Spiritual Bypassing

[dwai]

I guess that't right, it can help change your perspective in many beneficial ways so you can see all the positives within the negatives and if you study the Tao and the nature of change you can gain faith that all things will change and be transform naturally if we let them and stop interfering, so suffering and pain can become more bearable and manageable by trusting in the natural process of it resolving itself rather than anxiously trying to get rid of it.

Imho, meditation can be used as a "shield" from pain etc for a limited period only. As meditation deepens and people come face to face with their darkest parts then meditation truly begins. It develops compassion for oneself, makes one stop judging oneself and thereby others. Makes one resolve the traumas and fears as the darkness engulfs their being until like a beautiful dawn the realization of the true nature emerges...

[Seth Ananda]

Awesome subject!

 

Growing up in an Intensely abusive Cult, and having PTSD from it made spiritual bypassing essential to my path.

As of 17, I hit the spiritual path hard. I had a pension for the PTSD issues, so all I had to do was meditate and study. Meditation, Bhakti, Tantra, Qigong and Ritual Magick were what got most of my Time. I spent about 10 years in intense and often long term states of bliss.

I or my nervous system really needed this time. It was the first time I could relax and start to surrender, and feel at ease... After about 10 years, the last 6 month of which I didn't come out of Bliss for a second, I had perfected spiritual bypassing.

If I didn't like a feeling or sensation, [a tiny bug in a massive field of bliss] all I had to do was focus on my Mantra a little more and a surge of bliss would wash away said Irritation.

 

Then one day my Inner voice said 'drop the mantra' I was resistant at first, but then I got excited. Maybe I had cracked the egg? Maybe I was enlightened? :D

 

It took about two weeks to stop hearing the Mantra internally constantly and i had to try to Interrupt it consciously quite often. Then it passed and the bliss started to fade.

Very frightening process...

Then It ended, and I was appalled to find that I was the same shitty old person who had set out on that path. The same judgementalism, fears, pettiness, insecurities... In other words I was as egotistical as ever. And very 'Un-relational'

 

Absolutely horrified. Shocked. My Nervous system had changed a lot, and I had new 'capacities' but so what?

 

My path changed a lot. No more bliss practices. I became more cynical, dryer, and I decided I had to dig my way to heaven. That lasted about 5 years, when I realised that I was being to hard on myself, and allowed some bliss back in, carefully.

 

There have been a lot of swings back and forth since then, but I have settled on a set of practices that create bliss while simultaneously working on the 'content' or unrefined qualities of myself - of which there are plenty

 

 

Some attitudes I have noticed or confusions that get turned into Spiritual bypassing:

 

Some traditions tell one to turn from worldly dramas to face the One {or whatever name they use} And I think this can be good. Dramas/gossip/irrelevant distractions drain ones energy. But when one uses this to avoid hurt feelings, or an emotional tangle stemming from some shadow pattern then It becomes bypassing.

 

Certain Newage beliefs Like:

 

Its all a mirror! If my acting like a dick head upsets you, that's your problem! I have seen the worst behaviour justified with this one.

 

Some of the Manifesting philosophy gets corrupted like this. As in: "Why are you manifesting me being like this?"

I once got so angry at someone saying this to me, {after being a complete douch bag} that I held him down and gave him painful nipple criples, asking him why he was manifesting this happening? - Hey I had some serious anger management Issues when I was younger...

 

 

Then Neo Advaita bypassing - I am not a person, why should I look at the personal?

"Who is feeling these things" Turning inner content into an inquiry that does not release or help the content...

 

 

 

I really like Ken Wilburs stained glass window analogy, of the different approaches to development

 

Psychology/counselling...:

Fixing up the lead, trying to find replacement pieces of glass, helping the structure hold together better...

 

Spiritual systems that focus on States, Well being, morality and energy cultivation...:

Polishing the pieces of glass so they are more transparent and beautiful

 

Schools that deal exclusively with the Beyond, Awareness only...:

They become Identified with the light that passes through the glass.

 

Obviously some schools do some of every thing or two of these or only one. And one can be a Master in one of these without having the slightest skill in any of the others. Look at some of the great teachers who had terrible personal relationships. All the second or third, but no First! They are still great teachers mind you...

 

Seth.

[Sahaj Nath]

Awesome subject!

 

 

yes, and an awesome response, brother!

 

 

does anybody wonder why i love this man?

[Tom Lin]

So take an example of a person meditating:

 

If the person is trying to do a "no-mind" meditation, would that be considered spiritual bypassing if the person is seemingly trying to "escape" emotional wounds?

 

 

Also to further that, would the right thing for him to be doing is instead observing his thoughts during meditation as they come in, and by doing so he will have more clear, wholesome thoughts to treat those emotional wounds?

[Seth Ananda]

yes, and an awesome response, brother!

 

 

does anybody wonder why i love this man?

:wub: Move to Australia damn it!

