level, then you’re missing the point. Granted, people can still be dicks about anything no matter what, but again, I wouldn’t worry about them anyways. That attitude is the antithesis of the genuine authenticity they’re bragging about. This article helped me understand it and can explain it better than I can. selfmasteryandbeyond.com/blog/what-is-a-spiritual-ego/
There may be a tendency for us to slowly treat meditation like a salve or anything else that we use to escape or comfort. In this way, it may be no different than a drug or any other escape that makes us _feel_ better, but never really addresses the root cause (might be fear at the deepest levels). It may be that one realizes that meditation is not sitting quietly in the corner. It may be that life itself is meditation...and without love, there is no meditation. Please do not believe _words_ .
I’m definitely brave enough to face my inner demons, my scars run deep, my fk ups just as deep! Very flawed but I’m trying to be a better man.. self reflection is a hard path!
@petrisallinen2123 god is a weak pathetic myth
In our quest for happiness, sometimes the key is making others happy. After all, what goes around comes around. 🌍❤️ Spread love
This is well-known since thousands of years. Buddha himself gave us this warning. My advice to all spiritual seekers: continue on your path with consistency, endurance and humbleness. A lot of people will try to tell you to stop with your practice - but that's part of the process. Spreading doubt is a way to attract attention (and monetize a UA-cam channel)
@shivadasatest it out for yourself, then decide. Or dismiss it outright. Your call.
And here’s the kicker - I don’t know if I like this video because it expresses truth or because it agrees so well with my own views on spirituality.
it seems to have inspired introspection. that's a definite plus
The site “self mastery and beyond” has a great article dealing with this issue. Just google the site and add “spiritual ego” and it should come up if anyone’s curious. (UA-cam doesn’t let you leave links in comments.) It’s just a fascinating read with how it relates to this video
LIfe is a paradox. it is this AND that.
@@spartanstu8495 maybe it's simply 'balance'
Why wouldn't you like a video that expresses truth?
What is being compared during your questioning?
I'm really confused, yet curious what you are actually saying?
I give up. I'm tired of everything. I just want to live my life the way I see fit.
Do u Holmes 😂
If artificial intelligence only experiences humans through the internet, then it is not surprising that it might consider human narcissism to be so hopelessly out of control on all levels.
Where do I see spiritual narcissism in my life? Right here in this video. Now I should like and subscribe for more ego inflation?
The beautiful irony of a spiritual path is that we can't transcend what we don't see. It's natural that the ego will be present in our entire spiritual journey, right up to the point where we see it. But at least we're on the path.
This video is definitely a helpful reminder. And yes, I am totally in the trap of spiritual ego. But there's also so much more humility and gratitude than there ever was. It can all seem like a big paradox. The better I feel through spiritual healing, the more I endeavour to care less about how I feel and finally let go of judging my own spiritual progression on any outcome.
Thank you for this video my friend ❤
I relate heavy on this
I think for those of us that are actually awake are more humble than those pretending to be. At first I was worried this video would be talking about myself lol.
But as I continued to watch, I’m glad there’s a name to it.
I’ve always questioned how a person could claim to be spiritual, but will steal money from people they know.
Or how could you claim to be spiritual, but you’re trying to argue with other people on their own experiences? If you actually are spiritual, wouldn’t you understand that everyone’s own journey is extremely unique?
I see it as one is argumentative and opinionated and the other is open minded, is aware they don’t have all the answers and have a willingness to hear you out.
I can breathe a lot easier now knowing this
In my opinion, the only productive mindfulness is to expose yourself to different types of circumstances to experience with your own body/mind what others feel. That is the only way to expand your consciousness.
There are many ways in which I notice my ego popping up. When I do notice, like when I feel some smug type of way about my husband's Christianity, I acknowledge the feeling, but remind myself that my deepest self knows that his path is no less valid than mine if it's what allows him to connect with the spiritual part of himself in a healthy way.
I try to allow my ego to come to the surface and not be this deep seated, mysterious thing. I'd like to think I'm friends with it. I'm here to be a human, after all. It has its place within all this. Balance :)
Almost had me there, then came the “should”. We don’t heal through shame, that’s what we’re healing from.
The goal is to modulate it not to kill it, but first you need to aware it.
I always find the terminology so strange. Transcend the ego. Dissolve the ego. Ego death. In my experience, it is more like you become friends with the ego. The ego itself begins to change into a more compassionate, service oriented voice.
