This video is all about spiritual bypassing and how to avoid it. It is a continuation of my grounding series, and has to do with engaging with and being aware of reality.
I needed that. It was like a slap in the face. I keep bullshittimg myself with excuses but at least i am aware of my own behavior now. Great content, as usual.
You're welcome :) You know I was thinking yesterday that I could see why you went into teaching, because you're an excellent communicator - not just that you convey information in such a concise way, but also that you're very personable and engaging, too :) Thanks again!
Thank you, bless you. i@ve just realised where I've been going wrong and now I know wht to do differently. The realisation that we can build a spiritual ego is massive. thank you again.
I'm so glad you talk about money because a lot of people seem to think poverty is honorable. We're afraid of acknowledging how much needs to change to make sure everyone is provided for.
Hey, thanks for making content. I hope you continue to do so. I really enjoy the way you deliver information/you don't get too into voodoo territory and help keep the contents feet on the ground.
Exactly why I love her videos! I usually tune out other spiritual youtubers when I hear too much new age talk. Not that it's bad to talk about those things but that it sounds too heady and ungrounded imo.
You're welcome and thank you! I will continue making content but I may be a little inconsistent for the next few weeks until I can work out a better schedule. I also made some investments in new equipment, which I'll be getting in the mail soon. So, that's exciting. :) I try to keep my videos from firsthand experience, and remain very honest about what I know and what I don't, and also what's theory for me and what's lived experience. So, I'm glad to hear that you enjoy my less paranormal delivery of the content. I know that I tend to have red flags go up if spiritual teachers get too lofty, so I try to keep my videos closer to the ground for others that share the same allergy.
I love your work! I really appreciated this particular connection you made between spiritual bypassing and emotional bypassing. You've helped me to articulate this insight I've had about the connection between shadow work and the spiritual path.
Hey Emerald thanks for this. I love how you are encouraging an acceptance of reality. Too often i'm seeing a denial of reality and an often grim and arduous attempt to change it, often leading to unneccesary suffering. Keep doing your thing.
Another way that people frequently bypass spiritually, is by offloading intense experience upon others. This can happens both directly & indirectly. Unfortunately, parents often traumatize children this way.
I can take the form of projection, but I meant that sometimes rather than remaining present with the intensity of their own experience; people attempt to transfer the energy to others. Commonly by either complaining or taking repressed rage out on another, but their are many other ways people do this, just so they don't have to be with themselves. Though, it's often unconscious:)
Good video. I think I've been spiritual bypassing for years now and I've known it yet I keep doing it. I think it is largely a coping mechanism for me. I went through a traumatic life situation a few years ago and have had great difficulty coping with life in terms of practical things like work and keeping up with relationships. So I have had long periods of isolating myself interspersed with shorter periods of schooling and working which have not lasted long enough to keep me functional and balanced in life. I did see your video on trauma and have been working on healing of trauma for a while now and it is a very difficult journey. My hope is that I can allow my body and mind to heal from the effects of trauma and get to a point where I am more capable of functioning in life. And I realize this may be a huge spiritual bypass in itself but I have simply had great challenges when trying to make the necessary external changes to improve my life and feel like I may have to deal with the trauma healing process first before I can move forward. What are your thoughts, Emerald? Is this necessary for my healing or does one need to remain in the world despite dealing with trauma? Basically, do my actions sound like they're coming from a place of inner wisdom or spiritual bypass? Just curious because I know we could all use a wake up call once in a while ;)
I can relate to this exact thought process, and in hindsight I can tell you that, in my case, it was definitely spiritual bypassing in order to avoid the emotional discomfort of making things happen for me in life. So, my recommendation would be to first reframe the situation mentally with regard to your spiritual intent. Think less in terms of healing and getting rid of problems... because this already sets you up for discouragement and resistance to what is. You want to reframe your practice more in terms of integration and wholeness and reaching your full potential as a human being. It is not that you're trying to get to a certain point where all your traumas are healed enough for you to be a functional adult. It's not about getting out of a state of deficit, though this will be an effect. It's that you see your spiritual practice as a growth practice to incorporate into a well-rounded life. So, a spiritual practice is ongoing and continuous and should add layers of depth and richness to your life that were not possible before. So, it's very important to balance this with mundane concerns because there is no true distinction between that which is mundane and that which is spiritual.
Wow, thanks for the reply Emerald :) I feel like you are speaking to something I've wanted to say to myself but haven't had the words to. I like that you said not to frame it as healing so much because when you put it that way healing has a sound of needing to "fix" something and not just being with the sensations or thoughts I have. Also I've been coming to the insight lately that the word healing implies a continuous process that never reaches completion, like I can always be "healing" for the rest of my life, but when will I consider myself whole and not needing to keep healing, if that makes sense. I also like your reframe of working towards integration, wholeness, and reaching my full potential. That may be my ultimate spiritual intent that I haven't quite been able to put a finger on. I will do some inquiry into this, but not too much thinking ;) Getting both my feet back in the world is a daunting task so I want to pace myself if at all possible. In any case, thanks again for the reply! It's very cool that you take the time to reply to people's comments with genuine, helpful, and articulate advice. And one more thing - have you studied the Enneagram? Some of the things you mentioned in this comment and in your videos sounds similar to the language they use in that system and you seem to have a lot of insight that relates to my experience with the enneagram so just curious...
Hi, I'm familiar with the Enneagram, I'd like to hear what she thinks too... To your comment about healing being a continuous process, that is quite right; in most 12-step recovery programs the present participle (verb ending in "ing") is always used, i.e. "recovering _____" not recovered, as the process is ongoing, the proverbial day-at-a-time thing. We are all works-in-progress. Not only is nobody perfect, there is a Buddhist phrase that says if you find a seeker of the truth, walk with them, but if you come upon someone who claims to have found it and/or is the Buddha, run the other way (some Zen bits say "kill him"). Having said all that, the word "try" was discouraged in some self-help self-talk forums, as it has an anticipated element of failure, but I'm not doing justice to the flawed sense it supposedly set-up to the hearer. To reiterate Emerald: "It is not that you're trying to get to a certain point where all your traumas are healed enough for you to be a functional adult. It's not about getting out of a state of deficit, though this will be an effect. It's that you see your spiritual practice as a growth practice to incorporate into a well-rounded life. So, a spiritual practice is ongoing and continuous and should add layers of depth and richness to your life that were not possible before."
So many of your videos have shed light onto some of my most challenging issues I have been struggling with for a very long time. Please keep your channel going because you are excellent!! So grateful that I stumbled across your channel.
