Christian Brotherhood

[China Cat Sunflower]

..

 

[China Cat Sunflower]

A Common and shallow misunderstanding of the spiritual process consists in wanting to move directly from being an ego-driven individual to having "no self". But discovering our own presence is the beginning of being free of the compulsive and demanding ego.

Excellent!

Chris

 

[Bruce Michael]

(Sorry about the long delay - sorting out my son's battle with council tax).

Helminski says it better than I can:



All I was saying is that we should not allow our own presence to fade away.

Cliff

Yes, Christians must be careful of this. I would term it a Luciferic temptation - ego death.

On the other extreme is egotism. As a remedy for this I have found "The Imitation of Christ" written down by A Kempis, to be invaluable.

As always, it's all about balance.

Godspeed,
Br.Bruce

 

[Dondi]

A Common and shallow misunderstanding of the spiritual process consists in wanting to move directly from being an ego-driven individual to having "no self". But discovering our own presence is the beginning of being free of the compulsive and demanding ego.

For a Christian, it's not about finding our ego, or losing our ego, it's about finding ourselves "in Christ". In other words, we find our highest potential, our highest being, "in Christ", who is the model of perfection, the standard by which we must follow. Hence the name Christian. When Jesus said, "He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it." (Matthew 10:39), He wasn't talking about destroying one's ego, but reather rediscovering it in light of God's Spirit indwelling in him.

Where our ego gets in the way is when we don't allow God to make the changes necessary to make us into the type of people He wants us to be. We think we can do this of our own accord, but all our attempts at righteousness without Him are like filthy rags, for we are not led by the Spirit, but by the flesh (that is our ego).

 

[Vajradhara]

Namaste Bruce Michael,

thank you for the post.

That "grasping ego" is only a lower condition of ego- really unrefined kama.

whilst this may be the Theosophical point of view it is not one which is found within the Buddhadharma. nevertheless, it seems that you would agree that the ego is the basis of the projection of "i" upon Samsara.

Who is this 'I' that is trying to be more altruistic? Does it seek peace & bliss?

even Buddhas use conventional forms of speech when they proclaim the Dharma how much more should a being such as i?

From your your posts I sense a well developed healthy obstinacy. Where does that comes from?

perhaps that is simply a projection? my views are based on this current life cycle and the knowledge and experience which this being has undergone.

metta,

~v

 

[Virtual_Cliff]

For a Christian, it's not about finding our ego, or losing our ego, it's about finding ourselves "in Christ". In other words, we find our highest potential, our highest being, "in Christ", who is the model of perfection, the standard by which we must follow....

Where our ego gets in the way is when we don't allow God to make the changes necessary to make us into the type of people He wants us to be.

Yes I agree. And we can't meet Christ "out there" with our senses, but within ourselves. In this way we can find common ground with non-theists.

And our ego does not have to be all bad. Helminski again:

... we will see how this ego is supported by spiritual intelligence and wisdom, and how it can in return act as an instrument of greater intelligence rather than as a proponent of its own self-interest. We need to establish a subtle balance...