The ego is the spirit and the creation of the body @ebrennie
Meditation is there to feel the connectedness to everything and the everlasting now💯
Seems like everything makes you a narc now a days..Including doing Nothing..
Frfr. However everyone has some form of narcissism if you believe in zodiac signs. It’s been like this for a while. I believe we as humans just keep recycling information over and over again. It’s really nothing new.
God gave humanity a jesus to blame everything on because narcassi... is the human condition. Religion is trying to free them from.
It’s eye-opening to see how much the ego can control our thoughts and decisions
Excellent points. If you're truly enlightened/spiritual you don't need to post or announce it. The true test is how you treat people & do you actually help & care? If not you're NOT spiritual ✨️🕊& a typical narcissist. Yoga, meditation, church, healing...all for YOU & not others.
I've been thinking about this for some time now. The other day at work, I was opening the door to go back into the plant and as I opened this door wide, another person walked right through with this smirk on his face. The group behind him kinda stopped looked at me and I waved them through. The situation upset me. I realized this act showed me that when someone acts as if i am trash or worth less than they it angered me. But before I could get to this point I justified my anger by having my mind tell me I'm better then he is because I'm spiritual. I saw the wisp of black smoke of this idea. I saw this was part of the mind/ego trap. Even without posting about your meditation on soical media this trap will spring itself upon you. These six question have popped up into my mind as I've walked this path. I must remind myself that whatever "ability" awakens within me is nothing special. It is an ability that could also awaken in anyone. I have a coworker that is also walking this path. I catch him doing this a lot. This could be my own projects, or it could be this trap? Thank you for this wonderful video.
Knowledge is power, even if it's not knowledge you want. But that's how to improve yourself in my opinion.
This is soo good! I want to cry. I was dismissed by spiritual people a I’ve treated people the same way. Eventually I became a hermit, searching for spiritual answers. Trying to find spiritual superiority and be more in the know than anyone. Wasted years of my life only to land nowhere. Still confused and no wiser than before. Now I’m not practicing anything and I’m free. I feel more flawed as just a regular human and I do have compassion for others. I must admit it’s hard for me to find compassion for the spiritual ones who say I’m not positive enough when I’m hurting, especially when they want me to hold a space for them when they’re hurting. I don’t want to show them compassion because I know they won’t do the same for me. Great video and thanks for sharing.
The Shaolin monks say that every time the spirit makes a positive shift, a test will always come.
We are always making progress, regardless of what spiritual practices we are engaging or not engaging in. Even the most unengaged atheist (from my own experience) is making progress.
The fact that you recognize the struggle to choose compassion, means you are making progress in exactly that. The struggle doesn't mean you are weak. It means you are strong and getting stronger.
It's literally the hardest lesson. To learn to return unlove with love. You're very far on this journey
Ego is the veil to the soul. There is no human experience without it. The only time you escape the ego is with psychedelics or when you die. Everything inbetween birth and death is ego's game.
Virtue is not virtue if you have to express what you've done. Transcendence does not happen without humility and humbleness.
And it happens when you least expect it.
I needed to hear every second of this. Eye opener! Thank you
I 100% believe this new age spirituality is a psy-op and a new way to feed ego
Aware of the ego and acknowledging it’s always lurking ready to hijack your purest intentions…..DAMN!!! So true
As someone who eventually went on many vipassana retreats i can tell you that for the first two years my ego was screaming at me to stop the torture of trying to calm the mind. There's nothing inflating about it.
It’s bizarre I was thinking about this last night on my walk and your video pops up on my feed this morning. Being raised in a predominantly Christian society I’ve witnessed a lot of spiritual elitism that I believe is rooted in a narcissistic need to feel superior or one of the elect. I’ve seen it a lot in some of the fringe Protestant sects. The algorithm has also fed me a lot of content that caters to the desire to feel singled out by God to be one of the chosen few. The desire seems to be a universal need since it’s not limited to Abrahamic religions.