Thank you! I'm glad that my channel has been helpful to you. That's one of the main reasons why I wanted to start it in the first place. I think that everyone kind of knows these things deep down but may have never put them into words. So, I try to do that with my videos so people can be more aware of their inner workings by having words to put to certain phenomena. But I will start making videos again soon. My editing computer broke so I won't be able to start making videos again until around March, when I should have enough money to buy a new one or to get the old one fixed. So, check back around that time. Have a great day! :)
This was so helpful. I was aware of some aspects of spiritual bypassing, that I see others so, but some of the things you've talked about, I hadn't considered, and I do them very often. So good to become aware of this! Thanks you!
I have done this so much. For example, I'm not going to have money and career goals because I'd be forcing the natural law of flow and I'm above linear and lower needs. I've even used meditation and mindfulness to not only come back to the breath but to remove myself from the thought. It's tricky because having the goals does come from a judging part of me comparing myself to friends and wanting to fit in so spiritual bypassing comes in very handy especially as I've had one failed business and as a result haven't been confident to commit to another... PLUS! , having many interests and skills but an expert in none makes it all very conveniently confusing so back it goes to non action, avoidance and shame and not wanting to integrate my 3d self into doing "responsible" tasks when I could just be info crunching and doing a tini bit of meditation. My inner child is very much dominant and loves escapism yet there's another excuse for that because I'm expressing the creativity in defiance to a society that deems creativity as childish and irresponsible. My ego is very slippery 🙄 😂help!
Great point. What I find is that being in situations that trigger strong emotions and remaining in a state of mindfulness has helped me develop equanimity in a way that would not be as easily achieved if I were isolated from people and society.
I'm that same way. I'm always around and around in my head. I think the term mental masturbation really fits too. I didn't make it up though. But I definitely stole it and use it often now. :D I'm going to try to do a video every week just like before. I've been working a lot recently, so it's hard to find time to record. But I'm sure that I'll be able to figure out a better schedule very soon. I might shift my video days to Sundays so that I can use Saturday to film.
:) You're welcome. Hopefully I will soon find a way to schedule my recording around my work. I may shift my video posting days to Sundays, so that I can use Saturdays to record.
Wow, this is it. This is the thing I’ve been doing. To find terminology for this is Divinely timing. 😅okay so Since I feel like I found this video through the process of spiritual bypassing, there’s nothing left for me to do but actually stop crunching the insights and TAKE Action. Thanks for the video. ☺️
It's interesting that I find myself spiritually/emotionally bypassing while watching your videos. You will speak of 'the key' I need and instead of just pausing or playing the rest of the video at a later time in order to ACTUALLY sit still and use the tool you've made aware to me, I tend to bypass by telling myself "I should go ahead and listen to the remaining x amount of time of the video left, you know, because maybe I'll miss something if I don't", sort of in order to avoid immediately addressing the problem. I do love the insight you share and I have seen many of your videos, but I'm going to make it a point to not bypass with myself by watching past an important, breakthrough type point where stillness is needed. By the way, thanks for your openness and willingness to share. H.H 💜
You're welcome. :) Watching videos is a very common form of spiritual bypassing. I've been there myself. The main key is to be very aware of your emotions as you do it, because your intuition will let you know whether watching videos (or reading) about spiritual topics is helping or hurting. If it is helping, you will get a clear sense of expansion and new insights and "Aha! moments." If it is not helping, you will get the feeling like a "hashing and rehashing" of insights that you've already discovered. At that point, it's time to abandon the videos or at least cut back on them and turn your focus inward, as they are then just a seeking for spiritual entertainment and to avoid facing one's self. Think about the Buddhist parable of the raft. When you're crossing the river, you need the raft. But once you've crossed the river, you no longer need the raft and carrying it with you is a hindrance to the rest of your journey. Watching videos and reading about spiritual topics is necessary at first but can only help you set up a mental paradigm that allow for open-ness and "breathing room" in your mind. Think of it as being a space-clearing and a chucking out of non-truth, where you're removing pre-conceived notions and creating more space in the realm of your intellect and you world-view which sets the stage for the real work to be done. But once the stage is set, there is no need to continue setting it. Any further stage setting is just to distract you away from facing yourself. So, think of spiritual content as being the "map" to the treasure. But once you get to the point where "x" marks the spot, the map becomes useless because you're already at your destination. The only thing left to do is roll up your sleeves and do the hard work of digging up the treasure. The map cannot help you there and it won't make the digging any easier. Best of luck on your journey!
As a teacher mentioned, once you get the message, hang up the phone (and do the actual work). Emerald, thank you for sharing your wisdom, so young yet so wise.
Emerald, thank you for this video. I generally do enjoy all your videos, this one got me thinking more deeply about certain things regarding myself. I had to actually go back and listen to certain parts of the video more than once because if felt like I was trying to internalize something really meaningful but that I couldn't completely grasp yet. Particularly, thank you for the example about veganism (among other things) ♥
LOVE this channel. Wondering your thoughts on Manifesting? I find SO MANY PEOPLE lately are trying to Manifest a better life (doing nothing but manifesting) and not digging into any of the underlying things holding them back, etc. I caught myself doing this a bit and thought to myself: "No - i really want to dig deeper into whats holding m back and not just sitting here doing nothing but having a "conversation with the universe" although i like to do a bit of manifesting - but not ALL IN and avoiding what i else i can do to dig deeper.... not sure if you have have covered this in one or your videos...
Another great video Emerald congratulations! To me this time the keyword is to freaking take ACTION!!! It's just so easy to bounce and get lost over thinking instead of getting started whatever discipline everybody can pick in order to experience the precious " NOW". Hoponopono is a really simple yet powerful practice I have used with good results. Maybe you now it. Thanks and good luck!
Thank you! I agree that it's definitely easy to avoid taking action. I haven't heard of Hoponopono, but if I happen across it in the future, I'll be sure to look into it. :)
Thanks Emerald what you talk about resonates with me in a very spooky way. Its almost unexplainable but its as if the current problem im suffering you directly tap into in real time?? Are you my spirit guide?? Thanks for settling my head...again!
