Nonduality and Envy
 

As I set on my path, I find that I start to envy those who are "more enlightened" than me. I've gained all sorts of new levels of insight and abilities, but I keep feeling that it's not enough. It's millions much better than it used to be, but I can't seem to completely stop framing my situation as something competitive -- to feed my own strong need to be liked.

What can I do about this?

Stop comparing yourself to others.
Those that seem more enlightened than you often have their own struggles they don't advocate.

Consider this. In a darkened room light a candle.
Now blow it out and light another one of similar size and wick width.
Which one gives off more illumination?

With Love
Eelco

The spiritual journey is not a competition but it is human nature to compare our achievements with the apparent achievements of others. Then we criticise ourselves for not being as advanced as some, or we feel spiritual pride that we are more advanced than others.

But we cannot judge anyone else's spiritual attainments. It can be difficult enough to evaluate our own attainments. Gradually we become more content with wherever we are; we do not need to feel spiritually special. It is OK to be ordinary.

If we are fortunate enough to encounter those who are more spiritually advanced then we simply have to remind ourselves that we are now as they once were, and we will be as they are now.

Peace.

As long as you feel there is a scale of enlightenment you will place yourself somewhere on it and you will regard some to be above and some below you.

From a non dual perspective, Oneness is the only reality. From that perspective all are equally completely Oneness manifest. The realized are no more or less Oneness than the unrealized for it is already Oneness manifesting as the unrealized.

Hmmm . . . I'll think about all this. I wish I can say more, but I guess I have more ideas I need to listen to than say.

Thank you. :)

All fantastic replies in this thread. But I just wanted to add...
If you're going to seek something, seek what brings love, joy and peace to your own self. For some people its peace alone which brings love and joy to their hearts. But for others there's something else the soul cries for. So if your heart is crying for something, just follow the trail of your own heart's call, and its impossible for you to not find a life of amazement.

The funny thing about the search is... once you find the thing... you realize it was always there anyways. Why seek something which is already there? I had to learn this the hard way. And many others too. But I feel that we all go through our journey so that we may show others some form of pointer that says "this way is probably a bad idea btw".

Who do you think You Are? If you view yourself as somehow little, well smash that illusion because look at how beautiful you really are. You're sensing... feeling... hearing... knowing... learning... experiencing. And that experience is always perceived by the so-called "enlightened Self". It's always there... don't chase something that's attached to your mind inseparably anyways. It's always doing its thing so for me it helps to just let go and allow things to happen.

I'm rambling now, but I feel it's important to feel the trust in your heart that you are already where you're supposed to be. Take a step. Then another step. And so on.

If your heart screams a goal at you, then sure, fight for that lifelove your insides cry for... But don't worry bout it man... It's all good. Or it just is what it is.

Thanks, man. :’) . That was beautiful.

I like to think of it this way...

All reality except for the Absolute Non-Dual reality is personally subjective.

You say others are " more enlightened" than yourself...how do you know that? How can you be sure of it?

There are many great "actors" in this world, who appear to be something they are not...and more than what they are.

Even so, there will be those who are "more enlightened" and those who are " less enlightened", but by what measurement or yardstick is this judged?

Even the concept of any comparison is a whole duality within itself.

If you go on comparing, where will it stop? You will only end up comparing yourself to Jesus Christ or Mother Theresa or even God.

...and while comparing the self to God may be a good thing...whilever the ego is involved in it, it's not.

Could it be that you're chasing spiritual perfection? I've been using spirituality as some bar to reach for a few years now (not realising that's what i was doing) It was just another way for me to myself that i was "not enough" Maybe give yourself a break? i suspect you've earned it!

Yeah, I like what Slash112 and Eelco have said.

A "search" will continue to go on until you decide to stop it by being satisfied by whatever you figure out.

But to your point, I don't know if feeling envious is necessarily a bad thing, just as pursuing a life of perpetual happiness and contentment isn't necessarily good.

I think that all of us spiritual minded people need to be more accepting of the emotions that we naturally have.