[Sahaj Nath]

So take an example of a person meditating:

 

If the person is trying to do a "no-mind" meditation, would that be considered spiritual bypassing if the person is seemingly trying to "escape" emotional wounds?

 

 

Also to further that, would the right thing for him to be doing is instead observing his thoughts during meditation as they come in, and by doing so he will have more clear, wholesome thoughts to treat those emotional wounds?

 

every human being experiences emotional pain. identification with that pain, investment with that pain, turns that pain into a wound.

 

so yes, if the goal is escape, it's a bypass attempt.

 

you don't treat emotional wounds with clear, wholesome thoughts. emotional wounds will clear themselves when you get out of the way and allow the pain to run its course. it's fear of that pain or memory that leads people to assume that something needs to be done about it. truth is, most of the things we "do" further exacerbate the pathology. i think that's one of the main premises of the book, but my copy hasn't arrived yet. just the same, though, i can argue that from my own experience, both individually, and with patients over the years.

 

since he was mentioned above by my brother seth, i'll quote him again. i agree with Ken Wilber's analysis of healthy spiritual stage development. as we cultivate openness and non-resistance, non-judgment, some things hurt more (no armor), but they bother us less.

 

"no-mind" types of meditations, like vipassana, lead to this type of healthy development. you begin to realize how your desires and your aversions are really the source of your suffering. pain is inevitable in life, but suffering can be healed.

[Jetsun]

 

Found some interesting books

 

http://www.amazon.com/Shadow-Dance-Liberating-Power-Creativity/dp/1570624445/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1326286631&sr=8-14

 

http://www.amazon.com/Meeting-Shadow-New-Consciousness-Reader/dp/087477618X/ref=sr_1_9?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1326286770&sr=1-9

 

I have read that second book, one of the authors argues that both Ghandi and Mother Theresa were doing a spiritual bypass, Ghandi would internalize all his anger and do extreme fasts brining him close to death on a few occasions punishing himself, so he was using his practice in a masochistic unhealthy way to try to deal with his anger and the author argues that Mother Theresa was consumed with guilt and shame and rather than face upto and find the root of those shadow emotions she worked relentlessly in charity to avoid them. I found that perspective pretty interesting, it made me wonder if a lot of the spiritual role models we have may be doing a bypass of some sort.

[dwai]

I have read that second book, one of the authors argues that both Ghandi and Mother Theresa were doing a spiritual bypass, Ghandi would internalize all his anger and do extreme fasts brining him close to death on a few occasions punishing himself, so he was using his practice in a masochistic unhealthy way to try to deal with his anger and the author argues that Mother Theresa was consumed with guilt and shame and rather than face upto and find the root of those shadow emotions she worked relentlessly in charity to avoid them. I found that perspective pretty interesting, it made me wonder if a lot of the spiritual role models we have may be doing a bypass of some sort.

I'm not so sure that was an accurate way to expain gandhiji's satyagraha. His fasts were in political protest. Also it would be important to remember that gandhiji was a political reformist in his public life and his spiritual experiments were in private life...

[johndoe2012]

I have read that second book, one of the authors argues that both Ghandi and Mother Theresa were doing a spiritual bypass, Ghandi would internalize all his anger and do extreme fasts brining him close to death on a few occasions punishing himself, so he was using his practice in a masochistic unhealthy way to try to deal with his anger and the author argues that Mother Theresa was consumed with guilt and shame and rather than face upto and find the root of those shadow emotions she worked relentlessly in charity to avoid them. I found that perspective pretty interesting, it made me wonder if a lot of the spiritual role models we have may be doing a bypass of some sort.

 

Daniel Ingram in "Mastering the core teachings of Buddha" says to first get wake up, then work on your stuff. He said the reason was to see what is your stuff and what is not.

 

I guess one should ask oneself what the most appropriate path is, not listen so much to what others say.

[Birch]

I'm not so sure that was an accurate way to expain gandhiji's satyagraha. His fasts were in political protest. Also it would be important to remember that gandhiji was a political reformist in his public life and his spiritual experiments were in private life...

Sure, but I don't think we can separate the two. In fact I know it's pretty hard to do, personally. And, of course, think about the implications of having underdeveloped leaders in the world. Or leaders that dabble in things. To what extent does that 'overflow'?

[dwai]

Sure, but I don't think we can separate the two. In fact I know it's pretty hard to do, personally. And, of course, think about the implications of having underdeveloped leaders in the world. Or leaders that dabble in things. To what extent does that 'overflow'?

 

so how much do you know about the guy (Mohandas Gandhi) to say that the conclusions drawn by the author (posted by Jetsun) was accurate? Or are you simply making an observation that Politics and personal spirituality bleed into each other?

 

Do you make your political affiliations affect your personal spiritual quest? Does anyone who is serious about this?