This is called synchronicity. I used to have that kind of thing too when I was on the unlearning part of the path. I would just happen to find the right teachers at the right times and they were talking about exactly the things that I needed. And I would think, "OMG! This person is talking to me! How do they do it?!?!?!" But if you're aware of the non-dual nature of reality and how everything is connected and you're also aware that the law of attraction is a force within reality, it make sense that reality (as an extension of self from the non-dual perspective) would project for you the very thing that you need for personal expansion. This is not something I know for sure. But it does make sense to me and explains the many synchronicities that I've experienced on the path. I'm glad that my videos have been of help to you. :)
The Diamond Net Yes exactly!! I have noticed that when im receptive and enthusiastically interested in what im watching and not just browsing casually i feel i seem to hit upon a flurry of topics that im thinking about at that time...not sure if i made sense, You explained it better. I hope you keep on making videos as im truly experiencing growth with your wisdom. Thank you. :)
Such great points Emerald, especially at 8:00. I'm not sure what you've changed. Maybe it's the hand motions. But the way you talk nowadays feels much less robotic and much more human. OMG, I also do "insight crunching." That's such a great phrase. Cheers! -jjer94
Thank you! :D I think it's probably just practice that helps me convey messages more fluidly. I still get really nervous in front of the camera, but I'm a lot more calm than I used to be. :)
a trap ive been in for a while is justifying over thinking by remembering to just "let it be", its easy to not bother facing problems by just letting the thinking go on and on instead of facing the emotional response. i thought if i kept thinking it would come to a conlusion, seems foolish looking back but it was an easy one to fall into.
And there she was, this young girl, killing me softly...The consecutive "crunching of insights" (on a humorous note) reminds me of the Kevin Nealon character on SNL's Weekend Update, who would get into what was "really important" showing how he worked to the summation, only to have there be some shading acknowledged & he'd say "forget what I said before was important ...this is what's REALLY important." I do this, terribly, and it's something I wonder if Catholic grammar school had a role.
:D That sketch sounds very familiar. I used to watch Comedy Central like it was my job when I was 12 and 13, and Kevin Nealon was definitely a member of the SNL cast back then. I'm sure I'd know it, if I saw it.
Trying to figure anything beyond functional life becomes a rabbit hole so fast. I have the same problem, I could say that I actually enjoy going in circles, every insight feels like a reward and my mind becomes like a trained rat on a running wheel getting shots of dopamine for staying in the wheel long enough and in the end, going nowhere. At the same time, when I find myself delaying something I tend to confuse flowing with no resistance, the surrender to reality, with being "drunk" on emptiness.
I can relate to this a whole bunch. But once I've ended up so far down into the rabbit hole, I find I can't go back up and actually have to climb all the way through to the other side. I'm at that point now where I'm like "Uh oh... the only way is forward." I get disillusioned from all of the truthseeking and them I can't run away into illusions anymore because I recognize them for what they are. But I'm also not completely free of illusion, so it's like I'm somewhere in the rabbit hole, hoping that it goes somewhere.
Not that it's completely useless, because useful insights can emerge, but we can argue that this might be the worst type of procrastination, because in any other case, at least we know that we are just keeping ourselves busy avoiding other stuff but in this case we feed the illusion that we are being super productive with a clear goal in mind incorporating absolutely nothing. That's what I get for playing with my Ego. In my case, I believe there is some fear rooted in this obsessive behavior. I face truth seeking as a utilitarian and I go round and round trying to cover every possible corner of knowledge, even though I know that this is a bottomless pit, but it's all fear of not having the proper "tools of wisdom" as my future self, to be ready for anything reality throws at me and that's nonsense in multiple levels. To trust the essence that provides the insights for now but not trust the very same essence to have competence in the future and the worst part, using truth seeking as a tool to feed the illusion of control, missing the most basic point. You were right, after some shadow work I realized I was deceiving myself, I guess I was just used to bury stuff.
Another great vid Emerald...how have you been? Yeah I needed this "slap in the face" hehe.I too have a severe thinking addiction...I'm inconsistent with my meditation practice and always on the hunt! :)
It is a really nice feeling to see people comment that my videos have helped them or given them some clarity about a situation. But one caveat that I would mention, is not to anticipate fulfillment from it. I always thought, "If only I had an outlet for sharing my insights... I'd be really fulfilled." Now that I've done so, it has been really great. But there is still the sense of non-fulfillment. Fulfillment has only come for me in the form of ego-transcendence. So, if you begin sharing insights, expect it to be awesome but not fulfilling. I'm sharing this information because this realization can be a big discouragement if you don't see it coming, and I wouldn't want you to let that discouragement derail your desires to help or to think that you're somehow doing it wrong or on the wrong path. This is one of the uncomfortable insights that I've gleaned from creating and sharing these videos, which was a huge shock to me.
Holy I totally do this. Have always been 'in my head' and since experiencing a trauma, I want to learn all the things but I feel overwhelmed and energetically drained when it comes to applying and doing the work.. some of it happens in therapy but sheesh I know I consume information as an avoidance technique to being still... so uncomfortable
The litmus test that I use for if I"m engaging in bypassing or not relative to reading and watching videos about spirituality and similar topics is the feeling that I get while I'm doing it. If I feel expansive while doing it, then I continue. But if I feel just amused or comforted or the feeling you get when you play a video game for too long, then I know it's time to put the book down or stop watching videos. It's kind of like popcorn. If the popcorn stops popping, it's time to take it out of the microwave... otherwise you're just overcooking it.
I was dropping a roll off box at a slaughterhouse they were under construction... They had a big fenced in area the cows that were getting ready to be slaughtered to the cows were completely freaking out they were crying trying to climb out of the walls one finally did he knew they were killing them I seen it that cow's eyes he knew what was going on he finally escaped... I never was much of a meat eater but I haven't ate meat in over 30 years now... But I haven't been to a doctor in 35 years it's all in how you believe
Question for anyone! Do you ever have a notetaking tool nearby when meditating? I find the ego often tries to barter me out of meditation by giving me tempting insights, ones that I usually end up forgetting anyways. A while ago I played with recording the thought as far as it will go practically and then strictly returning to meditation. Anyone else have thoughts on this? Think it works well or not so well for you? Why or why not?
I don't keep any note-taking tools around for meditation. I save my insight writing for contemplation. But for me, meditation is about disengaging with the thought content and immersing myself mindfully in my awareness of my sensory experiences. So, insights coming up, though helpful in the context of contemplation, are detrimental to latch onto in meditation. So, my advice is to do contemplation and meditation at separate times, because they tend to work in opposition to one another. In meditation, let the thoughts pass you by without trying to capture them or getting attached to them.
Hrmmmm I suppose yeah that technique may work well for brainstorming, but if "worthy" ideas keep coming up when the main intention is to meditate it is a counter-intuitive technique. So it depends on what I'm to be doing in the first place. Thanks for replying! I appreciate it and your videos!
I understand the thought, and truly I wish that it were that simple because I would love to see factory farming fade into the oblivion of history. It truly is disturbing and sad just to know of the suffering. But I find that, with any topic or stance, the more you try to convert people over to something, they counter-intuitively get more resistant to the very thing you're trying to hearten them to. Evangelism creates devout Atheists. Vegan converting makes non-Veganism into a cherished identity and conjures an intense dislike of all things Vegan. A parent's scorn toward a teenager's preferences makes the teen double down on those preferences. The human ego is like a Chinese finger trap: the more you pull apart the tighter it grips. So, the only thing to do is to show yourself as an example of whatever you would like to see in the world. If people see that you are happy and kind and they like you, they may allow you to influence them in subtle ways and may adopt some of your behaviors and preferences. And over the course of generations, it makes a big differences.