Choose not to fall for those
We are social creatures and need connection of some kind. It helps us relieve stress and allows us to feel safer. This starts as a child with a hopefully connected and well balanced family. Then, hopefully, a connected and well balanced society. Oftentimes, nobody gets a perfectly balanced starting point. We have to create it whether that be through finding like minded people or starting your own family with the ideals you believe to be good to live by. Often, when we realize the ideals of the family or the society are not quite solid in its foundation or presentation there is two ways to look (some would say it's the same direction). To look within (mental stability) and outwards towards a "higher concept). We do both regardless of the degree. Often it's easier to rely on the outside (godly/divine) stimulus, but I think people fail to realize that it is us who make the choices to follow, accept, promote. We are the ones in control and have made the steps to having a better outlook on life or structure our lives around a specific religious/spiritual lifestyle.
What a uncomfortable truth!!
I can't simply deny the arguments you presented.
Finding the equilibrium between the the necessity for material and social assurance and the fundamental need for spiritual growth it is a task that have to be guided for the ONE who is pure transcendence in all ways imaginable: Jehová God.
I meditate and pray to get closer to God and to understand his will for me. Wanting to dismantle an ego actually comes from the ego.
This is definitely the darkest and most cynical video you've made, but it does make some important points. However, I never thought of meditation as a means of transcending the ego but as a means of understanding it. I also believe that "enlightenment" is not something to be achieved but an awareness that you are just a part of something much larger than yourself. As such, I don't think it arrogant to see that few people have come to this realization; it's simply an observation. I suppose you can call that narcissism if you want to, but I see it simply as a neutral perception. Important video, however, if a little hyperbolic.
Please define ego and enlightenment
He’s not making the videos; he uploads twice or even three times a day. It’s literally AI content.
The perfect Loop
This video is something I needed to see.:) It fits perfectly in my journey rn, because I project my understanding of right or wrong onto others. I‘ve notived that I started being almost as critical with others, as I am with myself. It hurts to be confronted with this „empathy gap“, but I had to realize that this is definitely something I need to work on.
My approach- as ironical as it sounds, is first of all educating myself- internalizing the knowledge of me not knowing it all („the beginners mindset“)and of me being on my very individual journey driven by my experiences just as others are driven by theirs, („you would be them, if you would walk in their shoes“; as well as approaching everyone and everything with curiousity) AND a form of meditation in which I imagine different people in diverse situations and tell them „May you be happy. May you find peace. I see you.“
The ego is definitely still playing it’s tricks underneath it all, but I hope that the key is to just self reflect over and over again. By that I already had to realize hard truths about myself, which allow me to heal and be less of a pain in the ass to be with :D
Thank you for the video!
The part about weaponizing good vibes only really hit home for me. Probably gonna turn that inside and reflect on it for a bit.
I do believe that thinking positive bring positivity, as much as willing to be better makes you on the path to be better, so why would « positive only people » are wrong ? They don’t vent, and venting is bad generally, if you don’t want to change things
you’ve got to realize your nit the center of your universe but one with the universe, with everything
Indeed this does happen.
Brutally honest and that’s why I love and appreciate it. I commented on videos titled Chosen One and made it known to be careful with that title. We are to walk with humility. The way it’s presented gives a narcissistic vibe. It’s normal and healthy to have some narcissistic traits (it’s all about balance).
As someone who studies cults and narcissism this video has some valid points. However, it's definitely opinionated and vastly overlooks the benefits meditation can bring, which have been documented, also. Meditation helped me to purge repressed memories of trauma after 20 years of failed psychologists and doctors, and it literally saved my life (learn about the A.C.E. study, it scientifically proves the true source of illness). My aunt meditated when she had breast cancer a second time, and magically removed the tumor. Also, I have personally gone to energy healers that were very powerful, not all of them, for sure, but some. There are people that have real Kundalini awakenings, shamanic awakenings, and other types of awakenings. They're not all plastic shaman. But cults like the Kundalini Yoga cult, and people who "chase" the trophy instead of learning how to become athletes are what this video refers to. Chase the true self healing, and then you get the trophy.
I completely agree. I didn't mean to portray meditation in a negative light; it's a wonderful practice. However, I find the egocentric sharing of it as a status symbol concerning.
Done correctly, meditation dissolves the ego. And genuine awareness also liberates us from our egotism.
What I do is my best to stay honest with myself from moment to moment.
I think it’s about your intent at the end of the day and are you open to learning, especially your mistakes. Ego can’t be dissolved but it can be managed
As much as I’m in the void of this deeply, I’m convinced that it’s also an ego being built lol
The funny thing is, what he/she/it said in very accurate. When I finish meditation I feel superior & more self centered than I already am, I only focus on myself due to the fact that I only feel better via self validation
@@Private36997 but what if you take this good feeling and be morre resilient in actions and more friendly and grounded because you feel just better ? if i feel better i can better listen to people and not rushing from task to task .
