It seems to me that getting away from ourselves is often cited by some as the goal of their spirituality. Only I wonder if what they may end up doing, if such a thing is possible at all, might be called life bypassing.

I think what led me to start this thread was this issue of qualia. It is often the uncertainty or confusion in life that leads many to seek out a spiritual path. They may be looking for a way out, or at least to gain an understanding of 'why' to help them cope. It is those difficult qualities of the life experience that often lead to different aspects of suffering that they are seeking to mitigate. The monk in the monastery may find that he can avoid much of the fear and anxieties that the peasant has to deal with when trying to keep himself and his family alive. He may find that without all those worldly attachments he can tame his mind, maybe even attain enlightenment. The monk has changed the qualities of his life experience, but what I don’t know is whether he has made a good bargain or not, or if any set of qualia can be said to be better or worse than another. Perhaps the answer is different for each soul for each life.