What's the use of spiritual concepts if I can't use them in practical life? What I get from this video is that you should learn this spiritual ideas but you should not apply them to real life so you're not spiritual bypassing... What's the point then? It's useless to learn something that you can't use on a daily basis to improve your life experience...
Spiritual bypassing isn't where we apply spiritual concepts to practical life. It's where we use spiritual ideas and concepts to avoid facing with elements of our lives that we don't want to face with.
Well, the thing is that you are already aware on some level. Think about how you become aware of the breath. On a day to day basis, you may lose track of the fact that you're breathing, as this is an automatic activity. Yet, at the same time, you know that you've been experiencing breathing, otherwise you wouldn't still be here. So, it's just a matter of paying attention to what you're already aware of. So, when emotions arise as physical sensations in the body, focus on those sensations. There is a strong tendency to want to shift the focus immediately to the thoughts and interpretations of the emotional sensation, and then get caught up in the content of thoughts. So, you want to purposefully focus toward the sensations in the body that arise as a result of the emotions, without getting lost in thought. It's basically choosing areas of your experience that you want to focus on by directing your attention there and keeping your attention there.
So, how can we bring that quality of attention ? and who is it that is directing or controlling the focus to attend something there ? I hope I made myself clear. I don't know if I understand wrong , you say that there is the observer or controller who is directing or shaping the focus or attention to something , is that right ? so where is it that we are directing our attention into ? sorry I am afraid if it was clear.
hey i once had a dream that i saw my own body sleeping an moving a lot thare also was something above my body i dont know what is was didnt see it that good but after a few minutes i relisted that it was not good and than i got awake instantly and i was really sweaty do you know what happen?
I understand this thought, and it can be true. Very often, Vegans become Vegan simply to feed their ego. It becomes an identification and attachment to certain morals and ideas for how reality SHOULD be, which can then be used to judge others as being morally inferior to boost up their feeling of moral superiority. Now, I still have an ego, but I think I've done pretty good at keeping a certain degree of detachment from Veganism as an identity attachment. So, if I were truly to find myself in a situation where I was starving and the only thing there was to eat was some meat or diary product, I would make an exception without qualms. But my preference is to refrain from eating foods that are sourced from the suffering of other sentient beings. It's a great privilege that I have as a modern person living in a first world country making a living wage that I can actually choose this as a diet. So, with that said, I'm grateful that I can choose a diet that is in keeping with my values.
Values are in the field of duality and a societal problem. They are a "How to live" problem but unrelated to the real search "about life"; also unrelated to enlightenment (yuck). (: I myself would never order meat. But if meat is already in front of me, there is no point in not eating it. If it will be thrown out, why not. If its not around, I don't eat it. Food can turn into a religion.
Yes, that's true. :) Values are always on the practical level, and are about our opinions on what works best for living in a dualistic world. They have nothing to do with Truth, other than that they exist as a mental/emotional experience. I've heard that the Dalai Lama has a similar philosophy about consuming meat. If it's given to him he'll eat it, but if he is choosing his own meal then he will refrain.
Well put. You're welcome. I try to keep up with my comments, at least. I probably get to 90% of them or so. But I've been slacking big time on my messages and emails and things like that. So, I have some catching up to do.
I watched 3 videos on this issue and no one explained it properly... Your explanation literally negates all spirituality like it's some unnecessary nonsense. Basically, according to you, insights are unnecessary delusions that keeps us away from pursuing things 1:55 For example, I want to buy a new car or something because I think it will make me happy, but then I have an insight that tells me that buying a car won't really make me happy since happiness doesn't work like that. So based on your explanation, I should just forget about my insight and buy the car.
This is true. My videos (even this particular video) can be easily used for spiritual bypassing. But they can also be of help too, depending on how they're used. This is why it's important to take action as opposed to simply watching videos, which is also another trap.
The Diamond Net help? I see it as prolonging suffering. You should know you can be of no help. What's there to help? Action is the very thing that reinforces the false sense of I.
Kozmic Blues understood. My goal is to make one realize what must come to an end is the distorting interference of the self-perpetuating mechanism of thought. ALL techniques and practices to end or control thought are futile because they are themselves the products of thought and the means of its perpetuation. This self perpetuating process of thought can come to and end. But do you want that ? Can anyone?
![The Narcissistic World of Hippie Self Help & Spiritual Bypassing - Inner Work Library [18/500]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/IG6UmTJYboY/mqdefault.jpg)
I needed that. It was like a slap in the face. I keep bullshittimg myself with excuses but at least i am aware of my own behavior now.
Great content, as usual.
Damn I needed this. I've been concept crunching with Alan watts lectures for weeks now! Thank you :)
I could listen to you speak all day, Emerald, you're an amazing spiritual teacher and I hope you know how great you are :-)
Thank you! That's really encouraging to me. :)
You're welcome :) You know I was thinking yesterday that I could see why you went into teaching, because you're an excellent communicator - not just that you convey information in such a concise way, but also that you're very personable and engaging, too :) Thanks again!
Great VIDEO! There is so much that needs to be discussed on this topic in the spiritual community!
Thank you, bless you. i@ve just realised where I've been going wrong and now I know wht to do differently. The realisation that we can build a spiritual ego is massive. thank you again.
I'm so glad you talk about money because a lot of people seem to think poverty is honorable. We're afraid of acknowledging how much needs to change to make sure everyone is provided for.
Hey, thanks for making content. I hope you continue to do so. I really enjoy the way you deliver information/you don't get too into voodoo territory and help keep the contents feet on the ground.
Exactly why I love her videos! I usually tune out other spiritual youtubers when I hear too much new age talk. Not that it's bad to talk about those things but that it sounds too heady and ungrounded imo.
You're welcome and thank you! I will continue making content but I may be a little inconsistent for the next few weeks until I can work out a better schedule. I also made some investments in new equipment, which I'll be getting in the mail soon. So, that's exciting. :) I try to keep my videos from firsthand experience, and remain very honest about what I know and what I don't, and also what's theory for me and what's lived experience. So, I'm glad to hear that you enjoy my less paranormal delivery of the content. I know that I tend to have red flags go up if spiritual teachers get too lofty, so I try to keep my videos closer to the ground for others that share the same allergy.
And thank you also, BigManTate7364! :)
"the same allergy" lol. Good way to word it ;) And you're welcome!
I love your work! I really appreciated this particular connection you made between spiritual bypassing and emotional bypassing. You've helped me to articulate this insight I've had about the connection between shadow work and the spiritual path.