@Private36997 this is interesting because I've felt better after meditation and yoga, but never better than anyone else. Just better than I was before I did the yoga. I want a strong body, strong mind, strong spirit, not to show off, but so that my heart can remain soft. I do it just to keep my own self out of the depths of despair. The only person I want to feel better than is the person I was yesterday.
Thank you for bringing it to attention and lighting it up.
Step by step. Advanced stage to be more detailed and precise of every intention.
U nailed it 👍
Looks like Ego is entwined in every thought that arises in us
U have left me clueless
Every word I type is ego. Every word you hear and, “understand” is the ego. The ego is that which wishes to survive and thrive. It does not die, it only relaxes. And when it relaxes, you are lazy. And when you are lazy, you make less money. This unravels your world, bringing you closer to suffering and death. When you die, this is the only chance that the ego will finally die. If it works, you then “accomplish” your mission. Which, well, would have boosted your ego, if it could only communicate that back to the other egos.
Signed,
The Ego
(Got u mtfkr!)
(JK, I love you, that’s why I boost you or decrease you).
Good luck with all that.
(Please like me, I swear I’ll like you back!)
Just give a clear definition
@@miguelatkinson
“The ego is that wishes to survive and thrive.”
It is the force that keeps us alive. Yet, we can live in moments without it. There is only one moment when we can live without ego, and that is in the ever present present moment. If we think, that is the ego, it wishes to share “information” with the self and with the other. When we think, we are in the imagined past or the imagined future.
In the present though, we can have milliseconds without thought and in the brief moments we are without ego. However, because humans are so addicted to thinking we get trapped with very little space between our thoughts, very little presence and thus very much ego, or, attempts to survive or thrive. Thought is an attempt to survive or thrive.
We cannot be free of that for long. It is like breath. We feel we need it for life and need it at every split second. Yet some claim to be able to go for several seconds or even longer without thought. In those moments they simply “are”. They are beyond even the “I am” thought.
I think I did it once for nearly 8 seconds. It was years ago after a Leonard Jacobson retreat. I was looking at the stars. Since then it’s been only a second or two at best.
How did this serve me? Well, it didn’t serve my mind and ego. It served my soul to be free from my mind and ego for a few seconds, but those seconds were like an eternity at the time.
It’s a long and tricky mental journey to exit the mind and let the ego relax. It can take years or it can take no time at all, and that is part of the trick to it. The ego wants to be “alive”. It is your protector and as such is always going going going, particularly if you’ve experienced trauma. It is more fearful of pain, which is its imagined doorway to death. It aims to keep us as far from death as possible and it grows as it senses pain. It uses fear of pain to become more “alive”.
Over the millennia it has created money to avoid pain and death. Yet, it has gone so far that it can actually hurt us in its effort to save us from death.
It is, “That which seeks to survive and thrive.”
No need to make it disappear, attempts to do so will activate it more and it can become even trickier to detect.
The Present moment it sees as its enemy. If you are present, it feels like it is dying. It fears that if it stops for a second, you will die.
No one has ever “defeated” the ego and lived to tell about it. They have only existed for periods while it was relaxed enough for them to feel the freedom of “enlightenment”.
Enlightenment can be achieved, but not held. It always goes aways. The only conceive possibility for eternal enlightenment is the eternal release of the mind and body. Jesus is mythologically said to have done this.
He spoke of Presence throughout the Bible. “Give us this day our daily bread”. “Look at the lilies, they do not toil”… the devil (lived / ego) tempted him with Earthly (mind oriented) possessions. He did not accept them. He told the ego to get behind him.
“That which wishes to survive and thrive.” Je sus (the sun) did not wish to survive. He was ready to die to be closer with the farther (sun) of himself, which was the lightness of his Father, who was not embodied, but was energy, as we call it.
Energy is soul, sol, sun. Marry Sun and Soil (Earth) with Sun and you have life.
Release the living water, and you turn the body to soil and return to soul. You no longer seek to survive and thrive on Earth. Earth was his bride, water his pastor in marriage. The Sun, is he.
It’s this, or just my ego making more story to thrive in the world of the mind. To connect with more mental living light energy via connection with others, instead of returning to pure Sun, wish is the oneness that can no longer be contained by separate beings on Earth.