 

And sure, his politics were influenced by his beliefs as a practicing Hindu. That doesn't mean that his fasts were spiritual acts or somehow were acts of spiritual "bypassing". On the contrary, he was repeated abused, jailed, beaten up by the British police but he never ever expressed violence in reaction. He channeled all that into his determination to get his country rid of the British through non-violent, political action (or inaction in many cases).

 

It's easy for some yahoo to sit in a Western country 60+ years after the man died to pronounce judgments and "express" opinions. At the end of the day, all he is (the author) doing, is making assumptions and trying to extrapolate from facts to fit a fictional theory (spiritual bypassing). The author wasn't there alongside Gandhi...he hasn't seen what it was like to live under the rule of an occupying force and not have any personal liberties.

[hagar]

To be honest I find the whole idea of spiritual bypassing to be a non-issue.

 

Everybody does bypassing. The whole spiritual impulse or drive towards contemplation or cultivation is by definition a form of spiritual bypassing.

The idea that we must start where we are and work through our tactile and immediate emotional and life-issues instead of trying to go beyond them is utopian.

If we start with what we have to deal with, and work "through" our life situation and our emotions, it will never end.

 

All humans are in need of some sort of reassurance that there is a way out, and the only way to do so is to experientially feel it. This is bypassing per se.

Only later may we come back from our transcendent experience, and actually start working on ourselves, knowing there is a way to some freedom and ease.

 

h

[Birch]

so how much do you know about the guy (Mohandas Gandhi) to say that the conclusions drawn by the author (posted by Jetsun) was accurate? Or are you simply making an observation that Politics and personal spirituality bleed into each other?

 

Do you make your political affiliations affect your personal spiritual quest? Does anyone who is serious about this?

 

And sure, his politics were influenced by his beliefs as a practicing Hindu. That doesn't mean that his fasts were spiritual acts or somehow were acts of spiritual "bypassing". On the contrary, he was repeated abused, jailed, beaten up by the British police but he never ever expressed violence in reaction. He channeled all that into his determination to get his country rid of the British through non-violent, political action (or inaction in many cases).

 

It's easy for some yahoo to sit in a Western country 60+ years after the man died to pronounce judgments and "express" opinions. At the end of the day, all he is (the author) doing, is making assumptions and trying to extrapolate from facts to fit a fictional theory (spiritual bypassing). The author wasn't there alongside Gandhi...he hasn't seen what it was like to live under the rule of an occupying force and not have any personal liberties.

I did not expect such a response. I didn't mean to offend. I was pondering all leaders, not just Ghandi.

[Jetsun]

so how much do you know about the guy (Mohandas Gandhi) to say that the conclusions drawn by the author (posted by Jetsun) was accurate? Or are you simply making an observation that Politics and personal spirituality bleed into each other?

 

Do you make your political affiliations affect your personal spiritual quest? Does anyone who is serious about this?

 

And sure, his politics were influenced by his beliefs as a practicing Hindu. That doesn't mean that his fasts were spiritual acts or somehow were acts of spiritual "bypassing". On the contrary, he was repeated abused, jailed, beaten up by the British police but he never ever expressed violence in reaction. He channeled all that into his determination to get his country rid of the British through non-violent, political action (or inaction in many cases).

 

It's easy for some yahoo to sit in a Western country 60+ years after the man died to pronounce judgments and "express" opinions. At the end of the day, all he is (the author) doing, is making assumptions and trying to extrapolate from facts to fit a fictional theory (spiritual bypassing). The author wasn't there alongside Gandhi...he hasn't seen what it was like to live under the rule of an occupying force and not have any personal liberties.

 

I think we have a right to question everybody, nobody is untouchable, I think it is a fair line if inquiry to ask whether if someone takes a fast to an extreme where they are on the verge of death whether that is a form of self violence rather than something noble. It's similar to all the self immolations going on in Tibet at the moment, is that a form of self anger or hatred directed inwards or is it done from a pure compassionate intention to try to help the situation?. No doubt Ghandi was a great man and one of the greatest leaders the world has ever seen, but that doesn't mean we can't question him. Ghandi spoke at length in his autobiography how much his spiritual beliefs influenced his politics and political actions.

[dwai]

I did not expect such a response. I didn't mean to offend. I was pondering all leaders, not just Ghandi.

The response was knee-jerk. I dont think gandhiji is in the same league...he was way more advanced...had given up materialism...

[dwai]

I think we have a right to question everybody, nobody is untouchable, I think it is a fair line if inquiry to ask whether if someone takes a fast to an extreme where they are on the verge of death whether that is a form of self violence rather than something noble. It's similar to all the self immolations going on in Tibet at the moment, is that a form of self anger or hatred directed inwards or is it done from a pure compassionate intention to try to help the situation?. No doubt Ghandi was a great man and one of the greatest leaders the world has ever seen, but that doesn't mean we can't question him. Ghandi spoke at length in his autobiography how much his spiritual beliefs influenced his politics and political actions.

You are free to speculate what you want. I am free to speculate what i want. I can tell you i would not have been so free to share my thoughts if the brits still ruled india.