This video hit home. Thank you!
You're welcome. :D
Yeah, I feel kind of outed here.. ☺ I'm procrastinating as we speak.. dammit! 😂
This is such a quality talk and should be revisited on occasion
Yep! I sure needed this!
Thanks for your wisdom!
Hey Emerald thanks for this. I love how you are encouraging an acceptance of reality.
Too often i'm seeing a denial of reality and an often grim and arduous attempt to change it, often leading to unneccesary suffering.
Keep doing your thing.
Hi! :) Thank you! I definitely will.
Awesomeness very good...
Wonderful Day Dreams
Great job/insight.
Thank you. :)
Another way that people frequently bypass spiritually, is by offloading intense experience upon others. This can happens both directly & indirectly. Unfortunately, parents often traumatize children this way.
Projection can be a huge issue, if this is what you mean. Lack of awareness causes so many issues in human relationships.
I can take the form of projection, but I meant that sometimes rather than remaining present with the intensity of their own experience; people attempt to transfer the energy to others. Commonly by either complaining or taking repressed rage out on another, but their are many other ways people do this, just so they don't have to be with themselves. Though, it's often unconscious:)
MoonKingdom! I used to be a huge fan of you and Shirak's work back in the day :D
@@kharnthebetrayer181 I still write on Shirak's forum; jut not as often as I used to:)
Good video. I think I've been spiritual bypassing for years now and I've known it yet I keep doing it. I think it is largely a coping mechanism for me. I went through a traumatic life situation a few years ago and have had great difficulty coping with life in terms of practical things like work and keeping up with relationships. So I have had long periods of isolating myself interspersed with shorter periods of schooling and working which have not lasted long enough to keep me functional and balanced in life. I did see your video on trauma and have been working on healing of trauma for a while now and it is a very difficult journey. My hope is that I can allow my body and mind to heal from the effects of trauma and get to a point where I am more capable of functioning in life. And I realize this may be a huge spiritual bypass in itself but I have simply had great challenges when trying to make the necessary external changes to improve my life and feel like I may have to deal with the trauma healing process first before I can move forward. What are your thoughts, Emerald? Is this necessary for my healing or does one need to remain in the world despite dealing with trauma? Basically, do my actions sound like they're coming from a place of inner wisdom or spiritual bypass? Just curious because I know we could all use a wake up call once in a while ;)
I can relate to this exact thought process, and in hindsight I can tell you that, in my case, it was definitely spiritual bypassing in order to avoid the emotional discomfort of making things happen for me in life. So, my recommendation would be to first reframe the situation mentally with regard to your spiritual intent. Think less in terms of healing and getting rid of problems... because this already sets you up for discouragement and resistance to what is. You want to reframe your practice more in terms of integration and wholeness and reaching your full potential as a human being. It is not that you're trying to get to a certain point where all your traumas are healed enough for you to be a functional adult. It's not about getting out of a state of deficit, though this will be an effect. It's that you see your spiritual practice as a growth practice to incorporate into a well-rounded life. So, a spiritual practice is ongoing and continuous and should add layers of depth and richness to your life that were not possible before. So, it's very important to balance this with mundane concerns because there is no true distinction between that which is mundane and that which is spiritual.
Wow, thanks for the reply Emerald :) I feel like you are speaking to something I've wanted to say to myself but haven't had the words to. I like that you said not to frame it as healing so much because when you put it that way healing has a sound of needing to "fix" something and not just being with the sensations or thoughts I have. Also I've been coming to the insight lately that the word healing implies a continuous process that never reaches completion, like I can always be "healing" for the rest of my life, but when will I consider myself whole and not needing to keep healing, if that makes sense. I also like your reframe of working towards integration, wholeness, and reaching my full potential. That may be my ultimate spiritual intent that I haven't quite been able to put a finger on. I will do some inquiry into this, but not too much thinking ;) Getting both my feet back in the world is a daunting task so I want to pace myself if at all possible. In any case, thanks again for the reply! It's very cool that you take the time to reply to people's comments with genuine, helpful, and articulate advice.
And one more thing - have you studied the Enneagram? Some of the things you mentioned in this comment and in your videos sounds similar to the language they use in that system and you seem to have a lot of insight that relates to my experience with the enneagram so just curious...
Hi, I'm familiar with the Enneagram, I'd like to hear what she thinks too... To your comment about healing being a continuous process, that is quite right; in most 12-step recovery programs the present participle (verb ending in "ing") is always used, i.e. "recovering _____" not recovered, as the process is ongoing, the proverbial day-at-a-time thing. We are all works-in-progress. Not only is nobody perfect, there is a Buddhist phrase that says if you find a seeker of the truth, walk with them, but if you come upon someone who claims to have found it and/or is the Buddha, run the other way (some Zen bits say "kill him").
Having said all that, the word "try" was discouraged in some self-help self-talk forums, as it has an anticipated element of failure, but I'm not doing justice to the flawed sense it supposedly set-up to the hearer. To reiterate Emerald: "It is not that you're trying to get to a certain point where all your traumas are healed enough for you to be a functional adult. It's not about getting out of a state of deficit, though this will be an effect. It's that you see your spiritual practice as a growth practice to
incorporate into a well-rounded life. So, a spiritual practice is ongoing and continuous and should add layers of depth and richness to your life that were not possible before."
I'm sooo guilty of active bypassing...your description fits me so perfectly, it's scary...
Creative and intuitive helped alot, thanks :)
Thank you and you're welcome! :D
So many of your videos have shed light onto some of my most challenging issues I have been struggling with for a very long time. Please keep your channel going because you are excellent!! So grateful that I stumbled across your channel.
Thank you! I'm glad that my channel has been helpful to you. That's one of the main reasons why I wanted to start it in the first place. I think that everyone kind of knows these things deep down but may have never put them into words. So, I try to do that with my videos so people can be more aware of their inner workings by having words to put to certain phenomena. But I will start making videos again soon. My editing computer broke so I won't be able to start making videos again until around March, when I should have enough money to buy a new one or to get the old one fixed. So, check back around that time. Have a great day! :)
This was so helpful. I was aware of some aspects of spiritual bypassing, that I see others so, but some of the things you've talked about, I hadn't considered, and I do them very often. So good to become aware of this! Thanks you!
This is an excellent video. Thanks for it.