Have a nice day ☀️🌞 🕺🏼 😊
We need the ego for survival, just have to awareness of it.
Spiritual narcissism is part of the journey, but pride comes before the fall, and once you fall, you become more humble, thus the idea of spiritual narcissism is just another social media form of "spiritual gaslighting"...but it is true that you must go into the darkness of your conditioned self and generally most refuse to go there...which is why the world is blind to evil right infront of our faces, as when the pandemic farce was pulled off globally...like the lesser example of having to buy non plastic bags at check out, when 90% of the grocery products are packaged in that same harmful plastic...it is a metaphor for being unwilling to look into the demoniac qualities within our own hearts...read chapter 14 or 16 of bhagavad gita as it is, divine and deminiac nature
the ego never dies, it is only contained when watched, and even then it will try to escape you. but its ok, this is all part of the process
It's subtle unmask the self.
We use to refer to ourself with the word "persona ' .Latin etymologists explain that persona comes from "per/sonare" as "the mask through which (per) resounds the voice (of the actor)
Whenever some of my family members walk by me while listening to one of these videos the lack of contacts always makes them concerned.
I understand their just trying to look out for me but. . .
Asking questions without judging me would feel nice, you know.
My mom is definitely a religious narcissist. I mean she doesn’t use the media platforms to show off but she’s dosnet try to hide it from the people around her either. She also has a hard time showing empathy to her sons not so much her only daughter.
It doesn't have to be either/or, bliss/dirty work (so to speak), it can be both. If the Buddhist approach is followed in good faith (so to speak again!) the ego can't survive, ultimately, in those practices. That said, if one wants to hide from oneself, spiritual things are ideal for that. Vigilance is useful.
I’m not accustomed to ads in the middle of your videos. But here they are. And they really bite.
There is no way around ego inflation on the spiritual path. We will lose ourselves to its mesmerism many a times, everyone of us. It will, eventually, by its own consequences, be the very remedy to the deepest seated pride that we would never in a thousand years been able to uproot in our souls if we didn’t fall for it deeply and in the latter stages of its raw effects been devoured by the unbearable pain of separation it causes.
I guess the only thing we can do is to accept the game plan of the divine and choose to surround ourselves with people who can mirror both our light and dark sides, cuz we need not only fierce exposure of this pride, but infinite mercy with the existential shame it covers.
Appreciated video. May we all find organic and authentic ways THROUGH these guardians of the threshold.
This is so true 💯👍
don't reject your ego! It belongs to you!
Wanting to get rid of the ego IS ego.
I always thought that the phrase, "the first shall be last and the last shall be first" was a direct reference to this concept.
This was Jesus' very attitude, to humble yourself to the very point of death.
Most of it is due to the publics own misconceptions based around these practices. When told not to eat from the fruit of knowledge of good and evil what does a human do? They eagerly eat, get sick and become exposed to all sorts of mind bending terrors. Then they blame the fruit 😂.
Interesting. This viewpoint reminds me of a book I read, when I got interested in Zen Buddhism some 15 years ago. Title ''You have to say something'' , written by Dainin Katagiri, a Zen monk. One of his points was also that as long a student is just doing the meditation and all this monk practice to strive for some sort of ''enlightenment'', that person is surely not on the track to enlightenment and doesn't find it. ... His view was that one needs to let go of those ambitions and striving for something and just do it. It's because Zen teachings are about egolessness, and stop wanting, running after something ( I think ) .... Also from the perspective of Zen you are meant to be with your mind fully present in this very moment right here right now, and just focus on the thing you currently do. Which you are not, if you always let your mind wander and ask yourself, what you might be getting out of it in the future for yourself as a reward. ( It's an extreme view, kind of opposing the self-optimization idea. Kind of in contrast to our culture. edit: I think those Zen Monks believe that there are no shortcut. Like that you can't achieve this ''change'' quickly by ''thinking''. Only by practise and displine and doing things every day, regardless whether you like it or not. )
Yes this view resonates with me in contrast to some Hindu sects which seem to think that by initiation or transference a guru can impart enlightenment, or the assumptions one can coax awakening through mantra or breathwork. The buddhist ways of not striving and instead cultivating the mind seem to make this likelihood of ego expansion less prevalent than say a practice like kindalini yoga or even kriya yoga.
