Is spirituality a trap?

Originally Posted by Jyotir

Is spirituality a trap?

How could that which inspires, illumines, and liberates be a trap?

__

My advice is to reject inferior and confusing resources; sincerely and assiduously seek - and utilize - the superior ones.

~ J

Exactly.

Excellent summarized and straight to the heart of the matter.

Thanks Jyotir.

[Miss Hepburn]

Originally Posted by janielee

Exactly.

Excellent summarized and straight to the heart of the matter.

Thanks Jyotir.

I know, right...he's the best! Who says assiduously?

[ocean breeze]

People also see following the herd, having a 9 to 5 job, retirement, and religion as inspiring, illumining, and liberating. The trick with spirituality as that you have to pretend that it is a far better path when its the same as any other path. To do this you need to keep your eyes closed so to avoid any serious thought or examination of where you are or where your going.

Originally Posted by Miss Hepburn

I know, right...he's the best! Who says assiduously?

Nice to have expertise.

PS

as·sid·u·ous·ly

/əˈsijo͞oəslē/
adverb

with great care and perseverance.
"leaders worked assiduously to hammer out an action plan"

PPS That was for me - not you!

[Found Goat]

I’m not quite sure whether I fully understand the titular question of this thread. Minus the fish-hook, it reads to me somewhat as a blanket statement. Though, not to get bogged down in discussing what is meant by spirituality...

There are those who feel, if anything, that it is organized religion that entraps and leads many astray as it fails to teach personal salvation via inner development and spiritual self-sufficiency.

Many are also in agreement that a lot of people who rise to the top of this fallen world lack soul-awareness, what with their lust for power and control and desire to manipulate and dominate others. In order to reach the highest rungs on the world ladder, even some psychologists have noted the sociopathic tendencies of many of these climbers, in their ruthless drive to reach the top.

As alluded to in the Bible, some of these power-mad humans (or perhaps properly called subhumans if having lost their humanity and hence gaining a perception of the world through a dehumanized lens) are placed in their high positions by none other than demons.

My own feeling, one shared by countless others, is that humans are “trapped” in the illusion of materiality, and that it is the goal of spirituality to liberate the spirit from its organic vessel, lest it return to this fallen realm, or perhaps be entirely obliterated by God as being undeserving of a divine reward due to an absence of, or disdain for, a cultivating soul.

[ONEsoul]

These types of questions ALWAYS make me feel like THE QUESTION IS A TRAP. Define TRAP and then I will respond

[ONEsoul]

PS clarify and define ypur next statement also "My advice is to reject inferior and confusing resources; sincerely and assiduously seek - and utilize - the superior ones.

~ J "


Please define as you see it the superior ones, and please define specifically the "IN" ferior ones

[ocean breeze]

Originally Posted by ONEsoul

These types of questions ALWAYS make me feel like THE QUESTION IS A TRAP. Define TRAP and then I will respond

Then one would also need to define spirituality as well.

[Jyotir]

Hi ONEsoul,

Originally Posted by ONEsoul

These types of questions ALWAYS make me feel like THE QUESTION IS A TRAP. Define TRAP and then I will respond

Not a definition of trap, but an illustration:

Originally Posted by ocean breeze

People also see following the herd, having a 9 to 5 job, retirement, and religion as inspiring, illumining, and liberating. The trick with spirituality as that you have to pretend that it is a far better path when its the same as any other path. To do this you need to keep your eyes closed so to avoid any serious thought or examination of where you are or where your going.

In the above passage, it would be better to replace "pretend" with "know" - because if sincere and authentic, a dedicated consecrated spiritual life is not at all a pretense, but an action rooted in faith which is knowing (not pretending). And importantly, just because what is emerging in faith - that knowing - is not fully realized, but progressing, does not necessarily make it a pretense.

Also, the spiritual path of those awakened, by definition is not the same as those not awakened, as the very first sentence "People also see..." indicating that there is a clear differentiation between a life lived in ignorance/delusion, versus a life waking up to and increasingly living in truth, as in, conscious of the breath of Spirit, "aspiring".

So in terms of, "far better path" vs. "same as any other path"...
Spiritual life is the CONSCIOUS deliberate concentration and acceleration of the evolution of consciousness which is otherwise the general UNCONSCIOUS tendency of Nature. Therefore, in the context of spiritual awakening, it is superior as an orientation - vs. within the same context of awakening, to persist consciously and deliberately in an inertial complacency of ignorance and delusion. Yes, all existence inherently embodies an essential equality of Spirit, but that is not necessarily consciously expressing instrumentally in the physical in and through individuals. This is a common confusion: that because the essential equality is there, that "everything is spiritual", e.g., divine. And that becomes the intellectual rationalization of a willfully imposed complacency which stifles real progress.

As to "eyes closed", if what is meant is, consistent one-pointed focus, concentration with detachment and indifference to the ignorant manifestations of life, then yes. But "eyes closed" is then a strange and skewed metaphor for such, because it implies the obviation or abrogation of discriminating within life, e.g., eyes fully open/aware, of that which is essential. Which leads to

Again, "to avoid serious thought or examination" is similar, as any genuine spiritual aspirant recognizes that a sincere self-examination is one of the mainstays of spiritual practice.

Originally Posted by ONEsoul

PS clarify and define ypur next statement also "My advice is to reject inferior and confusing resources; sincerely and assiduously seek - and utilize - the superior ones. Please define as you see it the superior ones, and please define specifically the "IN" ferior ones

Superior resources would be those that fully embody and reveal Truth.

Inferior resources often embody some confusing or misleading (whether consciously or unconsciously) combination of truth, partial truth, outright falsehood and ignorance.

Much content on these boards is of the latter variety, yet many awakened individuals are prone utilize the discussion here as a primary resource; arguing, “holding court”, complaining about life; expressing doubt, suspicion, and intellectual skepticism as a primary focus of their “practice”, which is an unfortunate waste of time, opportunity, and promise.

On the other hand, there is support, encouragement, and open sharing of what works for others, which is a type of “truth” but because it is relative and unqualified, it requires the personal responsibility of discrimination and discernment to determine authenticity.

~ J

[HSmith123]

Originally Posted by Found Goat

I’m not quite sure whether I fully understand the titular question of this thread. Minus the fish-hook, it reads to me somewhat as a blanket statement. Though, not to get bogged down in discussing what is meant by spirituality...

There are those who feel, if anything, that it is organized religion that entraps and leads many astray as it fails to teach personal salvation via inner development and spiritual self-sufficiency.

Many are also in agreement that a lot of people who rise to the top of this fallen world lack soul-awareness, what with their lust for power and control and desire to manipulate and dominate others. In order to reach the highest rungs on the world ladder, even some psychologists have noted the sociopathic tendencies of many of these climbers, in their ruthless drive to reach the top.

As alluded to in the Bible, some of these power-mad humans (or perhaps properly called subhumans if having lost their humanity and hence gaining a perception of the world through a dehumanized lens) are placed in their high positions by none other than demons.

My own feeling, one shared by countless others, is that humans are “trapped” in the illusion of materiality, and that it is the goal of spirituality to liberate the spirit from its organic vessel, lest it return to this fallen realm, or perhaps be entirely obliterated by God as being undeserving of a divine reward due to an absence of, or disdain for, a cultivating soul.

Okay so an example how do we know that 'spirit guides' aren't demons deceiving us?