I have done this so much. For example, I'm not going to have money and career goals because I'd be forcing the natural law of flow and I'm above linear and lower needs. I've even used meditation and mindfulness to not only come back to the breath but to remove myself from the thought. It's tricky because having the goals does come from a judging part of me comparing myself to friends and wanting to fit in so spiritual bypassing comes in very handy especially as I've had one failed business and as a result haven't been confident to commit to another... PLUS! , having many interests and skills but an expert in none makes it all very conveniently confusing so back it goes to non action, avoidance and shame and not wanting to integrate my 3d self into doing "responsible" tasks when I could just be info crunching and doing a tini bit of meditation. My inner child is very much dominant and loves escapism yet there's another excuse for that because I'm expressing the creativity in defiance to a society that deems creativity as childish and irresponsible. My ego is very slippery 🙄 😂help!
Going into the outer world can be of immense help because it becomes a test. Use it as an opportunity to test your silence.
Great point. What I find is that being in situations that trigger strong emotions and remaining in a state of mindfulness has helped me develop equanimity in a way that would not be as easily achieved if I were isolated from people and society.
I always tend to rationalize everything... Mental masturbation is quite a name for it lol
I really missed your videos!
I'm that same way. I'm always around and around in my head. I think the term mental masturbation really fits too. I didn't make it up though. But I definitely stole it and use it often now. :D I'm going to try to do a video every week just like before. I've been working a lot recently, so it's hard to find time to record. But I'm sure that I'll be able to figure out a better schedule very soon. I might shift my video days to Sundays so that I can use Saturday to film.
Jeferson Priebe meditation is mental masturbation. If you're going to abuse an organ, choose wisely. (:
Every time I wonder when you will post a new vid......bingo there it is. thanks again.
:) You're welcome. Hopefully I will soon find a way to schedule my recording around my work. I may shift my video posting days to Sundays, so that I can use Saturdays to record.
Either way we will be here when you can work it out :)
Wow, this is it. This is the thing I’ve been doing. To find terminology for this is Divinely timing. 😅okay so Since I feel like I found this video through the process of spiritual bypassing, there’s nothing left for me to do but actually stop crunching the insights and TAKE Action. Thanks for the video. ☺️
ENTP here. Just discovered this channel. Awesome content. Look forward to binge-listening.
Thank you! I'm glad that you enjoy the content. :)
thank you! I love your videos
You're welcome. :) I'm glad you like them.
It's interesting that I find myself spiritually/emotionally bypassing while watching your videos. You will speak of 'the key' I need and instead of just pausing or playing the rest of the video at a later time in order to ACTUALLY sit still and use the tool you've made aware to me, I tend to bypass by telling myself "I should go ahead and listen to the remaining x amount of time of the video left, you know, because maybe I'll miss something if I don't", sort of in order to avoid immediately addressing the problem.
I do love the insight you share and I have seen many of your videos, but I'm going to make it a point to not bypass with myself by watching past an important, breakthrough type point where stillness is needed.
By the way, thanks for your openness and willingness to share. H.H 💜
You're welcome. :) Watching videos is a very common form of spiritual bypassing. I've been there myself. The main key is to be very aware of your emotions as you do it, because your intuition will let you know whether watching videos (or reading) about spiritual topics is helping or hurting. If it is helping, you will get a clear sense of expansion and new insights and "Aha! moments." If it is not helping, you will get the feeling like a "hashing and rehashing" of insights that you've already discovered. At that point, it's time to abandon the videos or at least cut back on them and turn your focus inward, as they are then just a seeking for spiritual entertainment and to avoid facing one's self. Think about the Buddhist parable of the raft. When you're crossing the river, you need the raft. But once you've crossed the river, you no longer need the raft and carrying it with you is a hindrance to the rest of your journey. Watching videos and reading about spiritual topics is necessary at first but can only help you set up a mental paradigm that allow for open-ness and "breathing room" in your mind. Think of it as being a space-clearing and a chucking out of non-truth, where you're removing pre-conceived notions and creating more space in the realm of your intellect and you world-view which sets the stage for the real work to be done. But once the stage is set, there is no need to continue setting it. Any further stage setting is just to distract you away from facing yourself. So, think of spiritual content as being the "map" to the treasure. But once you get to the point where "x" marks the spot, the map becomes useless because you're already at your destination. The only thing left to do is roll up your sleeves and do the hard work of digging up the treasure. The map cannot help you there and it won't make the digging any easier. Best of luck on your journey!
As a teacher mentioned, once you get the message, hang up the phone (and do the actual work). Emerald, thank you for sharing your wisdom, so young yet so wise.
Emerald, thank you for this video. I generally do enjoy all your videos, this one got me thinking more deeply about certain things regarding myself. I had to actually go back and listen to certain parts of the video more than once because if felt like I was trying to internalize something really meaningful but that I couldn't completely grasp yet. Particularly, thank you for the example about veganism (among other things) ♥
LOVE this channel. Wondering your thoughts on Manifesting? I find SO MANY PEOPLE lately are trying to Manifest a better life (doing nothing but manifesting) and not digging into any of the underlying things holding them back, etc. I caught myself doing this a bit and thought to myself: "No - i really want to dig deeper into whats holding m back and not just sitting here doing nothing but having a "conversation with the universe" although i like to do a bit of manifesting - but not ALL IN and avoiding what i else i can do to dig deeper.... not sure if you have have covered this in one or your videos...
Another great video Emerald congratulations! To me this time the keyword is to freaking take ACTION!!! It's just so easy to bounce and get lost over thinking instead of getting started whatever discipline everybody can pick in order to experience the precious " NOW". Hoponopono is a really simple yet powerful practice I have used with good results. Maybe you now it. Thanks and good luck!
Thank you! I agree that it's definitely easy to avoid taking action. I haven't heard of Hoponopono, but if I happen across it in the future, I'll be sure to look into it. :)
Thanks Emerald what you talk about resonates with me in a very spooky way. Its almost unexplainable but its as if the current problem im suffering you directly tap into in real time?? Are you my spirit guide?? Thanks for settling my head...again!
This is called synchronicity. I used to have that kind of thing too when I was on the unlearning part of the path. I would just happen to find the right teachers at the right times and they were talking about exactly the things that I needed. And I would think, "OMG! This person is talking to me! How do they do it?!?!?!" But if you're aware of the non-dual nature of reality and how everything is connected and you're also aware that the law of attraction is a force within reality, it make sense that reality (as an extension of self from the non-dual perspective) would project for you the very thing that you need for personal expansion. This is not something I know for sure. But it does make sense to me and explains the many synchronicities that I've experienced on the path. I'm glad that my videos have been of help to you. :)
The Diamond Net Yes exactly!! I have noticed that when im receptive and enthusiastically interested in what im watching and not just browsing casually i feel i seem to hit upon a flurry of topics that im thinking about at that time...not sure if i made sense, You explained it better. I hope you keep on making videos as im truly experiencing growth with your wisdom. Thank you. :)
Thank you. Bob
Really enjoyed this
Oh my God 🤦🏾♀️😅🙋🏾♀️ This is IT !