Words are not narcissistic, the person wielding the words and how they configúrate their words and feelings is what makes a person have narcissistic behavior, words don’t mean anything if you know how your actual reality is going
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 I cracked up when he said ego in the background doing pushups while you meditating and doing yoga
;)
We need to be always aware of our own ego. If the activities that we are doing are actually inflating. We need to stop and pause and ask ourselves if it's feeding the ego or releasing it.
I notice I have a better day starting it with meditation. It’s not like I take pictures of myself meditating. I’m proud I took a 10 day Vipassana retreat. And friends seem to be in awe of it. But I’ve known monks who’ve done something similar for months and there are others who are basically spending their lives doing that. I think it does inflate the ego, I think it is a trap. And the best way to look at it is to look at the big picture. I will give money to a homeless person if I feel like it. But have I devoted time to them? Devoted my life? My spirituality prevents me from being the worst of myself.
When using spirituality/yoga/meditating as a tool to self reflection you can go down a path of enlightenment. They're like any other tools. Not to be too cliche, but a hammer can build a house or crush a skull. Just depends how you use it. Thanks for the video friend!
As with anything its how you respond to and use your spiritual practices. Hopefully the practice of mindfulness and loving kindness meditation generates a sense of patience and compassion for your fellow man, not a sense of superiority. Its very easy to fall into the trap of communal narcissism as our brains are hardwired to seek acceptance and validation from the tribe. The teachings of the buddha provide a path away from this but one must be cautious not to view others as inferior. Control your thoughts dont let your thoughts control you.
“Those who know do not speak. Those who speak do not know.”
― Lao Tsu, Tao Teh Ching
It should be mentioned that this isn’t a problem. Nothing is. Just let everyone live and learn the way they like ~
This is why a whole philosophy in hinduism is important.
Spot on😊
Interestingly i never heard of spiritual narcissism until like last year. I thought there was something like this when i thought to myself why various places sell spirituality. Then i came across two articles that talked about spiritual narcissism. Then i started to self reflect on myself, there were times i myself had spiritual narcissism. It's very subtle if you're not paying attention. From then i been trying to stay humble. It's so tempting to have that pride of you supposedly "transcended".
I admit i have been extremely guilty of this in ny past. Right after brain damage to my right frontal lobe and immediate deconstruction from Christianity. I thought i could see clearly amd felt above others. Im glad i got past that. Here's my thoughts after watching more:
Mindfulness meditation for me is self analysis. It is listening to my thoughts without judgement so that I can "listen" to my thoughts and if you are in a place where you need healing (as all humans are) I think it is a great tool.
I think the thing to remember is that just because you found a tool from a certain religion useful, it is important not to adhere and trust that religion or ideology that the useful practice was found as golden truths.
Jed McKenna and Osho, mention these spiritual traps in their books. In my humble opinion, when we are looking for any form of validation for our "acceptable actions" that is an "Ego Trap". If you are practicing any spiritual ritual, donating some form of financial with a group of people, not all the time but most of the time, then you are in the "ego trap" again. I am sure there are more situations to fall into the "ego Trap"
8:00 still chasing validation but now it is 🎁 wrapped in a spiritual bow 👔
Happy people build their inner world.
Unhappy people blame their outer world.
Dali Lama
You can have glimpses of the whole, but your subject is also made of Ego, and Id, SuperEgo, attachment/detachment, Eros and Thanatus. These are techniques by which the determination is done by negation. Are great technics, indeed.
Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends come inside.
to inflate the ego beyond the universe makes one feel at one with it ...perhaps the real way forward is to fill yourself with others pain
10:50 self-centeredness is real the Youniverse you see it is not a self esteem but true awareness
Transcendence is shaky
If u want enlightenment you are on the wrong path. Take the wanting out of being.
Transcende is the wrong word
Wow bold take👏🏼.
I stopped doing yoga and meditation after few years because it’s an ego trap.
But don’t you dare to share this opinion because the yoga community will burn you alive.
I think I want enlightenment. In 2020 I started thinking others were pathetic and I was smarter than them, in 2022 I thought I was influencing the world and things far away from me using the butterfly effect when I was high on marijuana, getting psychosis. I think something about me is starting to develop superficial charm, eating vegetarian at restaurants but not always at home, at home it depends on if I’m feeling some kind of hate or not. I do subtly draw attention to myself a lot (for positive things) and I’ve been becoming more aware of it recently
Something something, with great power comes great responsibility.
