"Psychology of awakening" (Col)

[Guest guest]

Hi Colette,

 

You're quoting from an excerpt, which I think it's all that is available

from the web. The entire article is longer than that. A teaser, huh??

 

I especially like what you say here:

>Later on after sunyata Witness may be in the foreground,

>& actually hiding what trauma still exists unhealed in

>the still present ego structure with its habituated

>boundaries of patterns of self beliefs. Sunyata is

>transcendence of manifestation but it is not total

>healing OF those structures! Many would expect it would be.

 

Many people pursue non-dual paths *just so* their phenomenal structures

will heal. I call that "changing the picture" or "rearranging the

furniture." Normally, from the seekers I've known who want realization

*and* a different picture, is that realization alone will do it. And when

they hear "there's nothing to do" even though they have intense issues

relating to parents or security or anger or abuse, etc., they will avoid

getting, as they believe this would betray a low level of spiritual

attainment.

 

It can go either way, realization before or after the psychological work.

Either way if psychology is needed, it should be done.

 

Realization before: What realization does is remove the personal element,

actually freeing one up to get help where help is needed. There's no

longer a personal, egoic stigma or any spiritual significance to getting

psychological help. And the psychological processes can actually work with

no resistance from an ego that says "if I were farther along the spiritual

path, I wouldn't need this."

 

Realization after: On the other hand, as Wellwood argues, if one pursues

psycholgical processes *before* undertaking a non-dual path, then there is

no spiritual significance -- no blow to the spiritual ego when one goes for

psychological help. And with some psychological clearing, the non-dual

path will be much quicker and more joyful.

 

Thanks for bringing this up!

 

Love,

 

--Greg