Such great points Emerald, especially at 8:00. I'm not sure what you've changed. Maybe it's the hand motions. But the way you talk nowadays feels much less robotic and much more human.
OMG, I also do "insight crunching." That's such a great phrase.
Cheers!
-jjer94
Thank you! :D I think it's probably just practice that helps me convey messages more fluidly. I still get really nervous in front of the camera, but I'm a lot more calm than I used to be. :)
12:45 Wow. This is exactly where I am at this moment 😁 It’s my battle between the polarity of overdoing and complacency
a trap ive been in for a while is justifying over thinking by remembering to just "let it be", its easy to not bother facing problems by just letting the thinking go on and on instead of facing the emotional response. i thought if i kept thinking it would come to a conlusion, seems foolish looking back but it was an easy one to fall into.
Another great video!
Thank you! :D
Thank you.
Thank you ⚘
Thanks!
You're welcome. :D
And there she was, this young girl, killing me softly...The consecutive "crunching of insights" (on a humorous note) reminds me of the Kevin Nealon character on SNL's Weekend Update, who would get into what was "really important" showing how he worked to the summation, only to have there be some shading acknowledged & he'd say "forget what I said before was important ...this is what's REALLY important." I do this, terribly, and it's something I wonder if Catholic grammar school had a role.
:D That sketch sounds very familiar. I used to watch Comedy Central like it was my job when I was 12 and 13, and Kevin Nealon was definitely a member of the SNL cast back then. I'm sure I'd know it, if I saw it.
This is amazing! namaste❤
Thank you! :) Namaste back at you!
You got me :O
she got me too
love ur videos.... u are awesome
Thank you. :D
Trying to figure anything beyond functional life becomes a rabbit hole so fast. I have the same problem, I could say that I actually enjoy going in circles, every insight feels like a reward and my mind becomes like a trained rat on a running wheel getting shots of dopamine for staying in the wheel long enough and in the end, going nowhere. At the same time, when I find myself delaying something I tend to confuse flowing with no resistance, the surrender to reality, with being "drunk" on emptiness.
I can relate to this a whole bunch. But once I've ended up so far down into the rabbit hole, I find I can't go back up and actually have to climb all the way through to the other side. I'm at that point now where I'm like "Uh oh... the only way is forward." I get disillusioned from all of the truthseeking and them I can't run away into illusions anymore because I recognize them for what they are. But I'm also not completely free of illusion, so it's like I'm somewhere in the rabbit hole, hoping that it goes somewhere.
Not that it's completely useless, because useful insights can emerge, but we can argue that this might be the worst type of procrastination, because in any other case, at least we know that we are just keeping ourselves busy avoiding other stuff but in this case we feed the illusion that we are being super productive with a clear goal in mind incorporating absolutely nothing. That's what I get for playing with my Ego.
In my case, I believe there is some fear rooted in this obsessive behavior. I face truth seeking as a utilitarian and I go round and round trying to cover every possible corner of knowledge, even though I know that this is a bottomless pit, but it's all fear of not having the proper "tools of wisdom" as my future self, to be ready for anything reality throws at me and that's nonsense in multiple levels. To trust the essence that provides the insights for now but not trust the very same essence to have competence in the future and the worst part, using truth seeking as a tool to feed the illusion of control, missing the most basic point.
You were right, after some shadow work I realized I was deceiving myself, I guess I was just used to bury stuff.
Another great vid Emerald...how have you been?
Yeah I needed this "slap in the face" hehe.I too have a severe thinking addiction...I'm inconsistent with my meditation practice and always on the hunt! :)
Thank you! I've been well, but super busy. I'm working full time now, so it's been more difficult to keep up with everything. How have you been? :)
oh you're working full time now?Cool!
I'm doing ok...looking for a job now :)
helpful content
Thank you! :D
Thank you Emerald
You're welcome! :D
Can't wait to be of some help to people, the feeling must be amazing :)
Do you mean in the sense of sharing wisdom to help others?
Yes :)
It is a really nice feeling to see people comment that my videos have helped them or given them some clarity about a situation. But one caveat that I would mention, is not to anticipate fulfillment from it. I always thought, "If only I had an outlet for sharing my insights... I'd be really fulfilled." Now that I've done so, it has been really great. But there is still the sense of non-fulfillment. Fulfillment has only come for me in the form of ego-transcendence. So, if you begin sharing insights, expect it to be awesome but not fulfilling. I'm sharing this information because this realization can be a big discouragement if you don't see it coming, and I wouldn't want you to let that discouragement derail your desires to help or to think that you're somehow doing it wrong or on the wrong path. This is one of the uncomfortable insights that I've gleaned from creating and sharing these videos, which was a huge shock to me.
eventually spiritiual grow goes full circle back to practical mundane life
Holy I totally do this. Have always been 'in my head' and since experiencing a trauma, I want to learn all the things but I feel overwhelmed and energetically drained when it comes to applying and doing the work.. some of it happens in therapy but sheesh I know I consume information as an avoidance technique to being still... so uncomfortable
The litmus test that I use for if I"m engaging in bypassing or not relative to reading and watching videos about spirituality and similar topics is the feeling that I get while I'm doing it. If I feel expansive while doing it, then I continue. But if I feel just amused or comforted or the feeling you get when you play a video game for too long, then I know it's time to put the book down or stop watching videos. It's kind of like popcorn. If the popcorn stops popping, it's time to take it out of the microwave... otherwise you're just overcooking it.
I was dropping a roll off box at a slaughterhouse they were under construction...
They had a big fenced in area the cows that were getting ready to be slaughtered to the cows were completely freaking out they were crying trying to climb out of the walls one finally did he knew they were killing them I seen it that cow's eyes he knew what was going on he finally escaped...
I never was much of a meat eater but I haven't ate meat in over 30 years now...
But I haven't been to a doctor in 35 years it's all in how you believe
20:05..."the trap of spiritual ego... inert in life"... hard realization, but better than not.
:)
I should be being spiritual right now but I'm bypassing by watching this video damn
Question for anyone!
Do you ever have a notetaking tool nearby when meditating? I find the ego often tries to barter me out of meditation by giving me tempting insights, ones that I usually end up forgetting anyways. A while ago I played with recording the thought as far as it will go practically and then strictly returning to meditation. Anyone else have thoughts on this? Think it works well or not so well for you? Why or why not?
Letting go is the "destination" of meditation. "The horse will return of its own accord."