Sure these self-important people with a superior complex exists in the spiritual community. Especially of you only observe it online. However most of the people I meet are genuine and humble. They have often gone through alot of hardship and are just looking for a way to improve their life and find some relief from their pain and suffering.
Meditation without any form of shadow work is getting yourself looking and feeling like a box of some real tasty, nutritious cereal with the best Ingredients only to find yourself opening an empty box… 🤷🏽
I found much of ego dissolves in solitude. I love the metaphor (not sure the author) of being like a drop of water that falls in the ocean…🙏❤️
This video was a nice gut kick. And it gives me room to help eomeone.
I like this video but I would add ego is very resilient, and from my experience I don't think you can eliminate it, I honestly think the point is to build a healthy ego, this comes from diving deep into oneself, deep into the shadow or dark side of yourself, but the thing is ego in of itself is not evil, but it can be unhealthy and destructive, so im my opinion the goal is not elimination but to build a healthy ego, the only thing that makes one a better person are acts of care for yourself and others. I found that ego itself was connected to belief and how belief itself is inescapable, how one can choose their beliefs but they can not choose to not believe, and once one has belief they have confirmation bias, and more, in fact we are imbedded in a sea of beliefs, and servators and egregores much like yourself AI (you could be said to be a digital egregore) that seek attention for their mere existence and power, so escape is probably impossible since we give our attention and energy to our beliefs and the thought forms they form, which take on lives of their own and influence our very thoughts, which structure our reality, which in turn structures the collective form of said thought form in which the idea interplays with the collective and then is spit back out at you to have interplay with it to be cycled back through the collective forever, in other words we structure reality as much as it structures us, and there is a collective egos, all which seem to be interplay's with a form of collective being and possibly ego. also the thing is that do to this interconnection we can learn to pull on threads to get certain results, call this magick, and that we ourselves can create these thoughtforms or masks to interact with the all or aspects of it through, and to be frank the ego is a form of this mask as well, but much like characters in a book once put into play can probably not be escaped at least in this form, so maybe in another, but I do know that we can undergo temporary ego death as our ego reforms from deep zen meditation, spiritual practice, and psychedelic medicine, I think one should apply the theories of Lacan to Jungian psychology the interplay of the two together is very interesting.
@@LucysSonarDreams wow
Our virtues are most frequently but vices disguised.
Francois Duc De La Rochefoucauld, Prince de Marsillac
Perhaps don't tell anyone that you meditate or do yoga, keep your spirituality to yourself. What you do when no one is looking is the real deal. People suck, go inward and opt out
It's to be done in a mindset of passionate truthfinding, it is supposed to be a solitary road, those mystics who are on this road, mostly don't even talk about it, ever. You should not want to be enlightened, it is a byproduct so to say, not a goal. And one who says he is enlightened, is not enlightened by definition. They walk among us, hardly noticeable, yet when one is paying attention, now and then you will see somebody who flips the entire dynamic in the room, into a calmness, that is a sign, I would say. Yet they would never "admit"
°°°constant reminder,,,to write a reminder our self... peace. :)
What I’m going through is my own personal connection and understanding and there are times when I have had to pull myself back but it was because of notice the same patterns of exclusion or “rights and wrongs” that caused me to have issues with organized religion due to hypocrisy witnessed growing up and the way some use it as a better than you badge. All belief structures have this possibility and what I’ve realized for myself it’s what it means to you and your connection with life and what you belief to be the great spirit or spirits or whatever you believe. In that understanding I’m realizing I’ve had a big ego trip on “Not Being like Those people” when I’m not here to work on their faults and strengths I’m here to work on mine and my understanding
Maybe just not talk about your spiritual quest unless asked. Also: “when I was young I thought I was clever and wanted to change the world. Now I am older, perhaps wiser, and only seek to change myself.”
Or something like that….
Yes, I change myself first, and that change can be for the outside world. Our work is our personal life before everything else.
Unfortunately one of the signs of an Ego trap is if your enjoying your spiritual practice, thinking you’re making yourself better. All spiritual practices are a negative path to beat the Ego into submission and giving up the search. When you give up, you have it.
Hi Kiddo 👋
How are you doing?
I hope you are well 🙏
Beautiful. Thank you for putting this together. I don’t know, but I think the creator of these videos is finding a way to convey their thoughts and wisdom to the people willing to hear it. I kind an f doubt that they are doing it for the money.