I don't keep any note-taking tools around for meditation. I save my insight writing for contemplation. But for me, meditation is about disengaging with the thought content and immersing myself mindfully in my awareness of my sensory experiences. So, insights coming up, though helpful in the context of contemplation, are detrimental to latch onto in meditation. So, my advice is to do contemplation and meditation at separate times, because they tend to work in opposition to one another. In meditation, let the thoughts pass you by without trying to capture them or getting attached to them.
Hrmmmm I suppose yeah that technique may work well for brainstorming, but if "worthy" ideas keep coming up when the main intention is to meditate it is a counter-intuitive technique. So it depends on what I'm to be doing in the first place. Thanks for replying! I appreciate it and your videos!
Gah! Love this. Great compliment to Teal's video on the same subject. (But let's try to convert people to veganism. Srsly.)
I understand the thought, and truly I wish that it were that simple because I would love to see factory farming fade into the oblivion of history. It truly is disturbing and sad just to know of the suffering. But I find that, with any topic or stance, the more you try to convert people over to something, they counter-intuitively get more resistant to the very thing you're trying to hearten them to. Evangelism creates devout Atheists. Vegan converting makes non-Veganism into a cherished identity and conjures an intense dislike of all things Vegan. A parent's scorn toward a teenager's preferences makes the teen double down on those preferences. The human ego is like a Chinese finger trap: the more you pull apart the tighter it grips. So, the only thing to do is to show yourself as an example of whatever you would like to see in the world. If people see that you are happy and kind and they like you, they may allow you to influence them in subtle ways and may adopt some of your behaviors and preferences. And over the course of generations, it makes a big differences.
My laziness take me to this situation, and it's sad
hey id love you to do an interview with mbtv!!
What's the use of spiritual concepts if I can't use them in practical life? What I get from this video is that you should learn this spiritual ideas but you should not apply them to real life so you're not spiritual bypassing... What's the point then? It's useless to learn something that you can't use on a daily basis to improve your life experience...
Spiritual bypassing isn't where we apply spiritual concepts to practical life. It's where we use spiritual ideas and concepts to avoid facing with elements of our lives that we don't want to face with.
Dam....I’m an effing spiritual bypasser...😶
how do we became aware?or in what way do we observe the emotions ?
Thy Ultimate Reality awareness is just a functioning of the brain. It can not be used to bring about any Change.
so, what will bring the change ?
Thy Ultimate Reality if you do change, it's a thought induced change. But as many have stated, no change is necessary. You're already there.
Well, the thing is that you are already aware on some level. Think about how you become aware of the breath. On a day to day basis, you may lose track of the fact that you're breathing, as this is an automatic activity. Yet, at the same time, you know that you've been experiencing breathing, otherwise you wouldn't still be here. So, it's just a matter of paying attention to what you're already aware of. So, when emotions arise as physical sensations in the body, focus on those sensations. There is a strong tendency to want to shift the focus immediately to the thoughts and interpretations of the emotional sensation, and then get caught up in the content of thoughts. So, you want to purposefully focus toward the sensations in the body that arise as a result of the emotions, without getting lost in thought. It's basically choosing areas of your experience that you want to focus on by directing your attention there and keeping your attention there.
So, how can we bring that quality of attention ? and who is it that is directing or controlling the focus to attend something there ? I hope I made myself clear. I don't know if I understand wrong , you say that there is the observer or controller who is directing or shaping the focus or attention to something , is that right ? so where is it that we are directing our attention into ? sorry I am afraid if it was clear.
hey i once had a dream that i saw my own body sleeping an moving a lot thare also was something above my body i dont know what is was didnt see it that good but after a few minutes i relisted that it was not good and than i got awake instantly and i was really sweaty do you know what happen?
What is a good life though.. If you have your very basic needs met then everything else is pretty much unnecessary
That's how the Sadhus in India live
A vegan is putting ideas in their stomachs.
A hungry "man" does not ask what should I eat, they ask what can I eat.
I understand this thought, and it can be true. Very often, Vegans become Vegan simply to feed their ego. It becomes an identification and attachment to certain morals and ideas for how reality SHOULD be, which can then be used to judge others as being morally inferior to boost up their feeling of moral superiority. Now, I still have an ego, but I think I've done pretty good at keeping a certain degree of detachment from Veganism as an identity attachment. So, if I were truly to find myself in a situation where I was starving and the only thing there was to eat was some meat or diary product, I would make an exception without qualms. But my preference is to refrain from eating foods that are sourced from the suffering of other sentient beings. It's a great privilege that I have as a modern person living in a first world country making a living wage that I can actually choose this as a diet. So, with that said, I'm grateful that I can choose a diet that is in keeping with my values.
Values are in the field of duality and a societal problem. They are a "How to live" problem but unrelated to the real search "about life"; also unrelated to enlightenment (yuck). (:
I myself would never order meat. But if meat is already in front of me, there is no point in not eating it. If it will be thrown out, why not. If its not around, I don't eat it. Food can turn into a religion.
Yes, that's true. :) Values are always on the practical level, and are about our opinions on what works best for living in a dualistic world. They have nothing to do with Truth, other than that they exist as a mental/emotional experience. I've heard that the Dalai Lama has a similar philosophy about consuming meat. If it's given to him he'll eat it, but if he is choosing his own meal then he will refrain.
The Diamond Net it's only dualistic when external stimulus demands. Thanks for being interactive on your channel!
Well put. You're welcome. I try to keep up with my comments, at least. I probably get to 90% of them or so. But I've been slacking big time on my messages and emails and things like that. So, I have some catching up to do.
When people do this it disgusts me...
I watched 3 videos on this issue and no one explained it properly... Your explanation literally negates all spirituality like it's some unnecessary nonsense. Basically, according to you, insights are unnecessary delusions that keeps us away from pursuing things 1:55
For example, I want to buy a new car or something because I think it will make me happy, but then I have an insight that tells me that buying a car won't really make me happy since happiness doesn't work like that. So based on your explanation, I should just forget about my insight and buy the car.
You seem to be selling a nicotine free brand of cigarettes, but they indeed contain nicotine.
This is true. My videos (even this particular video) can be easily used for spiritual bypassing. But they can also be of help too, depending on how they're used. This is why it's important to take action as opposed to simply watching videos, which is also another trap.
The Diamond Net help? I see it as prolonging suffering. You should know you can be of no help. What's there to help?
Action is the very thing that reinforces the false sense of I.
Kozmic Blues understood. My goal is to make one realize what must come to an end is the distorting interference of the self-perpetuating mechanism of thought. ALL techniques and practices to end or control thought are futile because they are themselves the products of thought and the means of its perpetuation. This self perpetuating process of thought can come to and end. But do you want that ? Can anyone?
Kozmic Blues of what I speak, you have no idea.
Kozmic Blues the mere fact you mention karma means you haven't got a chance my friend. You've fallen for the duhkha of all duhkhas (: